Ohio

Paul Hill to be Honored with 2026 Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Award

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:20:25 GMT

Paul H. Hill has been named the 2026 inductee of the prestigious Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery . Hill will become the 381st member of this historic gallery and his portrait will be unveiled at an induction banquet to be hosted Nov. 15 during the North American International Livestock Exposition and the National Angus Convention in Louisville, Ky.

Hill’s record-breaking success with leading Angus seedstock operations throughout the past half century is well documented. He was managing partner of Champion Hill, Bidwell, Ohio, from 1990 to 2017, and previously led Northcote Farm, Cobble Pond Farm, Hayes Star Ranch, South Fork Angus Ranch and Briarhill Angus Farm. In his youth he was herdsman for Malloy Polled Herefords and was involved in 4-H and FFA livestock judging and land evaluation. He has not only bred and developed many leading Angus cattle but also positively influenced the cattle business through interactions with partners, customers, employees, competitors, industry professionals and, of course, his favorite — Angus youth.

Hill’s work ethic, wisdom and personality have always distinguished him as a unique leader throughout his life. This Florida native served in the U .S. Army from 1968 to 1970, and received the Army Commendation Medal for Exceptionally Meritorious Service in 1970 and was twice Battalion Soldier of the Month in 1968 to 1969. He was both student and instructor at the American Herdsman Institute from 1966 to 1968.

As a skillful breeder and exhibitor of Angus cattle, his lifelong record of awards is unsurpassed with hundreds of national champions yet his key to success is perhaps in his slogan “Where winning is only the beginning.” He exhibited at the All-American every year since 1966 except during military service of 1968-1969, and every year at the Atlantic National since its founding in 1987. He attended the North American International every year since it was founded in 1974 and the National Western nearly every year for approximately 50 years, most years of which he was a competitive exhibitor. His experience, enthusiasm and mentorship has helped build generations of future Angus leaders.

His leadership roles with the American Angus Association include serving as president from 2007 to 2008 and on its board of directors from 2000 to 2008. During that time, he was instrumental on the cabinet for the Vision of Value Campaign for Angus Leadership from 2006 to 2011, and served as chairman of the Angus Foundation board from 2004-2007 and as chairman of the Angus Productions Inc. board from 2006 to 2007. He co-founded the Atlantic National Angus Show in 1987 and has served as the chairman of the board since 2002, as well as being member of the board of directors of the All-American Angus Breeders Futurity since 1977.

Widely renowned as an astute judge of livestock, he accepted livestock evaluation assignments at the All-American, North American International, Atlantic National, National Western, American Royal, Canadian Royal, Argentina National Angus Show & Sale and the Brazil National Angus & Livestock Shows along with numerous state and regional livestock shows and conferences.

Paul and his wife, Lynn, reside in Martinsville, Ind., and have two adult daughters, both of whom were active as Angus juniors, Dr. Sarah Hill Schaffer, private practice pediatrician, and Neenah Hill Jain, partner and CFO of Armory Square Ventures. They also have three grandchildren.

Why Farmers are Flocking to Auctions for Low-Hour Equipment Deals

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:00:00 GMT

The used equipment buying season remains active as spring planting takes off. Farm equipment that is only a few years old with low operating hours continues to draw strong prices at auction.

Machinery Pete noticed that trend last week via a few record-setting transactions. At a Kiko Auctions sale in Diamond, Ohio, a pair of blue tractors and a blue planter raised the bar higher:

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2013 New Holland T7 260 tractor with only 1,226 hours on it brought $152,000, which blasted past the previous record high for that year/model by over $19,000.

(Machinery Pete Facebook )

A 2015 New Holland T5 115 utility tractor with a loader (765 hours) brought in $75,000, beating the previous record high by $7,000.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2024 Kinze 3505 8/16 row planter with just over 170 acres planted on it sold for $100,000. That set a new record by $17,500.

“There’s a similar pattern here. Whether its blue, green or orange, if it’s got a few years on it with low hours and in nice condition, those prices are very strong right now,” Pete says.

