Ohio

Why Farmers are Flocking to Auctions for Low-Hour Equipment Deals

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:00:42 GMT

The used equipment buying season remains active as spring planting takes off. Farm equipment that is only a few years old with low operating hours continues to draw strong prices at auction.

Machinery Pete noticed that trend last week via a few record-setting transactions. At a Kiko Auctions sale in Diamond, Ohio, a pair of blue tractors and a blue planter raised the bar higher:

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2013 New Holland T7 260 tractor with only 1,226 hours on it brought $152,000, which blasted past the previous record high for that year/model by over $19,000.

(Machinery Pete Facebook )

A 2015 New Holland T5 115 utility tractor with a loader (765 hours) brought in $75,000, beating the previous record high by $7,000.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2024 Kinze 3505 8/16 row planter with just over 170 acres planted on it sold for $100,000. That set a new record by $17,500.

“There’s a similar pattern here. Whether its blue, green or orange, if it’s got a few years on it with low hours and in nice condition, those prices are very strong right now,” Pete says.

Moving Iron host Casey Seymour, who has over 20 years of experience in the farm equipment dealership space, says there are more farmers hitting auctions than heading to the dealer lot, and that’s typical of a down cycle in the farm economy.

“Things at auction have a higher demand signal than what you see on the lot. When I was working at the dealership, I would see these sales and think, ‘Man, I’ve got five just like that sitting on my lot that I would sell to you for $10,000 less than what you bought that one for.’ But nobody’s coming to the table, and that’s just where we’re at right now,” he says.

Order-Writing Season For New
Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist with 21st Century Wholesale – a John Deere dealer with 26 storefronts across Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas – joined the podcast to talk about the soon-to-open new machine order-writing period.

Fintel says it’s not something many think about when it comes to buying new, but farmers getting re-approved for financing has “been a process” this year.

“It’s kind of a two-edged sword. If you went and got that new machine at 0% interest at the end of last year because the accountant said to do it, I don’t care that it’s 0% because its also $450,000 sitting on the balance sheet,” he says. “That’s been a huge factor.”

Commodity Markets Update
Chip Nellinger, owner of Blue Reef Agri-Marketing, joined Seymour to wrap up this week’s episode with an update on the commodity markets.

When it comes to corn and soybean futures, Nellinger says there is still “a lot of uncertainty and volatility in the market” but he is seeing some potential upside with President Trump softening on the tariffs against China.

“The stock market seems to be signaling something has changed, and the bean market has been pretty resilient here over the last couple of days,” he says. “There has been a fair amount of activity in planting, and I think that’s why corn has relaxed. We’re ahead of average planting pace at 12% and that’s probably delayed a little bit. So, we should see a lot more progress in next week’s report.”

Nellinger says to keep an eye on the South, where higher-than-average moisture levels have delayed corn planting, and farmers might flip acres to beans or cotton – or even take prevent plant insurance.

Want more Moving Iron? Click this link to watch the episode in full here.

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Creating a New Legacy: Prairie Farms Dairy Cooperative Acquires SmithFoods

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 20:14:49 GMT

Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., an Illinois-based dairy cooperative made up of 600 farm families, recently announced the acquisition of the SmithFoods manufacturing facilities in Orrville, Ohio.

“Like Prairie Farms, SmithFoods prides itself on providing high-quality dairy products to its community and being a good neighbor. We are excited to welcome their employees to the Prairie Farms Family of Companies, and we look forward to serving SmithFoods loyal customers with the same exceptional local dairy products and community support they have come to expect,” said Matt McClelland, CEO/EVP of Prairie Farms Dairy. “As a farmer-owned cooperative, we’re always open to exploring opportunities that will return value to our dairy farmers. The SmithFoods acquisition was an easy decision because the Orrville facilities complement our network of dairy plants and expand our Ohio footprint.”

Both companies have a distinguished history of manufacturing a full line of high-quality dairy products, and the collaboration strengthens the farm-to-table values embraced by Prairie Farms and SmithFoods, according to a company press release.

