Seedstock Producer of the Year

After a long day tending animals and plants on the farm, the Raines like to sit down for a nice family meal and chew the cud afterward. It doesn’t take long for the conversation to work its way back to cattle, a favorite topic for Todd and his 19-year-old son, Ty. “We have a lot of kitchen table discussions about farming and what to do the next day. Ty and Dad tend to talk about what bull to breed a cow to. It’s their unwinding for the evening. There are times when Mom says ‘Is there anything else we can talk about?’” laughed McKayla, Todd and Melanie’s 20-year-old daughter. “There is but talking about the farm is what we do.” And what a diverse farming operation the Raines run in Adams County. They have 300-350 purebred Angus cows on pasture and a feedlot, raise corn, soybeans and some burley tobacco and have about 5 acres of greenhouses where they grow plants and flowers. It takes about 10 employees and several family members to run the operation and with so many different pieces to manage, it can be challenging at times. But Todd wouldn’t have it any other way. His family has been farming the land near Seaman for generations and it’s in his blood. “Ag is where my passion is,” Todd said. “We’re here seven days a week tending livestock and making sure things are OK. What other profession do you get to spend all day with your kids and be your own boss? I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” McKayla echoes her father’s words, describing how growing up on a fifth-generation farm has influenced her life. She’s an animal science major at Ohio State University with aspirations of becoming a large animal veterinarian and working with cattle producers. “I’ve learned a lot of things over the years and have first-hand experience in some of them. There’s not a single large animal vet in our county, and that’s something that hits home with me. There’s so many different technologies within the beef industry to utilize: artificial insemination, embryo transfer, in vitro fertilization. Being able to utilize those avenues is interesting,” said McKayla, who recently received an OCA scholarship. Ty, who is a first year animal science major at Ohio State, envisions himself staying with the family farm and continuing to concentrate on the cattle side of the operation. He’s involved in the feeding and breeding of the cows and making pedigree decisions. “We do a lot of DNA tests on our cattle,” he said. “Every animal that has a chance of becoming part of the herd in breeding will get a blood sample at weaning. For every animal registered, we’ll send in a blood sample for HD50k genetic testing to ensure the animals we’re breeding with are top quality and the EPDs aren’t lying.” Their father couldn’t be more proud that the next generation is lined up to take over the family farm. He has fond memories of working side-by-side with not only his father but both his grandfathers. One tract of land was bought by his great-great grandfather on his mother’s side in 1895 and another belonged to his great great grandfather on his father’s side. Todd’s interest in Angus started after he graduated from college with an animal science degree. Previously, the family had been raising crossbred cattle, and he wanted more predictability in his animals. His family, like many in the area, had recently received funding from the Southern Ohio Agricultural & Community Development Foundation to transition from raising mainly tobacco to another agricultural product. “I felt the cattle operation needed revamping because genetically we had no idea what we had. We’d had crossbred cattle for years and years and no set program,” he said. “I’d thought about changing and then when the money came in, it gave us the opportunity to switch to seedstock Angus.” A college roommate helped Todd find the type of Angus that he was looking for – strong in carcass traits. He sold the crossbred cattle and traveled down to Georgia where he bought 10 purebred black Angus. Over the years, he worked at improving his herd through artificial insemination and embryo transfer. Today Raines Farms markets purebred heifers and some bulls to farmers in Ohio and Kentucky. About half are retained as replacements with the rest fed out in the feedlot. For several

Tobacco transition money helped Raines Farms

expand into purebred Angus, horticulture

Story & Photos by Amy Beth Graves

years, the Raines “We’re continually trying to come up with ways to improve our were named an would ship about 50 cattle at a time out West where the herd. Our end destination is the kitchen table and we have to produce a product that people want to buy – that’s been the Environmental Stewardship winner by the market was stron- goal here since we started,” Soil and Water ger for their cattle, Conservation which are bred for The Raines continue to grow some District. strong marbling and ribeye traits. But tobacco, noting that it’s still a very The family recently added another when the price of oil dropped, so did profitable crop and part of the culture award – the Ohio Cattleman’s Seedthe price for their cattle. in southern Ohio. The horticulture stock Producer of the Year. Todd, “A lot of ranchers in Texas and side of the business has helped provide who has been president of the Ohio Oklahoma have some type of tie to financial stability like over the past Angus Association and is currently the oil business and when the oil year when flower sales were strong on the board of the Southern Ohio prices dropped and money wasn’t as during the pandemic. Greg manages Agricultural & Community Developplentiful, so did their interest – they the greenhouses with help from his ment Foundation, said the family was didn’t have the cash to do the deals school age children, David and Eliza- honored to be selected for the award. anymore,” Todd said. beth and McKayla who enjoys doing “We’re continually trying to come The Raines also used their tobacco recordkeeping of both flowers and up with ways to improve our herd. settlement funds to start dabbling in livestock. Our end destination is the kitchen horticulture. In 1999 they built their “I’ve coined myself the recordkeep- table and we have to produce a prodfirst greenhouse and started grow- er. We went from a piling system to a uct that people want to buy – that’s ing flowers. Since they didn’t have filing system,” she laughed. been the goal here since we started,” an established customer base, Todd’s Over the years, the Raines have he said. “What keeps me going and brother, Greg, offered the first batch of focused on taking care of the land interested in ag is that you can go out flowers for free to retail greenhouses in that has been in the family for so and perform a task and see the results Cincinnati. many generations. They’ve worked at of it, whether it’s the harvest or when “That really got things going for improving water quality and keeping a calf drops. There’s a lot of satisfaction us because some of the centers started nutrients in the ground by adding sod is being able to see your accomplishbuying from us. Now we supply flow- waterways, putting in cover crops, us- ments over the years and how things ers to numerous people throughout ing variable rate fertilizer application, have changed and progressed and Ohio and Kentucky and have 5 acres installing feeding pads and fencing improved. The satisfaction from that under plastic,” Todd said. cattle out of waterways. In 2011, they keeps me going.”