Producer Features

Sandy Ridge Farms Inc. (SRF), located in Newsoms, Virginia, raises over 1,400 acres of corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts and a few cows.

Miles and Caleb von Stein grew up making hay on a small scale for family and neighbors in northwestern Ohio, and they thought expanding might be a way to get into farming as young people where most land is in corn and soybeans.

All good things come in threes: three stars in Orion’s belt, “on your mark, get set, go,” three sides of a triangle, three races in the Triple Crown and three flavors in Neapolitan ice cream. Why threes? It combines brevity, continuity and rhythm.

Long-term profitability, preparing for the next generation and fostering human, plant and animal health all hinge on managing the farm for soil health improvement. Everything revolves around healthy soil for Burton Heatwole.

If you’ve read our magazine for long, you’ll already know John Russell’s name. While he bales straw and hay in Ohio as his primary occupation, that occupation has forced him into his “other life” as an inventor, a tweaker, an idea guy, a producer who is constantly looking for ways to improve his product and process.

“Many variables require many plans but only a few basic principles,” said Alltech representative John Winchell at an Ontario Forage Council 2020 webinar.