Moving Iron host Casey Seymour, who has over 20 years of experience in the farm equipment dealership space, says there are more farmers hitting auctions than heading to the dealer lot, and that’s typical of a down cycle in the farm economy.

“Things at auction have a higher demand signal than what you see on the lot. When I was working at the dealership, I would see these sales and think, ‘Man, I’ve got five just like that sitting on my lot that I would sell to you for $10,000 less than what you bought that one for.’ But nobody’s coming to the table, and that’s just where we’re at right now,” he says.

Order-Writing Season For New
Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist with 21st Century Wholesale – a John Deere dealer with 26 storefronts across Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas – joined the podcast to talk about the soon-to-open new machine order-writing period.

Fintel says it’s not something many think about when it comes to buying new, but farmers getting re-approved for financing has “been a process” this year.

“It’s kind of a two-edged sword. If you went and got that new machine at 0% interest at the end of last year because the accountant said to do it, I don’t care that it’s 0% because its also $450,000 sitting on the balance sheet,” he says. “That’s been a huge factor.”

Commodity Markets Update
Chip Nellinger, owner of Blue Reef Agri-Marketing, joined Seymour to wrap up this week’s episode with an update on the commodity markets.

When it comes to corn and soybean futures, Nellinger says there is still “a lot of uncertainty and volatility in the market” but he is seeing some potential upside with President Trump softening on the tariffs against China.

“The stock market seems to be signaling something has changed, and the bean market has been pretty resilient here over the last couple of days,” he says. “There has been a fair amount of activity in planting, and I think that’s why corn has relaxed. We’re ahead of average planting pace at 12% and that’s probably delayed a little bit. So, we should see a lot more progress in next week’s report.”

Nellinger says to keep an eye on the South, where higher-than-average moisture levels have delayed corn planting, and farmers might flip acres to beans or cotton – or even take prevent plant insurance.

Want more Moving Iron? Click this link to watch the episode in full here.

Your Next Read: Farm Bankruptcies Are on the Rise

HPAI Now Detected on Ohio Dairy: Strange Bird Flu Concerns See Growth

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 19:03:24 GMT

Ohio has become the sixth state where dairy cattle have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu. A recent news release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) reports presumptive positive results from dairy cows in Wood County.

According to officials, the cows arrived in Wood County on March 8 from a dairy in Texas. That dairy later reported a confirmed case of HPAI. The Ohio dairy operation alerted state officials when the livestock began showing signs of illness. State officials are awaiting confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We have official confirmation that we do have a case at a dairy in Wood County of HPAI, which is an influenza,” says ODA Director Brian Baldridge. “We’ve been working with this in the poultry industry for about the last two-and-a-half years and it has found its way into the dairy industry. We are working diligently with the dairy, with their vets and with our Animal Health division and our state veterinarian, Dr. (Dennis) Summers, on this issue.

According to the USDA, HPAI has now been detected in five other states, including:

Texas
Kansas
New Mexico,
Idaho
Michigan

“Clinically sick dairy cattle from affected herds range from 1% to 20%, with an average of 10% of the milking herd affected. There are no confirmed reports of death loss in dairy cattle directly attributed to these detections. Most sick cows begin recovering within a few days.”

“Federal and state agencies continue to conduct additional testing from sick animals and in unpasteurized clinical milk samples from sick animals, as well as viral genome sequencing, to assess whether HPAI or another unrelated illness may be underlying any symptoms,” the ODA reports.

The agency notes that clinically sick dairy cattle from affected herds range from 1% to 20%, with an average of 10% of the milking herd affected. Currently, there are no confirmed reports of death loss in dairy cattle directly attributed to these detections with most sick cows recovering within a few days.

HPAI symptoms in dairy cattle include:

Sudden drop in milk production.
Some severely impacted cows are producing thicker, more concentrated, colostrum-like milk.
Drop in feed consumption with a simultaneous drop in rumen function, accompanied by loose feces and some fever.
Impacted herds have reported older cows in mid-lactation may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows, fresh cows or heifers.
Some herds have reported pneumonia and mastitis.

