The stage seems to be set for recovery in the grain markets.

The first time Marcia Read heard about Dexter cattle, there was no question about it. She had to have some. Read was infatuated with the Dexters’ small stature, versatility and ability to eat almost anything. These unique, pony-sized cattle were perfect for her farm and it wasn’t long before she bought a small, dairy-type cow named Peerless Chopper.

Huge rift between U.S. soybean producer boards. The American Soybean Association is blasting the United Soybean Board, raising “serious ethical, legal, and financial allegations” about how farmer checkoff funds and program activities are being conducted.

Fred Forsburg’s tomatoes are perfect — tough to do in a certified organic operation where no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides are used. The Livonia farmer’s secret? Growing tomatoes in high tunnels.

The last three decades of Ohio soybean production have been good ones, marked by improved Phytophthora cultivars, a new market for tofu soybeans and one of the most popular soybean varieties ever grown in Ohio. Much of that success has been at the hands of Steve St. Martin, a soybean breeder at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. But on Jan. 1, St. Martin, who has headed the soybean breeding program at the center since 1991, will retire and pass the torch to a new faculty member.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown received a Friend of Farm Bureau Award from the Ohio organization during its annual meeting Dec. 3-5 in Columbus. The award is given to legislators who have supported important agricultural issues. Brown serves on the Senate agriculture committee, marking the first time an Ohioan has done that in nearly half a [...]

COLUMBUS — A Jefferson County couple who has tweaked a successful farm business to stay profitable and in business was lauded as Outstanding Young Farm Couple last week during the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation‘s annual meeting. Robert and Autumn Morrison of Bloomingdale will represent Ohio next month at the national contest during the American Farm [...]

COLUMBUS — With blessing from county delegates, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation staffers will push forth in 2009 with the state’s plan to implement a changed timeline for signing new members. Some 341 county delegates convened in Columbus Dec. 3-5 to recommend policy and amend code of the organization. During more than a day of policy [...]

Picking a corn hybrid based on this year’s Ohio State University Corn Performance Trials will be tricky.

COLUMBUS — It came as no surprise when economists said in late November that the American economy is, indeed, in the throes of recession. Has been for nearly a year, they asserted. And the public just laughed, almost congratulating the government for seeing what most average Joe’s pocketbook was already showing. But for one section [...]