“We are thrilled and grateful to join the Prairie Farms Family of Companies. This represents a significant step in preserving and enhancing the legacies built by our customers, associates, producers, and their families over four generations. We deeply appreciate everyone who has contributed to the success of SmithFoods. By passing the torch to Prairie Farms, we are confident that their commitment to our shared values, community, and industry will ensure the continued success of our business for generations to come,” added Nate Schmid, President and CEO of SmithFoods.

Dairy Report: Milk Supplies Tighten, Fire Damages Long-Time Ohio Dairy

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 14:44:19 GMT

Taking a look at the current national dairy supplies, one USDA economist says supplies remain relatively tight amid strong demand.

USDA Outlook Board Chairman, Mark Jekanowski, says the nation’s dairies are turning out more milk, but not as much as expected and not as much as the market would like to see.

“Heifer supplies are relatively tight and cow inventories are lower than we’d probably like to see. Milk per cow is also lower than we’d expect as well, so that’s tightening up supplies,” Jekanowsi notes.

He says that margins are pretty strong as well given the relatively lower feed prices right now. He adds that consumer demand is also higher and shows no signs of letting up. Cheese demand is pushing barrel cheese prices towards record highs last week. Dairy analysts say there are a lot of factors behind the price momentum.

“The momentum behind the barrel price moving to record highs was partly because of 13 consecutive months of lower milk production than the previous year. That has tightened barrel supplies significantly which then cause buyers to become aggressive. Then they began leapfrogging over each other in order to obtain the supplies they need to meet the demand,” says Robin Schmahl, a dairy analyst with AgDairy.

Schmahl notes that the last time barrel cheese prices hit a record was Nov. 2 of 2020 when the price reach $2.53.

Fire Damages Long-Time Ohio Dairy

A community is coming together after a massive fire over the weekend at one of Ohio’s largest dairy farms. The fire broke out Sunday evening at Comp Dairy in Ashtabula County. The farm is home to about 2,000 cows. Amazingly no one was injured in the fire and all the cows made it out safely. It’s reported that 3-4 barns were lost in the blaze.

Community members rallied to come to aid of Comp Dairy on Sunday night with dozens of trailers lining up to move the cows somewhere where they could be fed and milked. They also donated water and food to the 18 fire departments who came to the call.

Comp Dairy has been in operation since 1885. It’s not known what sparked the blaze.

This Rare Dime Could Bring a Big $500K Payday for Ohio Dairy Farm Family

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:05:53 GMT

How much is a dime worth? For three sisters who grew up on a dairy farm in Ohio, it could mean a big pay day.

This dime depicting President Franklin “D” Roosevelt is valuable because it is missing its “S” mint mark. It was minted in 1975 in San Francisco and there have been six ‘No S Proof’ errors mistakenly released by the U.S. Mint since 1968.

The three sisters inherited the dime after their brother’s recent death. It was kept in a bank vault for more than 40-years.

A company specializing in currency expects the rare coin to bring more than a half-a-million dollars when an online auction ends in October. In 2019, another one of these rare dimes fetched $456,000 at auction and was quickly sold to a private buyer soon after.

Newsweek reports that while the sisters want to remain anonymous, they shared that their family purchased the rare coin for $18,200 in 1978, a significant sum at the time, equivalent to around $90,000 today. They had kept the coin as a form of financial security, hidden from the public eye.

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HPAI Now Detected on Ohio Dairy: Strange Bird Flu Concerns See Growth

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 19:03:22 GMT

Ohio has become the sixth state where dairy cattle have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu. A recent news release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) reports presumptive positive results from dairy cows in Wood County.

