By ELIZABETH PARKER
News Leader Staff Writer
On Aug. 20 and 21, Carroll County cattlemen had the opportunity to share their experience and knowledge with approximately 330 other cattlemen from around the state of Ohio.
The Ohio Cattlemen's Association Summer Roundup is a yearly event and is moved throughout the state so Ohio farmers have the opportunity to learn about improving their operations from other herd owners. The Carroll County Cattlemen's Association put together an event that highlighted the knowledge and strength of area cattlemen.
The event started at the Days Inn in Carrollton on Friday night beginning with a presentation by Jerry Yates, who is currently the West Virginia University Reymann Memorial Farms manager. He spoke to the group about the Ohio beef industry, and obstacles and opportunities to be found in the industry. Another speaker for the evening was Fernando Silveira, Ohio State University Department of Veterinary Preventative Medicine instructor, who talked to the cattlemen about grazing practices of beef producers around the world. The evening ended with a social at the Burgett Angus Farm in Carrollton.
On Saturday, the group was up early for breakfast and boarded buses to get a first-hand look at several Carroll County farms. Local farms featured on the tour were Burgett Angus Farm, Green Haven Farms, McKarns Farm, Shamrock Vale Farm and Summitcrest Farm. At each stop, the cattlemen were given a presentation on the successful practices of the Carroll County farm and then the group had the opportunity to ask questions to gather more information that they might find useful for their own operations.
The Burgett Angus Farm is run by Dr. Keith Burgett and his sons, Phillip and Bryan. The farm raises registered red and black angus and they currently have a herd of approximately 275 cattle. The father-and-sons team concentrates on herd health and is one of very few herds that has been designated Johne's free.
Green Haven Farms is an Ohio Century Farm and has been part of the family for five generations. Today, Rusty and Lisa Grubbs and their three children, Laurel, Sam and Joe, work together, with the help of Rusty's father, Bryan, with a herd of 70 cow and calf pairs. The family works hard and takes pride in making sure they offer a healthy pasture system for their cattle.
McKarns Farm started in 1990 when John McKarns purchased his farm. Today, he has a herd of 200. Mc-Karns is working hard to develop a strong herd to sell breeding stock. He has accomplished many goals and continues to set more to always improve genetics in his herd and always improve the land he farms.
Shamrock Vale Farms is owned by Earl and Nedra McKarns, who have farmed for 53 years. The couple started out in the dairy business and then began the move into a beef operation in 1975. Their son, Dan, joined the operation in 2002. The McKarns work hard and are proud of their strong healthy herd and were one of the first farms in Ohio to begin testing for disease prevention.
Summitcrest Farms is a fourth-generation farm, and was founded by the late Fred Johnson, who then went on to become a co-founder of Certified Angus Beef. Summitcrest is now recognized as one of the best stud farms in the entire country. The Ohio farm has a herd of 650 cattle and is managed by Sam Johnson.
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