Boots on the Ground - cattle farmer. buckeye. advocate.

Time for another BOOTS ON THE GROUND post. If you haven't kept up with all of them, please do so by checking out the link. You can find introductions to farmers from Kentucky, Canada and Kansas. I can't wait to add to the list! 

Today we go to Ohio. The Ohio.

Wayne County, Ohio

Mike Haley is from Wayne County Ohio where he lives and works on his family farm. A proud buckeye, he graduated from The Ohio State University where he studied agriculture business and applied economics before returning to the family farm.

When do you put your boots on, Mike? 

 This time of year, during the winter months, I typically start getting my boots dirty every morning by tending to our beef cows needs.  This includes checking to see if there are any new calves that need attention since the last night check, restocking hay and mineral for the cows, and feeding our steers, bulls, and replacement heifers.  When all the cattle are content the rest of my day may include a variety of activities like fixing equipment, delivering hay, bookwork, building fence or going to agricultural meetings.

When do you get to take your boots off? 

My boots can get very dirty throughout the day, therefore they come off when I enter the house.  This may be for a short break at lunch, but when things are busy lunch may be in the tractor cab or even skipped.  The last time my boots come off each day can range from 6:30 to 2 am, depending on how much work needs done.  This does not mean my day is necessarily over, though, as the next day needs planned and bills need paid.

Boots workin' hard!

Agriculture is important to you, it's pretty obvious, but what is an issue facing your industry that you feel is important to bring up? 

In an ever changing world farmers have grown away from the rest of society.  Our values, ideals, and lifestyle may be cherished by those outside of agriculture, but we have not made a sincere effort to show them what our daily lives are about.  How we take care of our animals, crops and environment are unknown to them.   With little transparency in agriculture society will continue to lose trust in us paving the way for increased restrictions and regulations in how our families can manage our farms.

To the consumer of your farm's products, what are you interested in letting them know? 

I would like to invite everyone to take a few minutes to learn more about agriculture, not from writers, books, or the news but instead directly from farmers.  With the evolution of social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Google plus anyone can easily connect with farmers daily.

Connect with Mike Haley if you are interested in an entertaining take on agriculture from a man who has his boots on the ground every day raising food for you!

on twitter: @farmerhaley

on the web:  http://flavors.me/farmerhaley

BOOTS ON THE GROUND is brought to you by Country Outfitter They sent me a fancy new pair of boots and so I'm linking them on to this series. Mike's boots come from Country Outfitter too!