According to officials, the cows arrived in Wood County on March 8 from a dairy in Texas. That dairy later reported a confirmed case of HPAI. The Ohio dairy operation alerted state officials when the livestock began showing signs of illness. State officials are awaiting confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We have official confirmation that we do have a case at a dairy in Wood County of HPAI, which is an influenza,” says ODA Director Brian Baldridge. “We’ve been working with this in the poultry industry for about the last two-and-a-half years and it has found its way into the dairy industry. We are working diligently with the dairy, with their vets and with our Animal Health division and our state veterinarian, Dr. (Dennis) Summers, on this issue.

According to the USDA, HPAI has now been detected in five other states, including:

Texas
Kansas
New Mexico,
Idaho
Michigan

“Clinically sick dairy cattle from affected herds range from 1% to 20%, with an average of 10% of the milking herd affected. There are no confirmed reports of death loss in dairy cattle directly attributed to these detections. Most sick cows begin recovering within a few days.”

“Federal and state agencies continue to conduct additional testing from sick animals and in unpasteurized clinical milk samples from sick animals, as well as viral genome sequencing, to assess whether HPAI or another unrelated illness may be underlying any symptoms,” the ODA reports.

The agency notes that clinically sick dairy cattle from affected herds range from 1% to 20%, with an average of 10% of the milking herd affected. Currently, there are no confirmed reports of death loss in dairy cattle directly attributed to these detections with most sick cows recovering within a few days.

HPAI symptoms in dairy cattle include:

Sudden drop in milk production.
Some severely impacted cows are producing thicker, more concentrated, colostrum-like milk.
Drop in feed consumption with a simultaneous drop in rumen function, accompanied by loose feces and some fever.
Impacted herds have reported older cows in mid-lactation may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows, fresh cows or heifers.
Some herds have reported pneumonia and mastitis.

Officials are strongly advising dairy producers to use all standard biosecurity measures. They note it’s important for producers to clean and disinfect all livestock watering devices and isolate drinking water where it might be contaminated by waterfowl. Farmers are also being asked to notify their herd veterinarian if they suspect any cattle within their herd are displaying symptoms of this condition.

For more on HPAI, read:

New Plant Capacity Collides with Shrinking Milk Supply

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:00:00 GMT

For the past few years, some U.S. dairy producers have been urging the dairy industry to build new processing facilities so they can expand their operations and have a place to sell their additional milk. Their requests are now becoming a reality, but the timing appears to be challenging, said Betty Berning, analyst with the Daily Dairy Report.

“Scarce heifer supplies and the time required to raise a calf to mature milk cow remain long-term barriers to rapid growth in U.S. milk output.” Berning said. “At the same time, milk supplies are shrinking in some of the areas that have been experiencing the largest investments in processing capacity.”

In January, the U.S. milk herd was at its lowest point in more than four years, and heifer inventories were at their lowest level since 2004. Milk will remain particularly tight in the Southwest. New Mexico’s herd and resulting production, for example, have been rapidly declining for several years. New Mexico’s milk cow herd has fallen by 97,000 head between January 2021 and January 2024, according to USDA data. In neighboring Texas, a state that had been growing exponentially, milk cow numbers have been flat since June 2023 at 635,000 head, down from the state’s peak of 650,000 in March 2023.

“While Some Texas producers have added cows to supply the new cheese facility there, others have left the state due to costly feed and inadequate milk revenue,” Berning said.

Last year, processors opened several plants across the country and more will come online this year and in 2025 and 2026. The largest projects have been and will continue to be cheese-centric and located in the central and southwestern United States. About a year ago, production began on a new cheese plant in the Texas Panhandle, and other manufacturing plants are slated to come online in 2025 and 2026 in the Panhandle and near Waco, Texas, respectively.

“In addition, new cheese capacity will come online in southwest Kansas this year. While Kansas producers added 3,000 cows last year, that does not seem like it will be enough to fill the state’s new capacity. Before last year’s expansion, cow numbers in Kansas have been flat since 2001,” Berning said.

New investment in ice cream, cheese, and value-added fluid milk projects is also slated to open in the Northeast. The projects range from an expansion of current facilities to new builds, Berning said, and small cheese-related projects are also in the works in the Upper Midwest.

