Producer Features

Mark Kennedy from Houston, Missouri, doesn’t produce any hay. He grazes cattle, sheep and goats on his rocky, hilly ground, and buys whatever hay he needs. He grazes about 320 to 340 days per year, and tries to have 60 days worth of hay on hand in case the weather doesn’t cooperate. In good years, he may not have to feed any hay, but on dry years, he may have to feed hay 65 days or so.

Gary Wilson from Jenera, Ohio, has been active in the forage industry as a producer, extension agent and educator, and has sat on many forage-related organizational boards. His forage involvement has spanned a lifetime.

For northeastern Georgia producer Terry Chandler and his wife Deborah, owning a farm seemed more of a faint dream than a reality.

President of American Forage and Grassland Council 

What’s your professional background?

Bob Barker, from Waverly, Iowa, says, “Leonard Rayhons told me way back when I was in high school, ‘Bob, make sure you marry a two-bucket girl.’ I looked at him puzzled and said, ‘What's a two bucket girl?’ Leonard, who was 80-plus years old, said, ‘A two-bucket girl is a girl that can do two or more things at once – helping on the farm, no matter what the job, wash your hog clothes without complaining, have lunches for the tractor, manage the house and be the glue of the family.’”

The old adage “If you build it, they will come” is something Canadian grower Derek Axten swears by. He has found that through a mix of progressive practices, he can improve biological activity and soil quality, while achieving every farmer’s dream of increasing profitability.