These Boots Are Made For Walking

Big brother Ben uses his John Deere pedal tractor to take baby sister Rachel for a spin around their Missouri farm (Photo courtesy of Ben Brown).

Raised on a farm in western Missouri, he and his younger sister, Rachel, worked alongside their parents growing wheat, corn, and soybeans, and raising cattle. He won numerous awards in 4-H and the National FFA Organization, including the Missouri Soybean Speech competition, which helps explain his gift of gab. The Brown siblings showed steers at the county fair which, coupled with sales from Ben’s FFA-supervised agricultural experience project, helped cover some of his college expenses.

Brown became enamored with the land-grant extension model while studying as a graduate student at the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. There, he experienced firsthand the impact that information, research, and planning can have on an operation’s success. This experience also informed his approach to building Ohio State’s Farm Management Program at the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

Having grown up on a farm, Brown knows how inherently risky farming can be, in part because of the large cash flows from revenue and expenses, along with the sizable amount of capital required to run an operation.

“As a farmer, you are putting all your eggs in one basket,” Brown said.

That basket can be one year’s production for row crop farmers and an even longer and varied time frame for livestock producers, he said.

Many farmers in Ohio and across the country are now facing even more stress due to the declining farm economy as a result of low corn, soybean, and livestock prices.

Brown shares some market forecast models with Pickaway County grain farmer Scott Metzger.

“Our goal is to give farmers the best forecast that we possibly can,” Brown said. “They are making decisions about selling the current crop and, at the same time, deciding what to plant the next year and when to buy farm inputs based on current and projected prices.”

Ohio State University Extension educator Rory Lewandowski credits the Farm Management Program with providing basic economic production information that is vital for farmers to run a successful operation. The program offers information on understanding balance sheets, income statements, cash flow, working capital, financial ratios, and how to take information and translate it into sound decisions.

Brown helps teach farmers how to use Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, both of which provide federal payments to farmers, assisting with farm-level cash flow.

“Farmers can plug in numbers based on their scenarios and see which program is the best fit for their operation,” Lewandowski, of Wayne County, said.

Brown has also collaborated with the Ohio Farm Business Analysis team led by Dianne Shoemaker, an OSU Extension dairy production economist. The team helps farmers compute production costs, enabling the farmers to know where they are strong and/or weak compared to their peers.

Brown’s passion is apparent, which is why people are generally receptive to what he has to say and why he’s been asked to serve on numerous Ohio agricultural advisory boards, including serving as secretary of the Top Farmers of Ohio, a group comprising 100 of the largest farms in the state.

“Ben is so enthusiastic about knowing what is happening in the counties to inform his work and make his program relevant,” said OSU Extension educator Mary Griffith, who is based in Madison County. “He has put a lot of effort into understanding what is important to Ohioans and the unique challenges we face.”

Farmers throughout the state agree and appreciate Brown’s determination. Having help with identifying and understanding trends in agriculture is critical right now, said Fred Yoder, a Union County farmer for nearly 40 years and owner of Yoder Ag Services, an Ohio-based seed company.

“The more information we have at our fingertips will ensure that we will not keep making the same mistakes again,” Yoder said. “This will lead us to new levels of productivity, as well as profitability.”

Brown was a featured speaker at the most recent Agricultural Policy and Outlook Conference at Ohio State. He is also part of the team of agricultural economists who offer winter outlook meetings around the state.

In county meetings across the state, Brown presents his projections on commodity prices and helps farm owners analyze their operations through the lens of a business model. As he continues to make his way across the state, he is developing plans for tackling even more challenges.

For example, Brown is always thinking about how to help students in the CFAES Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE). Many AEDE students lack prior agricultural experiences or do not come from a background in agriculture. Brown is building an internship program with producers around Ohio willing to work with those students during the summer. 

Because internships are crucial to student success in the industry, the Farm Management Program will allow students to gain hands-on work experience while creating a business management plan that applies information learned in the classroom to a particular operation. Farmers can help design the project, ensuring that they get needed help with an aspect of their business operation.

“This way, both the farmer and students benefit,” Brown said. “Students gain needed background and experience if they want to work for a prominent agricultural company or possibly OSU Extension down the road.”

“Having the opportunity to engage students in research that is relevant and useful to producers is a big belief of mine,” Brown said. “It’s a core principal of the land-grant university system, so I try to actively get them involved.”

For example, Brown worked with AEDE major Anna Gerten on a farm management project related to risk and cash flow. A December 2018 graduate, Gerten is now working as an OSU Extension educator in Putnam County. Haylee Zwick, another December 2018 graduate, conducted research, met with producers, and answered their questions about the new Market Facilitation Program, which is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s response to low commodity prices from tariffs and other pressures. She is now working for the Archer Daniels Midland Company, an Illinois-based agricultural processor and food ingredient provider.

Many of Brown's farmer programs, such as this Coshocton County Ag Breakfast, involve food, so he has become well-versed on the various foods served in Ohio (Photo by David Marrison).

This spring, Brown will be working with OSU Extension educators on developing a farm bill training program to help farmers understand the nuances of the upcoming farm bill in order to make sound decisions.

“This is my first go-round for some programs, and I am learning as I go, too,” Brown said.

Not all of Brown’s time is focused on Ohio agriculture production. He also has been educating himself about some of the various foods served in Ohio. Before launching into a series of graphs and key points at his educational farmer programs, he often shows a series of photos detailing his food tour of the state.

He’s discovered that Hirsch Fruit Farm in Chillicothe has a delicious apple cider slushy and that Warsaw, Ohio, is home to his favorite hot beef sandwich.

Brown also spends time volunteering at the Central Ohio Ronald McDonald House in Columbus, Ohio, a charity that means a lot to Brown and his family, as they saw firsthand the value of the facility when a family member's daughter was born several months premature. Once a month he cooks meals and plays games with residents navigating the intense stress of managing a child’s illness.