The annual Shelby County Cattlemen’s Fall Roundup generally draws beef producers from a 50-mile or more radius of the west-central Ohio county. Tuesday’s version is slated for the Tony and Randy Bensman Farm, located at 2219 Tawawa-Maplewood Road, Sidney, Ohio. 45365. For cattle managers familiar with eastern Shelby County, the 600-head operation is located about two miles south of the St. Rt. 29 small burg of Tawawa, which is approximately nine miles east of Sidney. For others wanting to participate in an interesting meeting, good maps can be obtained from the web.

The event includes a facility tour at 6 p.m., followed by a ribeye steak dinner, and a cattle and grain market outlook type meeting. The well-ventilated cattle building, constructed within the last several years, houses Holstein steers from 300 pounds to market. Manure is stored in a dry stack facility, designed and built utilizing EQIP funds. The Bensmans also farm 1100 acres, growing their own feed grain and crops to be marketed.

Ribeye steaks off the grill, are to be served just prior to marketing presentations. Trupointe Cooperative’s Randy Broady will provide the company’s perspective for a grain price outlook that opens a few eyes. Pat Lampert’s insight on the cattle market is always appreciated by those who come.  

No preregistration is necessary for the evening program and there is not a charge to attend. Bring your appetite for some delicious steaks and excellent information. For more details, check out http://shelbycountycattlemen.com 

When to sell grain and how much to sell continues to challenge the best minds in the grain markets and farmers as well. By listening to the markets on the radio or following them online, you can quickly determine the great uncertainty that hangs over the marketplace. As prices can swing widely during the day or even overnight, trying to take advantage of a good market offering can be maddening.  

Last week’s Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour may have cleared up selling strategies for some, but muddied the plans for others. Of course, crop estimates should become more accurate as harvest nears, but the wide variability of crop conditions continues to puzzle many price forecasters. Ohio farmers were presented with outlook provided by a well publicized I-75 / I-71 crop tour previously that did not necessarily match up well with the Pro Farmer estimates.

If you take a drive through Ohio, it is often easy to estimate yield potential varying from 60 bushels of corn to over 150 bushels per acre within the same county. Walking out into fields, especially high ground in those that were planted early, reveals too many missing ears or lack of kernels or popcorn-sized grain. Soybean fields look to be in better shape overall but still exhibit variability. In our area, some farms have experienced significant spider mite damage, others were nearly overtaken by weeds, and still others just have thin stands. Soybean fields may yet suffer from additional insect challenges, as pods fill and plants begin to dry down. 

Will there be enough soil moisture to finish off the crops? Once again, soil moisture levels are extremely variable, depending on where you are located. One farmer noted that while ditching, he found some moisture in the topsoil, but little down deeper to support the crop if we experience more hot and dry conditions.

Should you trust numbers being reported by various U.S. crop observers? Evidently some Chinese buyers do not. One nearby farmer happened upon a small group of Chinese exiting an area corn field. He noted that they were very polite, but were estimating local crop potential for themselves.