Welcome to the March Issue of The Agricultural View - Enjoy!
Rember to see the past Issues (2009 a d 2010) scroll down and click on past posts.

The Agricultural View March 2010 Issue 2
HSUS says “NO” to Ohio’s Voters!
The Washington D.C. power-based Humane Society of the United States says no to Ohio’s voters. After Ohioans voted by a two-thirds majority to have an Ohio Livestock Standards Board in 2009, HSUS is coming to Ohio to exert its’ wrath on Ohio’s farmers. The emotional and psychological onslaught we are about to witness will be astounding! While they will claim to be about factory farms and a few select practices, it will actually be an all out attack on family farmers. There will be repeated showing of heinous video clips which will imply that these abuses are common practice in farming. In spite of HSUS’s insinuations to the contrary, these clips are as repulsive to farmers as any other citizen! Remember, 95+ % of HSUS’s money goes to political causes, salaries and attacking animal agriculture. If they succeed then animal agriculture, including family farms, will gradually be further destroyed.

From the View’s Desk I am available to speak to your group on 1
a variety of topics including; agriculture, education, teenagers and America. Thank you for your words of encouragement & financial assistance. http://theagriculturalview.blogspot.com This site has all past issues of the View, my farm letters, poems and bio information. Scroll down and click on past posts when you reach the bottom of each section.


Horses A horse is considered a monogastric, (an animal with one stomach) which is best suited for digesting grain. A horses’ diet, however, is made up primarily of hay (roughage). Generally, roughage is the primary diet of animals with 4 stomach compartments like cattle. Horses primarily utilize their cecum to digest roughage.


Outstanding Teachers The best professors that I had at The Ohio State University were Dr. Jack Cline (Animal Science) and 2nd was Woody Hayes (Coaching H.S. athletics – football). The best teacher I had at Warren High School was Mr. Pearson (Math), and the best teacher I had at Warren Elementary was Mrs. Harold (3rd grade). Each showed that they cared by being thorough, very demanding and motivating. 2

Harvard When Harvard was founded all students were required to: “Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus which is eternal life, Joh.17:3, and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.” Also, “Everyone shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein.” Today, Harvard is one of the most atheistic promoting institutions in America!


Schools, Education & Calendars Some schools in America have gone to year-round school with three one month breaks. Originally, one key to three months off consecutively in the summer was so the children could work on their family’s farm in the summer. Most parents who experience the year round calendar adjust and prefer it. Most educational decisions today are primarily controlled by factors (liability threats, state regulations, grievance threats and finances) other than the students’ best interests academically.
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Icicles - Beware! By the time this is mailed, hopefully the weather will be much milder. While knocking down some very large icicles from my house one of them came down and hit me in the mouth opening quite a slit in my upper lip. I did not even see it until it struck me. The same day I had a neighbor show me her bandaged hand where an icicle and fallen and cut the back of her hand. Later that night I had another friend tell me of someone at his work who now wears a patch on his eye as a result of an icicle accident. Please be careful and keep your distance. ------------------------------------------------------

If you could not get food, water or fuel for several days or longer would you be prepared? You never know in today’s world, so be prepared. Additionally, if HSUS ultimately shuts down your dairy, beef, veal, poultry or swine operation what would you and your family do? That is their stated goal! If you support family farmers please stay informed - check often for regular animal rights’ (HSUS etc.) updates at: HumaneWatch.org consumerfreedom.org 4


For cattle it takes 21 days for the rumen to adapt to a dietary change and 60 days to get good rumen activity. -------------------------------------------------

OSU Natural Resources Class & Children One day at OSU in 1969 in my Natural Resources class, the discussion centered on how many children families should be allowed to have. There was a very emotional faction in the class who demanded that we go around the room and have every student state their intentions as to how many children they were planning to have. The professor also supported the exercise. Those students who answered one or no children were supported. Answering two received a negative reaction. If you answered more than 2 you received the wrath (verbal attack) of many. One repeated theme was that in about twenty years Ohio’s land would be completely covered by people, and therefore, to save Ohio, we need to stop having children. I decided that we had four children in our family, which seemed about right, and so I answered four. There were only about three of us who dared answer three or more. I was never big on having others think for me. 5


Land Conservation In the FFA Rural soil conservation judging contest students are required, to determine 5 physical soil characteristics: % Slope, depth of topsoil, texture of the surface soil, depth of soil to any restrictive layers and air and water movement in the subsoil. From these determinations students make recommendations concerning land capability, land use and recommend conservation practices. After judging four different sites, the students then take a written test. --------------------------------------------------------

Please support and thank the View’s sponsors. Also, thank you very much to the other donors and subscribers.

