CHRISTMAS ON A DAIRY FARM
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - December 22, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

"Life on a dairy farm on Christmas Day still means that the cows must be milked and young stock cared for. That has to be a priority regardless of the day or time. Yet on Christmas Eve and Day there are usually some changes made to spend more time with family and for gift exchanges."
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WINTER ON A DAIRY FARM
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - December 15, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

"Winter seems to have come along with a real dose of snow and cold weather. Dairy and other livestock farmers have been ready for this since early November. They know what to do to keep their livestock comfortable in cold weather. Animals themselves start getting ready for the cold in late fall."
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FALL HARVEST
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - December 10, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

"Winter is setting in and across Northeast Ohio and most of the fall crops are harvested. Soybean fields appear to be all done and there might be just an occasional field of corn not finished. Any corn not harvested will probably need to wait now until the ground is frozen to get a combine on the field. It has turned off very wet with soft fields. As one dairy and grain farmer said, it is a good feeling to have the harvest all done."
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THANKFUL FOR FARMERS
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - Nobvember 24, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

"When you gather round the dinner table laden with all kinds of good food, on Thanksgiving tomorrow, ready to carve that turkey or ham, take time to also carve out a big thanks to farmers who produced it for you. Without their hard work and dedication, you would not be able to enjoy the Thanksgiving dinner that many folks have on their tables. More than that we need to be thankful for those who have provided the research and information that have allowed us to grow the abundance we have. Back in the early 1900s we were faced with a food shortage in this country. Most of us can't imagine what it would be like to go to the grocery story and find food choices limited and empty shelves.
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RAMSIER FAMILY FARM - ROBOTIC MILKERS
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - Nobvember 17, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

"Dairy farmers across the entire country are constantly seeking ways to keep their cows more comfortable, produce high quality milk and improve their family's quality of life. Last week I was down in southern Medina County near Rittman and saw an excellent example if this on the Ramsier's Willow Spring Farm. This is a father-son family farm with about 110 cows in the milking herd. At a meeting sponsored by the Ohio Dairy Producers, the Ramsier Family held an open house on their farm to show their new Lely robotic milking system. Robotic milking machines are a fascinating piece of equipment, somewhat new in this country."
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SOYBEAN HARVEST - AG REGULATION
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - Nobvember 10, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

"Back in mid-October on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon, we decided to visit a few of the covered bridges that were a part of the Covered Bridge Festival. Our travels took us up the eastern side of the county to bridges on side roads off Stanhope Kelloggsville Road. One of them was the Graham Road bridge. As with many of the bridges, there were volunteers there with food and displays having a great time talking with visitors from many parts of the country."
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FOOD SHORTAGE FEARS...
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - August 18, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

""One major headline read "Wheat Prices Cause Food supply Fears". Another one said "Russia Announced A Ban On All Grain Exports". Russia has been experiencing severe drought and a host of wild fires across the country causing a shortage of grain. Those headlines have an effect on farmers in northeastern Ohio as well as those across the nation. It takes a very little threat of a food shortage to cause concern around the world."
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EWING FARM...
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - August 4, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

""We enjoy our cattle and give them the best care possible" said Barb and Rich Ewing, who own and operate Lenox Pinzgauer Farm on East Union Road in Lenox Township."
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UNION COUNTY RELEASE...
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - July 21, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

"While no one condones the acts of animal abuse seen on a recent video released by an animal rights extremist group, there is more to the story behind that video than has been told. A recent press release from David Phillips, the Union County, Ohio Prosecuting Attorney, where the abuse took place, sheds more light on the situation.
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POULTRY FARMS...
Column written by John Parker, published in the Gazette - July 7, 2010
John Parker is retired from The Ohio State University, serves on a local farm bureau board, and is an independent agricultural writer.

"Occasionally we enjoy going out to breakfast with friends at our favorite restaurant. It's always good to be out fairly early in the morning to greet the day and have time to visit with friends. As you might guess, the conversation can take many different directions. When ordering their breakfast food, our group tends to like eggs, maybe a slice or two of bacon and toast or a muffin. Eggs are ordered cooked in different ways, depending on what each one of us enjoys. That's the best part of eggs, they can be enjoyed in so many forms."
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