Ohio farm partners prefer Nexus, cite weekly eNote advisory, other benefits

     Jeff Puthoff and Andy Schafer understand the positive points of partnership. Friends since high school, they partner 50-50 in their Ohio cattle operation, Laneview Cattle Company. And they team up with Nexus Marketing when it comes to forward contracting their Holsteins.
     The partners know what they want from Nexus Marketing. "We strictly use forward contracting," Puthoff said.
     "We know what our final end price will be. We can back in our costs," he added. Puthoff pointed out that Nexus offers many different products and the staff have extensive knowledge and experience in the cattle business. Through Nexus, producers use options, hedging and cash sales, in addition to forward contracting.
     "Jeff Rose, Sarah Nelson and Pat Lampert [Nexus risk management professionals] provide excellent service," he said. "They get back to us right away when we have questions, and give us the information we need."
     Plus, Nexus is competitive in the charges compared to others providing the same services, Puthoff added.
     In Ohio, special information about Holsteins is key, because many operations in the Buckeye state are based on raising Holstein steers. "One thing Sarah does a nice job of is letting us know about basis on Holsteins, and time to secure basis contracts. The e-mails, and newsletters inform us to make an educated decision in the market," he said.
     Laneview Cattle Company is nestled onto the flat landscape of west central Ohio, near Ft. Loramie. They finish about 600 head of Holstein steers each year, and raise about 200 head to 300 - 400 lbs.
     Most of those involved in the operation grew up in the dairy business. So that gives them an advantage when it comes to understanding the cows and calves. "That's helped us a lot to get the calves raised up to cattle weight," Puthoff said.
     "One thing we strive for is, in confinement, to maintain the proper ventilation in the barns. . . . They need proper ventilation to prevent health problems."
     The partners stay in close contact with custom feeders to assure they're following good management practices in their own operation, rely on the knowledge of their feed sales contact and carefully follow vaccination and implant programs.
     "These young men are an excellent example to others in the community," Nelson said. "They are role models for many other young farmers, because they aren't afraid of working hard in order to achieve goals on their farms."
     The partners follow a clear division of responsibility, as well. Puthoff owns the barns and handles the day-to-day management and cattle care. Schafer mixes all the rations and focuses on the accounting details.
     "It seems these two excel because of their cooperation and teamwork. I see in them a desire to make this partnership sustainable well into the future," said Nelson.