Officials are strongly advising dairy producers to use all standard biosecurity measures. They note it’s important for producers to clean and disinfect all livestock watering devices and isolate drinking water where it might be contaminated by waterfowl. Farmers are also being asked to notify their herd veterinarian if they suspect any cattle within their herd are displaying symptoms of this condition.

For more on HPAI, read:

When to Sell Your Farmland

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 17:08:24 GMT

The term “eminent domain” can conjure up scenes from “The Grapes of Wrath” — a man in a fancy car being followed by bulldozers, ready to flat- ten farms with a single pass.

While that 1940 movie scene shows sharecroppers forced to leave their farms, the feelings are the same for today’s landowners, according to Bush Family Farms’ Cheryl Bush.

Small Town No More

The Bush Family Farm is one of many operations near the Johnstown, Ohio area, 20 minutes from downtown Columbus, that have been approached about land acquisition for neighboring New Albany.

Intel, the latest mass developer in the area, is acquiring land for semiconductor research, development and production through the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

“The New Albany Company (NACO) first approached our farm in 2021. We were like ‘no, absolutely not,’” Bush recalls. “But we knew if we didn’t sell, we would be forced out eventually.”

After the company’s “lowball” offer, the Bush family worked with a NACO to negotiate a price they thought was fair. Once an agreement was reached, the family found out their land would be used for Intel and the grief stages set in.

“Four of my siblings built homes on this land. We’re all trying to figure this out; we’re all affected by it,” she says. “It’s kind of like a death — you shed tears, you’re angry and at a loss.”

Impact on Acres

Kevin Reeves, a former tenant of Bush’s, has lost 350 acres of tillable ground and pasture to development. While devastated about the losses, he says the development repercussions reach far beyond farmland.

“Moving equipment down the road is very dangerous now,” he says. “The city is talking about increasing the roads from single lanes to three or five lanes. It’s going to be a nightmare.”

Beyond infrastructure, Reeves is also concerned about his pocketbook.

“We’re told to expect a 35% increase in property taxes in 2023 and, upon reevaluation in 2027, there’s a chance it will double what it is now,” he says. “We won’t be able to afford to live here even if we choose not to sell.”

Know Your Options

If you are approached about selling farmland for development, Bush provides these suggestions:

1. Negotiate with a timeline.

“If you try to play hardball too long, they’ll take your property by eminent domain,” she says. “You don’t want to be in that predicament.”

2. Consider the cost to relocate.

Due to the warehouse construction, Bush says her area has a shortage of concrete. Consider such factors in your relocation plan, she advises.

3. Pick a price and don’t look back.

“Just down the road, a 5.65-acre section of farmland is listed for almost $10 million,” she says. “We stepped back and wondered if we did the right thing. But once you make that decision, you have to move on.”

More on land :

4 Keys to Building Land Lease Relationships that Last
$30,000 Per Acre? Yep, The Details on the Latest Record-Breaking Farmland Sale
High Exposure: Understand How Record Farmland Prices Impact Your Estate Plan

Marketing: The Art Of The Load

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:27:57 GMT

East of the Mississippi, the average farm cattle herd size is less than 20. The often-small number of cattle on Ohio farms creates an inherent marketing challenge: it can be tough to put together a good, consistent load of cattle larger operations need.

This, of course, is where stockyards come in to aggregate cattle from different farms. Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Young Cattleman of the Year, Luke Vollborn from Gallia County, recently started Next Generation Livestock Marketing (NGLM), LLC to provide farms with another option to enhance cattle profitability through the art of the load.

“A lot of farmers in Ohio do not keep big numbers and it is hard for them to put a good load together. NGLM is a service for farmers to get maximum dollar straight off the farm without having to run everything through a stockyard. I buy feeder cattle of any size or type and most kinds. In our first year we bought and turned close to 1,600 or 1,700 head of feeders. I buy them, and keep them until they’re healthy, start them on feed and I know I can transport them to where they need to go. I try to keep them around 90 to 120 days. We double vaccinate with a 21-day booster and grow them to whatever specific weight they’re closest to,” Vollborn said. “It is about buying good cattle that come from farmers who take pride in what they are doing, giving them a premium for doing a good job and then taking them just a little further and putting a good uniform load together for a feedlot. That makes the difference. I count on the farm to raise a quality product and then get them resold as a load. I buy several groups and put them together in 50,000-pound loads of 50- to 80-head. We sell to feedlots and to pasture-based operations.”

Luke Vollborn, Gallia County, Ohio

Through his new venture, Vollborn is building on his rich family history in the cattle business.

“When I was kid, I followed in my dad’s footsteps everywhere he went. I grew up around cattle and I showed cattle,” Vollborn said. “My dad and uncles kept a herd of 300 or 400 commercial cows.”

Vollborn Farms dates back to 1890. In addition, Luke’s father, Fred, was the manager of Bob Evan’s Hidden Valley Ranch for 35 years and his uncle, Ed, worked with beef cattle through Ohio State University Extension. His uncle Ray worked on the family’s farm full time. As Luke’s generation took over, there was a need for expansion to keep the operation sustainable.

“I got a job cleaning at a packing house. I went to college and worked at Champion Hill Cattle Farm for 4.5 years. I learned so much there. Paul Hill was so successful,” Vollborn said. “I travelled to cattle shows and in the summer baled hay and things like that. Then I worked at Bob Evans sausage plant and after that I got a really good job at the coal fired power plant doing shift work.”

Luke then decided to follow his dream a little over a year ago and pursue his passion for the cattle business. It started with buying and selling a few cattle.

“I kept telling my wife I wanted to farm and thought I could make it. I started buying more cattle. We were running 150 purebred Angus cows at the time. That was a year ago. We own 22 acres and lease 400 acres total of all pasture ground. I started trading cattle for fun. I just started posting videos of cattle on Facebook and they were selling as fast as I could post them,” Vollborn said. “Now NGLM cattle go all over the country. It is licensed, bonded and insured with the Ohio Department of Agriculture and USDA Stockers and Packers. I buy from hundreds of outlets. I may buy five head from one guy. I buy a lot off of farms. In the feeder cattle business, I’m sending cattle all over the country. I buy pretty much everything within the state of Ohio. A lot of guys around here only have 20 to 50 head. I know when a lot of those guys are calving and I’ll go buy them up before they take them to stockyards. I do a lot of business with United Producers too.”

Along with feeder cattle, NGLM markets cows. The feeder calves are kept at one location and the cows are housed at a separate farm.

“One of my biggest markets is mature cows — especially Angus-based cows. I buy the cows at herd dispersals or straight off the farm. Some families don’t want to fight the winter. In the fall I bought lots of bred cows and we have been palpating them, vaccinating them, worming them, and shipping them to a buyer to calve out,” Vollborn said. “One of my first deals in this business was buying 200 head of cow-calf pairs and had them here for 6 days. I like getting feeder cattle started and growing them, but I love buying cows. I try to make $50 or $75 a head. It is pretty slim margins a lot of times.”

That market also includes recipient cows for embryo transfer.

“I buy cows that can be used for recip cows. The industry used to buy a lot of mediocre recip cows. But now, people want good cows they won’t have problems with that they can use again the next year. That is how I got started,” Vollborn said. “I try to buy them straight off the farm and when I get cattle in, I vaccinate them within 24 hours and have a vet palpate them and tell me their age. We’ll keep them for 45 days and make sure everything is solid then put them on Facebook and sell them. If they are not 100%, I wait until they are. As soon as you see problems you have to treat them. I have the vet sign off on the age of the cow and the stage she’s in. I sell them everywhere, but I have sent the most to South Dakota. Selling recip cows is a niche market. You can’t go off of market price, it is more about quality and how she’s bred.”

In total there are cattle at five locations, all rented.

“On all of my operations I keep a focus on the environment. We try to manage the ground the cattle are running on. We try to not tear it up,” he said. “In the wintertime we try to keep the cattle in closer to hard pads and in the spring we’ll turn them out on fresh grass.”

The business is based on quality cattle and consistent loads designed to meet specific needs, but it depends on relationships with buyers and sellers as well.

“When I started this, it was with a lot of people I have never met. But after I sell one load of cows and it is exactly what they wanted, they want more. It is totally about relationships. You have got to be able to trust people. Every deal is different. There is not one deal that has gone the same as another,” Vollborn said. “The key to selling to feedlots is selling them good cattle. They don’t want a sick load of cattle coming in. I will keep cattle until they are in good shape. Sick cattle are quarantined. We are always taking temps and monitoring. This is all based on traceability now. Everyone wants to know where their food comes from and you have to be able to prove it. Everything is documented. At any time we can go back and see what was done to her and where she came from. Our system is extremely detailed. You have to be like that to be in this business. We keep records on everything we do for 5 to 10 years.”

The cattle in Vollborn’s care are fed a grower’s pellet with dietary adjustments as needed, being overseen by Burkmann Feeds in Kentucky. They are fed hay baled on up to 200 acres of the farm and procured locally in the winter months and have pasture access as well.

Transporting the cattle that move through the business is a massive logistical effort.

“We have a very reliable group of 20 to 30 truckers we work with. There can’t be any stops. They have to make sure the trailers are clean,” he said. “We put a lot of pressure on those guys, but it is so crucial to have good truckers in this business. We have to count on these guys to get the animals there as safe and healthy as possible. We have to do things right. The faster you move cattle, the faster they get sick and go in the opposite direction than what you’re trying to achieve. It is all based on quality and health and not quantity. The animals have to be healthy or they’re not going work.”

In the last year, more than 2,000 cattle have moved through NGLM, which has created a solid base to build upon moving forward. The small business has one full- time and a couple of part time employees in addition to Vollborn.

“I’m my own boss. I love dealing with people and I talk on the phone all the time. Keeping costs as low as possible is a real challenge and sometimes you don’t feel like you’re moving forward, but I wouldn’t go back to the power plant for anything,” he said. “I don’t want to grow too fast, but my goal ultimately is to have a couple of different guys out looking at cattle and possibly expanding into something where we can cover a lot more ground across the United States. I have been around cattle all my life. That is where I got the passion for this business and decided that is where I want to be. I want to make this sustainable to where my kids can do this, if they decide that is what they want to, just like my dad did for me.”

Ohio Farmers Sending Help to Kansas Ranches Hit by Wildfires

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:20:06 GMT

Ohio farmers are sending hay, fencing materials and other supplies to Kansas to help ranches that were devastated by wildfires this month.

Rose Hartschuh, who runs a dairy farm with her husband near Bucyrus, Ohio, helped coordinate the assistance from farmers and agricultural businesses. Though the fires were 1,000 miles away, the devastation hit home for the agricultural community and people have stepped up to help, she said.

“Thousands of cattle have died in this. A lot of momma cows, there are a lot of orphaned calves out there, people are taking them to their farms and feeding helping get them going also,” Hartschuh told the Telegraph-Forum in Bucyrus.

Ohio has a large supply of hay that can help the ranchers recover and feed their animals for several months as the grass starts regenerates, she said.

“Most of the cows they are running in Kansas are on range land and the wildfires have pretty much burned up any source of feed they have,” Hartschuh said.

They plan to travel to Kansas on Friday with roughly 30 truckloads of supplies and dozens of volunteers. Some will stay in Kansas for a few days to help clear debris, rebuild fences and help with other cleanup work.

There’s also a growing interest on social media about donations. The farmers hope to also collect cash and gift cards for the struggling ranchers.

People from about half of Ohio’s 88 counties have offered some sort of assistance in the effort, Hartschuh told WCMH-TV.