“Cheese plants in the Southwest will receive priority, and dryers in the region are already running light as new processing draws milk from a shrinking regional milk supply. There is no excess milk in the Southwest, so the milk that once made its way out of the area to the milk-deficit Southeast will stay put,” Berning said. “Southeast plants will thus need to pull milk from other regions, potentially from the Mideast or Northeast, allowing producers in those regions to expand.”

On the positive side, in New York where processing is being added, cow numbers climbed 6,000 head year over year in 2023. Expansion also occurred last year in nearby Indiana, up 5,000 head, and in Ohio, up 3,000 head.

“That could help support new expansions in the Northeast,” Berning added.

For more industry news, read:

Organic Valley Added 84 Farms to its Membership in 2023

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 21:22:45 GMT

During a year full of farm consolidation, Organic Valley, the largest dairy cooperative of organic farmers in the nation, added an additional 84 farms to its membership in 2023.

“This is who we are,” says Shawna Nelson, Organic Valley executive vice president of membership. “Last year, we brought in farms that were abruptly dropped by their milk buyers, and this year, we’ve welcomed 84 more into our organic dairy community. Our commitment to organic family farmers is unwavering, and we aim to be the go-to option for those seeking a stable future in farming.”

According to the company, the cooperative welcomed:

26 farms from Pennsylvania
22 farms from New York
12 farms from Wisconsin
6 farms from Ohio

Several other farms from Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont were welcomed as well.

“We can’t do this alone,” says Jaclyn Cardin, Organic Valley chief brand officer. “If you care about how your food is produced and who is producing it, we think we offer a lot. We want consumers to buy with both heart and head, knowing that Organic Valley products come from a place of integrity. Because we’re a farmer-owned cooperative, when you purchase our products, the farmers who dedicate themselves to caring for the land, the animals and their communities receive stable and farmer-determined compensation. We believe good food comes from good, small family farms.”

Looking ahead, Organic Valley plans to continue supporting small organic family farms in 2024.

For more industry news, read:

Kroger Invests $70 Million in Ohio’s Largest Fluid Milk Plant

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 20:36:33 GMT

Ohio’s largest fluid milk plant, Tamarack Farms Dairy, will undergo a major expansion in the coming months thanks to a $70 million investment provided by the Kroger Co., America’s largest grocer. The 35,000-square-foot expansion at the Newark facility will allow the company to add a state-of-the-art aseptic milk line capable of manufacturing various sizes of half-and-half, heavy whipping cream, coffee creamers and Kroger’s Carbmaster milk beverage. The aseptic milk line will be the grocer’s first in the Midwest, according to the Newark Advocate.

“Kroger’s significant investment transforms the Tamarack Farms Dairy into an aseptic processing facility, creating a new market for Ohio’s dairy industry,” said Tim Derickson, senior managing director of food and agribusiness at JobsOhio. “The extended shelf-life dairy product that will come from the cutting-edge operations in the Licking County facility will meet growing demand for Kroger’s customers nationwide and boost demand for dairy farmers throughout central Ohio.”

The aseptic milk line, which utilizes ultra-high temperature pasteurization, is a component of Kroger’s large-scale plan to deliver long-shelf-life, high-protein drinks, non-dairy and dairy products through modern technology, Kroger said in press release.

“We are so pleased to see this continued investment in Newark,” said Doug Blacksten, senior director of supply chain and manufacturing for Kroger. “Kroger is Fresh for Everyone, and that means we are committed to sourcing and manufacturing only the best and freshest products. This cutting-edge innovation at Tamarack Farms Dairy underscores that commitment, improving our ability to offer high-quality dairy products to Kroger customers.”

Tamarack Farms Dairy is the largest fluid dairy product producer in the state. The facility serves 160 stores in Ohio and West Virginia and provides products for Kroger’s e-commerce channel. The expansion will begin by Sept. 30 and finish by June 30, 2023.