Teenage Corner Children are born with 100% self worth. Studies indicate that overall by the time boys get to high school their self worth drops to the 51% level. Girls self worth falls to the 24% level. This is one reason why high school students, particularly girls, try so hard to please and fit in with their peers. Show your teenagers that you believe in, and really care about, them. Side Note: Junior high girls can be particularly vicious to each other. 6

Little people like you and me, if our prayers are sometimes granted, beyond all hope and probability, had better not draw hasty conclusions to our own advantage. If we were stronger, we might be less tenderly treated. If we were braver, we might be sent, with far less help, to defend far more desperate posts in the great battle. (C. S. Lewis) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1940 October Barlow Rural FFA Chapter – The chapter elected the following FFA officers: President - Eugene Trotter, Vice President – Clealon Thompson, Secretary – Irvin Lawton, Treasurer – Lloyd Reed, Reporter – Edward Lawton, Recreational Leader – Loren McGregor, and Adviser J. C. Jenkins. Plans were being made to hold the second annual Corn Husking Contest among the FFA members. They also discussed their trip to Washington D.C. the previous summer. As reported in The Ohio Future Farmer Magazine January 1940 Issue. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under Capitalism men provide for themselves, while under Socialism they are provided for. (Ludwig von Mises) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My dad continues to improve and as of this writing he will be coming home the first week of March – thanks for all of your prayers, visits and concern. His long term memory continues to be good and his short term memory is gradually improving. Also, his physical health and mobility have improved significantly at the Harmar Place in Marietta. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I always tell people that if you want to, or are willing to, offend people and make enemies than become a head coach or an administrator. It comes with those jobs. You just hope you have a reasonable board that does not make decisions based primarily upon emotion and the short term. Also, as a coach and teacher you hope you have administrators who also make carefully thought out decisions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember: As production goes up the concentration per unit of weight goes down (Ex. corn, alfalfa, oranges Etc.). We’re getting a little more per acre but the concentration is down so we need vitamins and minerals supplemented. (Dr. Jack Cline – OSU Retired) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please help by sharing this newsletter with others. coffman_ralph@yahoo.com 566 Elk Run Road Beverly, Ohio 45715 (740-984-2567) Any mistakes are all mine - Ralph


Livestock and Mud – as the temperature rises and the mud deepens if livestock have to walk through significant mud they may actually choose to not go to the water trough, therefore reducing production. Walking through mud can increase livestock energy needs by 25-30%.



The following advertisers support The Agricultural View and the promotion of agriculture, however, they may not necessarily agree with every point of view within the newsletter. Please support them.
(The ads below are merely a synopsis of the hardcopy issue ads)

State Farm Insurance
Coffman Insurance Agency Inc Terry Coffman, Agent 740-373-6399 426 Third St. Marietta, Ohio 45750 terrycoffman.caow@statefarm.com


National Farmers Organization
CUT OUT THE MIDDLEMAN MORE DOLLARS FOR THE FARMER! Southeastern Ohio Scott Upton 740-517-2101 Our packers want your steers & cull cows


Witten Farm Market & Greenhouses
16670 State Route 60 Lowell, Ohio 45744 740-984-4009 6006 Grand Central Avenue Parkersburg 304-295-2326 Julie Witten Beverly, Ohio 740-984-2059 Scott Witten 740-984-8018


William D. McFarland
Washington County Auditor 205 Putnam Street Marietta, Ohio 740-373-6623 Ext. 263 bmcfarland@wcgov.org


The Ohio FFA Alumni Association
Become a member of the Ohio FFA Alumni by contacting Lexie Poulson at: 1poulson@bright.net Anyone can join who support of the FFA. Dues $15 annual $150 Lifetime


Getting down to
Agribusiness Register today! Washington State Community College www.wscc.edu


Edward Jones Ed Long - Financial Advisor “Making sense of investing” 740-373-5437 ed.long@edwardjones.com 468 Pike Street Lafayette Center Marietta, Ohio 45750


Seaman’s General Merchandise, INC. Charles F. Seaman P.O. Box 10 Barlow, Ohio 45712 740-678-2450 800-428-2450
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1. When you feed your cattle if they do not immediately come to eat you are feeding too much. 2. The difference between eatable and uneatable is about 24 hours (humans too J).