Ralph Farms: Growing crops and family while serving agriculture 

By Dusty Sonnenberg, CCA, Field Leader, a project of the Ohio Soybean Council and Soybean Check-off.

From its beginnings in the early 1900s to today, Ralph Farms has always been built on two things: hard work and family. Five generations of the Ralph family have played a role in the operation. Today, 86-year-old Don Ralph represents the second generation. His sons, Mike and Kenny, along with his nephew, Darrel, make up the third generation. Mike’s son, Michael, is the fourth generation, and Michael’s two young sons are already becoming involved as the fifth generation.

Perry Ralph started the family farm in the 1900s. Perry used horses to farm. When tractors came along, Perry was quick to adapt and not afraid to use the new technology to work longer hours and get more accomplished. The story is told that Perry tied lanterns onto a tractor so he would have light and could see and work later into the night. Now, just a few generations later, Ralph Farms has GPS guidance systems on their tractors and can even monitor their grain drying system from their smartphone.

Ralph Farms grows soybeans, corn, and occasionally winter wheat. Geographically, they have several options when it comes to delivering their grain.  

“A lot of our corn goes to the Poet ethanol plant here in Marion. We have hauled corn to the Trillium egg farm. We have also delivered grain to Kalmbach,” said Mike Ralph. “We deliver some beans to ADM in Fostoria, and also to Smithfield. Marion Farmers Co-op has been a bit stronger in their bids lately, so we will also deliver some beans there.”

Ralph Farms is not far from the new Louis Dreyfus facility being built in Upper Sandusky, and they are excited about the marketing opportunities that facility will provide.

Conservation is something Ralph Farms is mindful of. They have fields located in both the Sandusky River watershed and the Scioto River watershed, with ground in Marion, Wyandot, Crawford and Hardin counties.

“We had a farm one time that the back corner went one way and the rest of the farm went the other. We had water going both directions,” Mike said.

Ralph Farms implements a variety of production and tillage practices.

“We use mostly conventional tillage. We planted some no-till beans this year and also planted some in the cover crop. We have some minimum-till ground. I guess you could say that we are all over the board,” Mike said.

For those familiar with the Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, the soils can be very challenging.

“We are not too far south of Killdeer Plains. The soil types there are just tough. They can be productive,” Mike said. “But they are not very well drained and drain very slowly. Field tile is very important.”

The Ralphs have their own tile plow and wheel machine to install tile and are constantly working to improve field drainage.

Mike Ralph is now following in his father’s footsteps when it comes to service to the larger agriculture industry.

“We have always been involved in Farm Bureau. My dad, Don, was on the state Farm Bureau board and was a representative to the Ohio Soybean Association from that organization in the early years. That is probably what got me into it,” Mike said. “He always said, if you believed in something, don’t just sit there in your little corner; get out there and be involved in it.

“When Brett Davis was term-limited off the council from our district, District 9, my dad said they are going to need somebody to run for that position, so I filled out the petition,” he said. “I got signatures and was in the election and got elected. It is hard to believe that my nine years serving on the Ohio Soybean Council Board is already about up. I have really enjoyed it.”

Mike has served on the Ohio Soybean Council as chairman of the Demand Committee and also on the Research and Development Committee.

“A lot has changed in the nine years I have served on the board. Airable Lab is just one example,” Mike said. “That lab has just come to life, and it is now known and admired clear across the country. We have other states wanting to send money just to have us do some work for them. It is amazing to me that other states have not tried it, but maybe they just have not had the opportunity. Barry McGraw and his team that runs Airable have been great for the Soybean Council to work with.

“The products that they develop, like RoofMaxx™, just keep growing. They all help build the demand for our soybeans,” Mike said. “The new soy-based firefighting foam is another example of soybean check-off dollars being used to develop products that build demand. The SoyFoam™ is better for the environment and safer for the firefighters compared to the foam they had been using before.”

Mike also serves on the Clean Fuels Alliance America board.

“Clean Fuels Alliance America is focused on biodiesel and renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel,” Mike said. “Soybean oil and all its uses are really helping drive up the price of our soybeans. I was reading an e-mail from Clean Fuels Alliance America, and it said that there is a processing plant in East Nebraska that just opened a year ago. They are in their first year of operation, and they were just getting ready to send off a long train of soybean oil to the West Coast for biodiesel and renewable diesel. Most of the soybean oil up until then had been transported by trucks. This was a great deal for them, and they also said that this new plant had 13 miles of rail facility at their plant. As a reference, at the Louis Dreyfus open house in Upper Sandusky, they mentioned that they are going to have 26 miles of rail. That gives you an idea of the size and volume it can handle.

“With California’s restrictions on emissions, they are one of the biggest biodiesel users in the whole country. Now Washington and Oregon have kind of jumped in on that wagon too,” Mike said. “It is exciting to me that all the major railroads are now members of Clean Fuels Alliance America. Everybody is working to reduce carbon across the country. This also helps promote the use of our soybeans.”

Mike believes that his service on the Soybean Council has been very rewarding and encourages others to get involved.

“You will never know what goes on behind the scenes if you are not part of it,” he said. “I would not have known how the staff works for all farmers across the country. I would have never known that so many people are involved in trying to help make farmers successful. When you get involved, you see that. It is a real eye-opener.”