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

Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan
The plan we are on is great. It’s comparable to my previous job's plan, and we are a sole proprietor.
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Kevin Holy

Geauga County Farm Bureau

Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan
Farm Bureau connections
To grow a network and gain perspective and knowledge in the industry through personal and professional development has been invaluable. Every day I learn and grow.
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Ryanna Tietje

Henry County Farm Bureau

Farm Bureau connections
Giving farmers a voice
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
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Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Giving farmers a voice
10-year campaign for safer roads
Farm Bureau is what really got the word out. It’s been one of their goals to get this done.
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Bill and Charlotte Wachtman

Henry County

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Bringing the farm back to life
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
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Gretchan Francis

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

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Because we are younger farmers just starting out, Farm Bureau has a lot of good opportunities and resources to help us grow in the future.
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Hannah Kiser

Sandusky County Farm Bureau

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Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
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Chad Ruhl

Farm manager, CSI Insurance

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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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