Commercial Producer Award

W.J. Fannin knew at an early age that he wanted to be the third generation to farm in Fayette County. He’d grown up on the family farm near Washington Court House and spent part of his high school years running hay and straw down to horse farms in Kentucky. The biggest question was how to make farming his full-time job since the farm was already supporting one family.

A six-year stint in the National Guard and 10 years working in the construction industry gave W.J. not only the funds he needed but some life skills that would later come in handy on the farm. When the family decided to build a facility for their cattle in 2017, W.J. knew exactly how they could do it themselves, drawing on his years of experience in the construction industry.

“I had to do something else for a while in order to gain experience and to make money, but it was all worth it because of what we’ve got today and we’re now in a position where (the farm) can sustain the next generation,” he said.

Fannin Ag is a grain and cattle operation that is owned and operated by W.J., his father, William, and his wife, Lanita. They farm about 2,000 acres of row crops and run a commercial feedlot that houses 800 to 1,000 cattle. They also raise some cow-calf pairs for show and run an online freezer beef operation called Ohio Artisan Beef. Fannin Ag is this year’s recipient of the Ohio Cattlemen’s commercial producer award, an honor that W.J. said is surprising and humbling.

“It was exciting to receive it. I’m very honored that someone recognized us as being a good operation,” he said. “Every generation of our family has been involved in the beef industry in some way. When I was growing up, we had a cow-calf focus, but didn’t feed cattle then. We’ve come a long way from a kid who started all this by showing 4-H animals. All the people in my career helped push me to where we are today and along the way I fell in love with the beef industry even more.”

The decision to focus on the beef side of the family operation made sense to W.J. because it would help diversify the farm. It also helped that he was passionate about cattle … so passionate that it wasn’t unusual for him to have more pictures of cattle than family members.

“I get a lot of grief about that,” he laughed. “I love feeding the cattle and watching them perform and the same thing with the plants that we grow. It’s great to have the ability to watch the crops and animals grow through different cycles and how management practices play into it.”

W.J. started growing the cattle side of the operation in 2012 and five years later, a new feedlot replaced the worn out one built in the 1960s. Over the years, the family has focused on improving the land by installing drain tile and utilizing cover crops to reduce runoff and help keep nutrients in the soil.

The Fannins both buy and market their cattle in a variety of ways: selling directly to major meatpackers, live for local show rings, online or direct off the farm. Lanita handles all the online marketing and their website while W.J. focuses on the animals and crops.

“We can get really busy, especially around planting and harvest seasons, and we’re blessed to have a good group of people that we trust for buying cattle when I can’t be there,” said W.J., who also works for a local auction group, specializing in farm and agricultural assets.

The family grows its own feed and bedding for the cattle and purchases distillers grains livestock feed from a nearby plant. Every day W.J. walks through the feedlot, looking over the cattle and changing out the water tanks.

“We empty and clean the water tanks every day. I’ve always looked at water as being the cheapest mineral on the farm and it’s important to make sure the cattle have the freshest water possible,” he said.

Like many farmers, W.J. is al- ways on the lookout for more land to purchase or rent to continue to grow but is often deterred by high prices or development.

“The big news here is that Honda is going to build a big battery plant nearby and create 2,200 jobs. When you look at what Honda did to Marysville with development, you know the same thing will happen here and we’ll continue to have prime farmland taken away,” he said.

These types of threats to agriculture are why W.J. said he doesn’t hesitate to pay his yearly dues to organizations like the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association and Ohio Farm Bureau.

“These organizations are out there putting in the word at the local and national levels on why agriculture is so important. They’re helping educate people about misinformation fed by marketing companies like that animals shouldn’t ever be given antibiotics. Our animals are no different than kids – if they’re sick, they may need an antibiotic to get over it,” he said.

“The Ohio Cattlemen’s is also a really good organization in reaching out to kids and investing in them. I was a kid once and showed at the BEST shows. If it weren’t for those shows, there wouldn’t be as many opportunities for kids to show and stay interested in the industry.”

Making the farm sustainable enough for the next generation is the ultimate goal for W.J. and Lanita. They’ve recognized the value of raising their three sons, 10-year-old Colton, 17-year-old Cameron and 23-year-old Chase, on the farm and are optimistic they will return. Colton is starting to show steers and heifers, operates the skidloader and does some mowing. Cameron can do everything on the farm but drive the semis and is looking to study agronomy in college.

“Our long-term goal is to give the boys the opportunity to remain on the farm if they want to. Taking care of a crop or animals makes them overall more responsible because no matter what the weather is, they have to be out there taking care of things other than themselves,” W.J. said. “I’m a firm believer in that everything here on earth is the Lord’s to begin with and these are his assets and I’m to be the best manager of them. I strive every day to be a good manager of the land and caretaker of the livestock. This is what we do and I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to do this.”