Kyle Sharp
Kyle has been editor of Ohio's Country Journal since July 2001. In this position, he oversees the editorial content of the publication, along with writing, editing and photography duties.
Previously, Kyle worked as an associate editor for the Section of Communications and Technology within the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. He has bachelor's and master's degrees in agriculture and agricultural communication from Ohio State. Kyle grew up on a dairy and crop farm in Fairfield County and still lives on the family farm, where he manages hay production and raises replacement dairy heifers.
Animal rights activists are all law-breaking terrorists
By Kyle Sharp Animal rights activists are all a bunch of law-breaking terrorists who blatantly abuse the animals they profess to care for. Yes, that’s right good people, don’t believe the rhetoric they put out about caring for animals and trying to make the world a better place. In reality, they’d be more than happy [...]
Know your adversary, take 2
OK, I guess it’s time to stir the pot again. After my wildly popular, or unpopular depending upon the perspective, “Know your adversary” post from Dec. 19, it’s obvious this is a topic that generates a lot of interest. My post garnered several comments and even a response blog post from Erik Marcus at vegan.com, [...]
May your cows cooperate this Christmas
My dad purchased the farm where my brothers and I grew up in 1973, the same year I was born. It is about 5 miles from the dairy farm where my grandparents lived, and where my dad developed his love for the agricultural life. My grandparents’ farm is also where every member of the family [...]
Know your adversary
By Kyle Sharp For those of you wondering how the Humane Society of the United States could be causing such negative consumer confidence related to modern livestock production, here is a link to a video you may want to watch: http://player.vimeo.com/video/32578865?autoplay=1&fb_source=message Needless to say, once you’ve watched it, you’ll probably need to do some very [...]
A little more about HOANBU Dairy Goats
If you read my livestock feature on Holly Buroker and HOANBU Dairy Goats in the December issue of Ohio’s Country Journal, you are well aware of how Buroker has built the herd from very humble beginnings into a nationally recognized herd. The name HOANBU is derived from the first two letters of each of her [...]
Factual videos about today’s farms … how refreshing
For years, anti modern agriculture or pro animal rights social media garbage videos like “The Meatrix” would roll into my e-mail inbox, spreading sensationalized fears instead of sharing legitimate facts about today’s food production system. The latest example was the video produced by Chipotle Mexican Grille that once again allowed the advertisers for that restaurant [...]
Laughable idea has made long-term, profitable sense
Twelve years ago, when someone suggested to Mendy Sellman that her family should sell the meat and poultry raised on their farm directly to customers, she laughed at the idea. Now, after years of turning the once laughable notion into a growing, successful business, the Sellman family is in the finishing stages of opening their [...]
Fun times, funnier comments at the Fairfield County Fair
Early October was a busy time for the Sharp family. Our county fair, the last in the state, finally came, and we spent a lot of time from Oct. 8-15 at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds. It was the culmination of a busy summer of working with fair animals, and in terms of the two market [...]
Cutting cattle a healthy change of pace for Smith’s customers
Chuck Smith has been training customers how to become better horsemen, and eventually how to cut cattle, at his training facility just north of Canal Winchester in Fairfield County for the past 25 years. And while some of the customers at Chuck Smith Cutting Horses are truly interested in becoming competitive in the equine sport [...]
Pastured cows, managed trees make a profitable farm
Bill Lawhon grew up on a small Tennessee farm about 100 miles south of Memphis. After high school in the early ‘60s he went into the Navy, serving his time and getting out just before Vietnam. Rather than pursue farming, he got a doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee and went to work for [...]
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