Andy's Angle

The 2010 ProFarmer Midwest Crop Tour is officially underway!

I'm covering my seventh or eighth Tour this year, and I'm thrilled. This is my "working" vacation every summer, where I get away from the office and the ABN County Fair and Festival Tour Powered by Propane (and this year away from school, too!), and get to play crop scout for a week. The gist of the Tour is that 38 Crop Scouts on the Eastern leg spend the week crisscrossing Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota scouting corn and soybean fields. Meanwhile, our counterparts on the Western leg are covering South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota doing the same thing.

What are we looking for? Along with the general condition of the fields and the crop, we're specifically counting the number of soybean pods in a square yard, and performing a "rough and dirty" yield calculation on the corn fields. I'll be "live Tweeting" the Tour again this year, and uploading pictures and video on the ABN Facebook page. Additionally, we'll have exclusive audio on demand at ABNRadio.com featuring farmers, commodity brokers/traders, and other folks serving as Crop Scouts this week.

Finally, I'll offer some commentary each night right here on my blog. Between all those sources, you'll be as close to the Crop Tour as you can possibly get without actually getting in the truck and taking the trip. Which, by the way, I heartily recommend. As one of the "veterans" on Tour, I can tell you that this is one of the most enjoyable things I get to do all year long.

My first Crop Tour was during my tenure as Farm Director at WRFD-AM in Columbus. The National Association of Farm Broadcasting asked me to be the official NAFB representative on the Tour that year, and I've been touring ever since. For a kid who spent more time in the pasture than in between rows of field crops, it was a great opportunity to learn a lot more about corn and soybean production from great farmers all across the Cornbelt. Perhaps that social interaction, as much as anything, is one of the hallmarks of the Tour, and a key reason why I come back.

We have a large number of "rookies" on the Tour this year, but at least 18 of the Scouts on the Eastern leg this year are vets like me, and guys I keep in touch with through the social media universe. I'll share some of their stories throughout the week, and you'll get to hear their commentary in our exclusive audio coverage.

My thanks once again this year to Pioneer Hi-Bred International for sponsoring ABN Radio's coverage of the ProFarmer Midwest Crop Tour. Feel free to send me your questions, and stay tuned to all the above listed sources for the latest in how the crop looks across the Eastern Corn Belt!

I realize I'm writing this a few days post facto, but it's been a busy week, so indulge me. Lindsay and I were once again privileged to host the Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions. This marks the fourth year we've anchored the live television broadcast in partnership with the Ohio News Network. For us, this is the most important event of the year. As kids who grew up in 4-H and FFA, showing livestock is a key part of what shaped us into passionate advocates for Ohio agriculture. Most importantly, we value the work and dedication these students put into their projects, and in turn, the money they raise through the Sale of Champions for the Youth Reserve Program.

The Youth Reserve is one of the most impressive youth development programs in agriculture. Since its creation in the late '90s, the program has served to reward junior exhibitors who participate in the Ohio State Fair. Funds for the program come from the dollars received over a cap that is placed on the amount an exhibitor can receive from the Sale of Champions. The funds from the program are distributed among carcass contests, scholarships, the outstanding market exhibitor program, the outstanding breeding exhibitor program, showmanship, skillathons, 4-H and FFA. The Youth Reserve Program has awarded 20,000 youth exhibitors more than $1.5 million since its inception.

This year, the Sale was historic. Breaking six of eight records, shattering several of them in fact, and setting the highest Sale gross in Ohio State Fair history, it was a night we'll all remember for a long time.

For me, I'll also remember it as the night agribusiness really stepped to the plate. We welcomed several new buyers into the Sale this year, and welcomed home a few buyers from yesteryear, too. The Sale is known for the staunch support of perennial buyers like Kroger, Meijer, Charlie Cox, the Vivona Family, and my good friend Steve Rauch. These buyers have each supported the sale for at least a decade, along with several of their business partners like Park Farms or the Union Stock Yards.

In addition to those stalwarts, a trio of agribusiness firms made their presence known in a big way. JD Equipment, Elgin Service Center, and S&S Volvo/GMC purchased the Grand Champion Steer for $65,000. The highlight of the sale, the Grand Champion Steer has traditionally been the domain of heavyweights like Kroger and Rauch. This year, these three firms partnered to support Ohio agriculture, and tell the story of the farm kids who make this state special. JD, with stores in London, Lancaster, Marion, Washington Court House, Wilmington, and Easton (Columbus), made their Sale of Champions debut a few years back, but really made a splash by partnering with two new buyers.

