The Strow brothers are active in beef production

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Richard Strow. (Photos: Shane Hughes/Sentinel-Tribune)

CUSTAR – Though brothers Richard and Bob Strow are both involved in the beef industry, they
have separate operations. Despite their own private businesses they still assist each other and cooperate as
much as possible.Bob’s operation is focused primarily on Angus as well as some Simmental breeds of beef
cattle. It is more of a feedlot type of facility as opposed to his brother Richard’s Shorthorn cattle, which
he operates primarily to sell breeding stock."My operation takes a little different angle," Bob
Strow said.Bob has his herd in two barns, one on his own property and the other at his mother’s place which
was the family homestead. It is directly across the street from his brother’s farm.The Strow Family farm has
been recognized as a Century Farm by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.Growing up the family was in the
dairy business, but Richard said the move to beef was made after their father was tragically killed in
1999.Bob Strow’s farmBob Strow and his wife, Angela (Bowen) Strow, have four children ranging in age from
five to 15.There are daughters Rosa and Lily Bowen, along with and Henry and Luke Strow. The girls are a
sophomore at Bowling Green High School and an eighth-grader at Bowling Green Middle School, respectively
while the boys are in second grade at Kenwood and kindergarten at St. Aloysius.

Bob Strow.
Rosa
Bowen.

Bob noted the difference between the dairy
business and the beef farm."Beef is very casual, where dairy is labor-intensive," Bob said noting
raising beef is not as "hands-on" as dairy."It’s more suited to a chores in the morning and
chores at night routine."His operation currently includes roughly 30 head. That includes cows, heifers
and a bull."I’m not running a big cow herd."Among his animals, he raises some calves for kids to
show as 4-H projects to raise and show at the fair.Mostly, he is raising the animals to sell as pounds of
meat."I’m selling by the pound, so I want to try to build as much weight as possible," Bob said.
"By breeding and genetics I work to have a product that is going to make better feedlot cattle."He
says he bought some additional head this past year and plans on condensing the herd this fall.Some of the
animals will be sold as replacements for other farms, while others will be sold out for feed."I want to
try and get my numbers down for the winter."In addition to working with the cattle, he also raises his
own crops, including both hay and corn, on the farm for the cattle and other uses. Much of what he grows is
used for feed.Though he says "by no means is it a full time job," he does work off the farm from
time to time as he does some custom livestock hauling to market."I have to have a truck and trailer for
my own animals and this gets me a little extra money," Bob said."I enjoy cattle, it’s a profession
I choose," Bob said.Rosa’s FFA projectBowling Green FFA member, Rosa Bowen, began documenting a
supervised agricultural experience (SAE) project of bred heifers in January.Three of the family’s herd will
be bred and sold to another cattleman this fall. The heifers will be ready to calve in February or March.The
animals she sells were born last March and this will be their first breeding. She is starting with three
heifers this year with plans to increase the size of her project in subsequent years."I’ve always grown
up with beef in the background since my mom met my stepdad," Rosa said.Active in the 4-H program as a
member of Livestock Unlimited, she said she has regularly taken various livestock projects to the fair. This
year she showed the(Continued from 10)reserve champion market beef steer. She also had two other top steers
and her pigs all placed in their class."I’ve done a little bit of everything," Rosa said noting
that she has shown heifers, steers and beef feeders as well as pigs.As for the SAE project, she says they
have not determined whether they will sell the bred heifers privately or at a public sale."I enjoy the
bonds we get with the animals," she said. "It may sound strange, but from working with the animals
so long you understand what they like and dislike. It’s kind of like a friendship."Each animal, just
like people, "can be sweet or kind of mean."Richard’s farmRichard said he has been in the beef
business for 14 years, after converting the family’s diary operation to beef production."My brother and
I are very typical cow-calf operations," Richard said.His operation contrasts with his brother’s as he
sells breeding heifers and bulls.At any given time he may have only five to 10 head of registered Shorthorn
beef cattle."I don’t feed out here," he said.He says all his breeding stock "trace back to
popular well-known cow family pedigrees."Using frozen embryos and bull semen, he is able to impregnate
his cows with a variety of specimens to try and achieve the highest quality calves."Some of the embryos
are out of a $20,000 cow," he said noting he would never own such a high-priced cow, but yet is still
able to breed from that stock using the embryos."It give you an opportunity to tap into some awfully
good genetics."He said there is roughly a 50 percent conception rate, thus calling the process
"high risk."Once implanted or inseminated, the cow is checked with a blood test to see if she is
pregnant. If not the process can be repeated.One of the traits he looks for in breeding is that the cows are
pretty content. By breeding for certain traits such as contentment, it can increase the value of the animals
he sells.Like many county beef farmers, this is a sideline for him.Richard is a certified agronomist and
works in Ridgeville Corners and has worked at that elevator since 1984."Cattle is my second full-time
job."The calves he sells typically leave the farm from four months to a year after birth.Of the eight
calves born this spring, five have been sold, with plans to keep one of them as a replacement cow for his
herd. One of his cows already has three daughters in the herd.The current age range of his cows is from 2 to
7 years of age.On the farm, you will also find numerous cages with rabbits. His daughters have successfully
shown rabbits at the Wood County Fair over the years. Lauren Strow showed the champion pen of three meat
rabbits at this year’s fair.He also farms and makes hay all summer long to feed his herd. Last year had to
buy some hay due to the drought.He says his business is "seasonal" with spring being the time for
the birth of the calves, summer involves breeding time, fall is harvest; while in the winter his focus is to
get the cattle through the coldest months.That’s all four seasons, so I guess the beef business is seasonal.

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