Firefighters Help Round up About 100 Cows After Barn Fire

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:00:11 GMT

Fire officials say emergency responders and others helped round up about 100 escaped cows after a barn fire in central Ohio.

The blaze broke out early Thursday morning at a dairy farm in Johnstown, roughly 15 miles northeast of downtown Columbus.

Monroe Township Fire Chief Dudley Wright told The (Newark) Advocate that the farmer had released an estimated 100 cows when it appeared multiple barns were going to become engulfed in flames. Crews from 20 fire departments in several counties responded to the blaze and were able to contain it to the one barn.

No injuries were reported, but it took a bit of work to secure the animals.

Officials say the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Ohio Prisons get $1.3M from Selling about 1,400 Dairy Cattle

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:59:13 GMT

Records show Ohio’s prisons agency made nearly $1.3 million after selling about 1,400 dairy cattle as part of a larger effort to raise money for new rehabilitation and job-training programs for inmates.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the one-time money will go to the state Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. It’s about half of the yearly cost to buy milk for the state’s 50,000 prison inmates.

Four recent dairy cattle auctions netted $1.56 million, but the agency had to pay auctioneer fees and the state Department of Administrative Services, which handled the sale.

The prisons agency decided in April to leave the farm industry.

Prisons Director Gary Mohr says preparing inmates for farm jobs is outdated and that farmlands are often used to smuggle contraband into prisons.

Fourth-Generation Ohio Dairy Farmer Exits the Milking Business

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:07:21 GMT

A dairy farm operated for four generations by one Ohio family is set to run dry.

Dwight Raber, of Raber Dairy Farms in northeast Ohio’s Stark County, said he’s losing money and can no longer make a living doing the work his father, grandfather and great-grandfather did before him. His farm, which has grown to 500 acres (200 hectares) over the years, was founded by his great-grandfather who came to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1891.

Raber is scheduled Wednesday to auction off his dairy cows and much of the dairy equipment he has accumulated, The Repository in Canton reported .

Raber said he needs to make at least $16 per 11.6 gallons (44 liters) of milk to break even, but he’s been stuck at $13.89 for the past two years.

“He has poured his heart into this farm,” said Raber’s wife, Julia Raber, an English teacher at East Canton High School. “He just goes and goes, 24/7. But it’s time to slow down; it really is. His mother also told him, ‘Please don’t ruin your health.’”

The 58-year-old farmer was hospitalized with blood clots last year.

The number of dairy farms in Ohio dropped by more than 600 between January 2017 and January 2019, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Another 51 dairy farms have been lost in 2019, bringing the total to slightly fewer than 2,000.

“The trend is alarming,” said Dianne Shoemaker, an Ohio State University extension field specialist in dairy product economics.

Shoemaker said the business has changed dramatically in the past 25 years, with smaller profit margins often driving farms to expand to survive.

Cheaper milk flowing into the state from Michigan mega-farms has contributed to the pressure Ohio dairy farmers have felt, Shoemaker said. While 2014 year was a boom year for Ohio dairy farmers, it’s been bad for four years in a row, she said.

Several years ago, Raber added beef cattle to his farm in Nimishillen Township to supplement the dairy portion. He plans to grow that herd and sell crops that in the past were used to feed his dairy cows.

Raber acknowledged he’s “a little scared” about making the change from dairy farming, but said beef cattle require less maintenance. That extra time will allow him to tidy up the property.

“This was a showplace,” he said. “I want to return it to that.”

$20 Million Expansion for Biery Cheese

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:34:23 GMT

An Ohio-based cheese processor is investing nearly $20 million in a plant its purchased in central Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. says Biery Cheese Co. will upgrade a facility in the Portage County community of Plover. Biery Cheese currently has a plant in Wood County.

News-Herald Media says Biery Cheese will move to the former Basic American Foods plant in Plover late this year.

Biery Cheese has been operating in Wisconsin since it purchased the Kickapoo Valley Cheese Corp. in November 2013.