Till, no-till. Organic and conventional. Throw in some unique poultry and a goat fittingly named Jack “Free-Range” Willis and you have a sense of the “everything but the kitchen sink” nature of the land Union County Farm Bureau member Ron Burns farms.

This year in Our Ohio magazine, we’re going to take a pictorial look at a “year in the life” of Ron Burns and his fiancée, Melissa Downerd, from planting to harvesting crops and everything in between.

Spring, of course, brings much activity to the 250 acres Burns manages on the 1,500-acre family farm operation. It’s nearly time to get the soil ready for planting season and get those seeds into the ground.

Farmers across Ohio will soon be gearing up for spring planting, with most of the work coming in April and May (unless the weather fails to cooperate).

Burns tills and fertilizes his fields in preparation for the planting of his diverse crop plan. He grows both organic and GMO crops using no-till practices for his corn, wheat, soybean and hay rotation.

His wheat cover crop planted in the fall, goes dormant in the winter and will start growing again this spring. It will be harvested in July.

We’ll have more on that and other practices on the farm throughout the year. You can also follow Burns on social media. Search the hashtags #RBEQUIP and #245Organic on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. He is “GraysonGrains” on Snapchat.

 

Read the next installment: Lifecycle of a family farm: Summer labor

BurnsPlanting
Farmer Ron Burns drives the tractor that pulls the planter that perfectly spaces out the seeds on his Union County farm.
PlantingPrep
Burns inspects and cleans the planter between cornfields. Since he raises both conventional and organic crops, keeping seed separated is an important step.
CornPlanting
Finishing up custom planting on a neighbor’s land. In agriculture, “custom” means planting crops for others. Custom planters normally own their own equipment and work for the same farms each year. The same is true in harvesting. Custom work is one of several ways Burns has diversified his business.
CornPlanting2
This is a row unit on the corn planter that Burns uses on his no-till production land. No-till is a method of growing crops from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage, therefore protecting soil from erosion.
Monitor
Setting up a monitor for 12-row planter to have accurate, real-time data will ensure seed spacing and population. Technology like this can help farmers understand soil nutrient needs and crop productivity down to the square-foot basis.
SoilInspection
Final, up-close inspection of soil conditions prior to planting his organic crop. This field is used for organic production so Burns must manage it to organic specifications.
Fertilizer
Burns prepares the spring fertilizer application.
CornSeeds
Corn seeds are inspected prior to filling the planter. The seed is green to indicate it has a treatment to protect the seed from soil born pathogens and insect damage. In Burns’ organic production, seeds are not treated.

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Photos by Dave Gore

Farm Labor Resources
Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
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Mandy Way

Way Farms

Farm Labor Resources
Strong communities
I appreciate the benefit of having a strong voice in my corner. The extras that are included in membership are wonderful, but I'm a member because of the positive impact to my local and state agricultural communities.
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Ernie Welch

Van Wert County Farm Bureau

Strong communities
Leadership development
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
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Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
Young Ag Professionals program
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
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Jaclyn De Candio

Clark County Farm Bureau

Young Ag Professionals program
Growing our Generation
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
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Jenna Gregorich

Coshocton County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Groovy Plants Ranch
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
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Jared Hughes

Groovy Plants Ranch

Groovy Plants Ranch
Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
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Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

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So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

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