Elgin Service Center, makers of the K Building and dealers in top shelf grain handling and storage equipment, had already decided they were taking part in the Sale this year long before the Fair started. S&S, selling trucks to several farms and agribusinesses in Northwestern Ohio, joined the group to congratulate their mutual customer the Heintz family. It always excites me when agricultural businesses get involved in the Sale of Champions, and especially when they take a run at the Champion Steer.

Likewise, we were once again thrilled to chat with Eileen Kale of Kale Marketing in Richwood. The Sale lost a key supporter, and more importantly we all lost a close friend, with the passing of Eileen's husband DeLyn this year. The Kale Family, including nephew Troy who is a major driving force in the family business, are one of my favorites at the Sale. In addition to the work they do at the Sale of Champions, Kale Marketing support numerous county fair sales as well. Eileen carried on the Kale legacy this year, and I'm especially excited that she's still pulling DeLyn's tractor on the OSTPA/NTPA circuits.

Along with making new friends, we welcomed back an old friend. Bob Evans Farms joined the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation to purchase the Reserve Grand Champion Market Barrow. Bob Evans himself is one of the "Founding Fathers" of the Sale. He, along with legends like Governor Jim Rhoades, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, and livestock auctioneer Merlin Woodruff brought the sale from a simple idea to being one of the most famous livestock sales in the world. Absent from the festivities for several years, Farm Bureau leveraged a growing partnership with the restaurant chain and food company to get the Bob Evans name back in the ring. It was truly special, especially considering that Bob Evans purchased 20 out of 23 Champion Barrows at the Ohio State Fair from 1957- 1984. The company donated the meat from the barrow to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.

Here's the full recap:

The results of the 2010 Sale of Champions are as follows:

Grand Champion Market Beef
Exhibited by: Danielle Heintz, Auglaize County
Purchased by: S & S Volvo and GMC Trucks of Lima, OH; J.D. Equipment; Elgin Service Center
Price: $65,000
Cap: $21,000

Reserve Grand Champion Market Beef*
Exhibited by: Andy Sloan, Richland County
Purchased by: Steve R. Rauch Excavating and Demolition
Price: $30,000
Cap: $10,000

Grand Champion Market Barrow
Exhibited by: Haley Clinker, Defiance County
Purchased by: Meijer, Inc.
Price: $42,000
Cap: $9,000

Reserve Grand Champion Market Barrow*
Exhibited by: Alec Bremek, Logan County
Purchased by: Bob Evans Farms; Ohio Farm Bureau
Price: $27,000
Cap: $6,000

Grand Champion Market Lamb*
Exhibited by: Rachael Overs, Logan County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company
Price: $45,000
Cap: $9,000

Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb*
Exhibited by: Madison Banbury, Knox County
Purchased by: Kale Marketing; Huffman's Market; Burkhart Farm Center; Ohio Racing Industry; Direct Feeds
Price: $22,000
Cap: $6,000

Grand Champion Meat Chickens*
Exhibited by: Tyler Gray, Union County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company; Park Farms
Price: $27,000
Cap: $5,000

Reserve Grand Champion Meat Chickens*
Exhibited by: Garrett Shafer, Miami County
Purchased by: Concessions by Cox; Amusements of America; Event Marketing Strategies; Brian Shenkman
Price: $14,500
Cap: $3,000

2010 total sale: $272,500
2010 amount earned for Youth Reserve Program: $203,500

*indicates new record

Records broken include:
Reserve Grand Champion Market Beef, previous record was $27,000 set in 2009 by the Kroger Company; Reserve Grand Champion Market Barrow, previous record was $26,000 set in 2008 by Meijer, Inc.; Grand Champion Market Lamb, previous record was $30,000 set in 2001 by the Kroger Company; Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb, previous record was $17,500 set in 2006 by Kale Marketing, Burkhart Farm Center and J.D. Equipment; Grand Champion Meat Chickens, previous record was $18,000 set in 2001 by the Kroger Company; Reserve Grand Champion Meat Chickens, previous record was $11,500 set in 2008 by Kale Marketing and Burkhart Farm Center.

It was a great night. We'll have DVD's of the live television broadcast available for purchase on the website next week.

Livestock shows are an abstract concept. I’ve been going to county, state and national agricultural expositions all my life, so I’d never given much thought to what an “outsider” might think upon seeing their first steer or heifer show. Last week, with the conclusion of the Ohio State Fair, I had reason to pause and consider just such an occasion. One of my oldest and dearest friends, upon listening to me retell the glory of the Sale of Champions (the most successful edition in its history, raising over $200,000 for youth scholarship and development programs), asked me some very pointed and insightful questions about these exhibitions.

Sometimes it takes what, at first, seems like an obvious question to really get the mind working.

Today’s 4-H and FFA members likely give little thought to the ultimate origins of the modern livestock show. What my FFA Advisor once referred to as “Little League for farm kids” holds a few similarities to those fairs and farm shows of old, but their actual purpose for existing is far different today than a century ago.

The first county fairs and country farm expos were very basic affairs that evolved as a way for farmers and breeders to quite literally show off their stock, both for marketing and instructive purposes. In those days, before technologies like Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer, a breeder might use such livestock shows as a way to evaluate his herd, or as a tool for selecting the next replacement female or herd sire. These early shows were also good barometers for determining trends in the evolution, so to speak, of the species.

Look back at black and white photos from livestock shows in the first thirty years of the 20th Century, and you’ll see how vastly different an animal looks today than from that era. Everything from body size and shape to confirmation and temperament is different. As the demands of the market and the needs of the farmer changed with time, so then did the selection for certain traits and characteristics. Livestock shows were a way for the industry to literally see the trends, and learn what influential thinkers were looking for as they evaluated the stock in the competition.

Today’s livestock shows still fill those needs, to an extent. Breeders certainly use these events to showcase their stock and promote their farm operation. Showing your animals, however, is not the only venue from which to do such promotion. From the Internet to trade publications, breeders have more opportunity to market their produce today than at any point in history.

Shows, therefore, have taken on more of a competitive nature, and therein have become excellent metaphors for life. Livestock projects in 4-H and FFA teach young people work ethic, responsibility, animal husbandry and well-being, fiscal discipline, and management skills. By working hard and learning a great deal about the proper management and care of the animal, the student can do very well at any given competition. Animal selection, nutrition, and handling are all acquired skills that will serve these students well later in life, as well.

At the conclusion of a livestock show is what if referred to as “The Final Drive.” This is where the winners of each class or division of animals shown re-enter the ring to compete for the overall title of Grand Champion at that particular show. In the spirit of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the show’s judge places each class of animals, leaving only a handful in the ring at the conclusion of the contest, and ultimately selecting a single winner. In life, we work hard and try to increase our knowledge so that we too might advance in our own endeavors, and ultimately end up in the “winner’s circle.”

The Final Drive, of course, isn’t all about winning the show. As the Judge at last week’s State Fair hog show pointed out, there’s only one “winner.” But did the other exhibitors really “lose?” While not dwelling on the warm-and-fuzzy cliché about all of us being winners, in this particular arena I can speak from experience. While I never won “Grand Champion” honors at a fair or show, growing up with livestock and the responsibility of caring for show cattle helped shape my life in numerous ways.

The reasons we show stock today may be very different from the farmers of yesteryear, but the benefits of working hard to make it to the Final Drive are every bit as real, and every bit as important.

One of the great things about moving our studios to The Ohio State University a couple of years ago is the unprecedented access we have to the University, and likewise that friends and guests have to us. We're often asked to host student groups like the Ohio Pork Youth Leadership Institute last month, and today the Ohio FFA Association's State Officer Team. The State FFA Officers recently (at the behest of my friend and fellow social media "agvocate" Dan Toland) entered the Twitterverse. In our conversations regarding social media, I opined that my involvement with Facebook and Twitter have taken a great deal of the time I previously dedicated to writing this blog.

I'm presuming that I'm not the only person to notice this phenomenon, but as I logged in here, I noted that I didn't write a single post during the Ohio State Fair. In previous years I seem to recall writing throughout the Fair about the various shows and events underway. One possible explanation, of course, is that I missed more of the Fair this year than I have at any point in the past decade due to my 20 hours of classes at Ohio State... The other possibility, of course, is that I shared my observations and activities via Facebook/Twitter.

So, what say you? What is the role of the blog relative to the whole Social Media sphere? Am I just a slacker, or are my pithy comments best contained in 140 characters or less?

I love football. I love everything about the sport, especially at the collegiate level. I didn't play all four years in high school, but the years I played in middle school and at the JV level were some of the most enjoyable. Kenny Chesney has a huge hit in the making with his new single "The Boys of Fall." Even better than the song itself is the video. It speaks for itself: