Marilynn Teague and Jimmie Chastain ventured into registered Beefmasters six years ago
Boyce-Dill began with Limousin and added Angus
Considerations and plans needed prior buying chicks
Wyatt Cox and his family have raised corn, soybeans and wheat for generations All
Teens from the Ozarks to lead ag challenge: Missouri 4-H teen leaders will teach others how to use their critical thinking skills to help solve a real-world agriculture challenge through the 2023 4-H Ag Innovators Experience Aerial Ag Challenge. The teen leaders will conduct 45-minute activities in the spring and summer at a variety of 4-H events and summer camps throughout the state, says Maria Calvert, University of Missouri Extension state 4-H agriculture educator. Teens from the Ozarks acting as leaders include Jackson Schuber of Polk County, Isabella Hamner of Camden County and Micah Huffman of Greene County.
Black vulture guide available: The University of Missouri-Extension has released a guide to help producers control black vultures. Black vultures, in particular, are increasing in population and their aggressive nature can cause problems for livestock producers. Black vultures are known to gang up and prey on calves, piglets, lambs and newborn goats. They sometimes attack cows that are ill or giving birth. Black vultures can also cause property damage and problems by damaging rubber seals and windshield wipers on parked vehicles, canvas awnings and seating on boats, and rubber or vinyl materials on rooftops, according to the extension. Legally, black vultures are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. It is illegal to harm or take (kill) black vultures without a permit. Visit go.ozarksfn.com/jd6 for more information.
Awards presented at expo: Gabriel Todd, a senior at Norwood High School, was selected as one of the 2023 Missouri Pork Association Youth Pork Ambassadors. His selection was announced during the 2023 Missouri Pork Expo. He is the son of Matthew and Cassie Todd of Mountain Grove. He and his grandfather operate a small hog operation in Alton, Mo., where they breed show hogs and provide pork to local customers. In other regional news from the 2023 Missouri Pork Expo, Abigayle Connor, a senior at Appleton City High School, was chosen as a recipient of a $250 Missouri Pork Industry Scholarship from the Missouri Pork Association. Abigayle is the daughter of David and Tabitha Connor from Rockville. Emma Robinson of the Republic FFA was a state finalist in the FFA Pork Speaking Contest.
Hiland announces leadership change: Gary Aggus, president of Hiland Dairy Foods Co. in Springfield, Mo., is exiting that role on April 1, but will continue to work for the company as a consultant. Hiland Dairy has promoted Rick Beaman to the president position. Beaman has also spent his career in dairy, working for other national dairy companies before coming to Hiland in 2012. He was elevated to vice president in 2014.
3 Jerry Crownover –An old plowboy
4 Julie Turner-Crawford –Spring is a welcome sign
7 Teacher helps bring agriculture into an urban classroom
8 Developing high-quality birds
10 Downtown Springfield, Mo., icon continues to entertain
12 Eye on Agribusiness features Ray’s Farrier Service
13 Couple builds on Beefmaster essentials for their herd
16 Town & Country - Stacey Ramsey
20 Wyatt Cox says he was born to farm
22 Family builds registered cattle operation in Webster County, Mo.
24 Youth in Agriculture features Kendrick Raybuck
25 Prepare for the inevitable
26 Thinking about replacing fescue?
27 A little spring cleaning
28 Eliminating pecking and cannibalism in poultry flocks
29 Tips to start your flock
OzarksFarm @OzarksFarm
Do you have a rumor you would like to share with our readers? Mail them to: PO Box 1319, Lebanon, MO 65536; fax them to: 417-532-4721;or email them to: editor@ozarksfn.com
25 Getting fields and pastures ready for spring
As I was surfing through the TV channels recently, the title of a program immediately grabbed my attention: The British Ploughing Championship. Besides the fact that the word plowing had been misspelled (when will the Brits learn how to spell?), I thought the show might have some entertainment value for an old plowboy.
Very few American farmers use a moldboard, turning plow anymore. Minimum tillage and no-till equipment have proven to be essential to the conservation of both soil and fuel, and have reduced turn-plowing into an antiquated practice. Sixty years ago though, turning over the top 6 to 8 inches of topsoil was the first step in producing a successful crop, and my absolute favorite activity as a young boy.
Jerry Crownover farms in Lawrence County. He is a former professor of Agriculture Education at Missouri State University, and is an author and professional speaker. Jerry’s daily exploits on the farm are now viewable on YouTube at “lifeissimple678”. To contact Jerry, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
We were mostly livestock farmers in the hilly and rocky terrain of the Ozarks, but our farm contained about 80 acres of rich, relatively flat, creek-bottom soil, and Dad always planted several acres of corn and oats each year. Both of those crops began with plowing up last year’s stalks and residue, with a two-bottom, moldboard plow, pulled behind an 8N Ford tractor.
Early each spring, I couldn’t wait to get home from school, bundle up with warm clothes, cap and jersey gloves so I could run to the field and take over the plowing from my father so he could do the afternoon chores. I was probably around 10, and plowing was one of the few tractor-driving jobs that Dad permitted me to do without supervision. Even though he often pointed out he could train a monkey to plow, I felt like a grown man out on that open-station tractor, with nary a soul in sight. I plowed until dark, every afternoon the weather permitted.
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By Julie Turner-Crawford
As I write this column, I’m suffering from sleep deprivation. Overnight, our weather radio went off seven times to warn of possible dangerous weather. We are in close vicinity to two other counties, and we get alerts for all three. We would barely get back to sleep after an alert when another would come. It’s a sure sign spring is on the way. Growing up, we had a small patch of Hyacinth my mom had planted. Mom wasn’t much on flowers, but she planted a few bulbs, and they continued to come up every spring for decades. The fragrance of the flowers was heavenly. If the breeze blew in just the right direction,
• 2 1/4 C cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature (not melted)
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 C sour cream
• Canola oil for frying
FOR THE GLAZE:
• 3 1/2 C powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 C hot water
In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together. Add the egg yolks and mix until light and thick. Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the sour cream, ending with the flour. Mix for 30 seconds on low speed or until the dough is smooth but slightly sticky. If the dough is unbearably sticky, add extra flour, one tablespoon at a time. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or until firm. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about ½-inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter or two differently sized biscuit cutters to cut out as many donuts as possible, dipping the cutters into flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Should make about 12 doughnuts and holes. Refrigerate while you heat the oil so the dough is slightly cold when it fries. Pour 2 inches of canola oil into a heavy-bottomed pot with a deep-fry thermometer attached. Heat to 325 degrees. Fry a few doughnuts at a time, do not overcrowd. Fry on each side about 2 minutes. Let drain on a paper bag to soak up the excess grease.
For the glaze: Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk until smooth. Dip each doughnut into the glaze. Place on a wire rack above a sheet pan to catch excess glaze. Let sit for 20 minutes or until glaze is set.
— Continued on Next Page Know
Continued from Previous Page
the aroma from the Hyacinth would fill the house. It’s a memory that floods over me every spring.
Spring in the Ozarks is one of my favorite seasons. It’s not too hot or cold, and there is more daylight each day. Since I’m outside before dawn and after dark most days, I like to see the sun. I sit on the back porch steps to soak in as many rays as possible in the spring. Spring makes me feel better and helps to shake the winter blahs.
Many folks consider the “new year” to be Jan. 1, but for me, the new year kicks off when I see Mother Nature waking from a long winter slumber. The storms are her way of shaking off the cobwebs, and quick cold snaps are her hitting the snooze button. I’m a little grumpy when I wake up, so I can relate.
This time of year, livestock producers are crossing their fingers they have enough hay left to get to fresh grass. It’s also when all farmers and ranchers hope the rains continue falling in the summer and fall. It’s muddy now, but hopefully the rain will come when we really need it. We don’t need another dry year here in
the Ozarks; I think last year was enough for a few years.
Canadian novelist L.M. Montgomery (Lucy Maud Montgomery) once wrote, “Nothing ever seems impossible in spring, you know.”
It’s like the whole world is a fresh, clean slate in spring. Spring is a time of optimism. When spring comes, many people start thinking about what a great year lies ahead. Things have to go just right the rest of the year, but spring makes it all seem possible.
As we go into the spring, think of the things that can go right this year; don’t think about what can go wrong. Spring is the time to be optimistic, so sit on the porch steps and soak in the sun. Let the rays of the season remind you that you have the best and most important job in the world and that rain or shine, the world depends on you.
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The Ultra-elite Female Offering Starts with a December 2022 daughter of the $500,000 Connealy Craftsman from
Continued from Page 3
One evening, I guess I went a little beyond dark, and Dad came down to the field to make sure I was OK. As I quit for the day, my father proceeded to drive the tractor back to the barn, while I rode with my feet on the running board, with my butt against the rear-wheel fender so that I could be the one to get off and on to open and close the gates. As the little tractor bounced across the rougher corners of the plowing land, I, too, bounced off, and my left foot went under the tractor wheel in the freshly turned soil. Dad, in more of a panic than I had ever seen, stopped immediately and jumped off to inspect my foot and leg. After he unlaced the boot and
looked up and down my leg by the illumination of his pipe lighter, there wasn’t even the slightest scratch.
“Does it hurt?” he asked nervously. “Can you wiggle your toes?”
Because of the fluffiness of freshly-plowed silt loam and the relatively light weight of an 8N tractor, I answered, “No and Yes.”
As we got back to the house, and before we went in for supper, Dad quietly instructed, “There’s no need to tell your mother about the tractor.” I nodded, in complete understanding, because, again, I still wanted to be a plowboy the next day.
Jerry’s daily exploits on the farm are now viewable on YouTube at “lifeissimple678”
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On the south side of Springfield, Mo., is an elementary school ranked number one in math, reading and growth within the Springfield Public School system, a school that ties science class to agriculture. School staff works to provide top-tier education to students. From dancing on
garden. It also helps to introduce students to new herbs and vegetables they may not have tried before,” Melani Deal, fourth grade teacher said.
What started as a few lettuce seeds six years ago led students to the passion of growing their own food. Initially, students were tasked with planting the seeds as a
shown towards the garden, Melanie decided to make the garden a permanent addition to classroom instruction. During the experience, these urban students are given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in how food is grown. Students who reside in one of the biggest cities in the state now belong to that percentage. With this curriculum, students are now more closely related to that percentage.
Each student is given a specific responsibility in the garden. These jobs act as the students’ bell work to start their mornings. Once garden reaches the growing season, teachers divide the produce up for students to create their own pizza. Alongside this hands-on experience, the garden has open access for wildlife. Produce is left out for animals to get a bite to eat while the students observe them. Students water plants, pull weeds, spot ripe produce and harvest. In doing so, they are gaining an experience like no other.
tables to hosting a staff basketball game to celebrating student success, Cowden Elementary is known for its out-of-the-box teaching style. One teacher went as far as creating a door from her classroom to the school courtyard to incorporate a garden within her class.
“After I saw the interest and excitement that came from growing their own food, I decided it was worthwhile to add the garden activities into our curriculum. It gives students a purpose and a sense of responsibility when they have a job in the
small project, but the garden is now a large patch of multiple varieties of vegetables. This garden produces enough to send every student home with enough produce to make their own salad.
Springfield, Mo.
“We are trying to teach students a farmto-table concept, self-sustainability. It also gives them an appreciation for hard work paying off and access to different fruits and vegetables they might not even have the chance to try,” Cherie Norman Ph.D., principal of Cowden Elementary, said.
After so much interest was
Soft skills like work ethic, organization, dedication and passion are all things agriculturalists have in common. The same skills are instilled in these students as they watch a seedling grow into an edible food material. This is the foundation of the Farm to School program in the Springfield Public School district.
“When I first started at this school, Mrs. Deal was coming in once or twice a week to mow and weed the garden space during the summer to try to maintain the area,” Kendall Slaughter, Farm 2 School Specialist, said.
Kendall has worked within the school district to implement various agricultural techniques. This district program sees this need and meets it with faculty to grow the program, and the understanding of agriculture.
By Julie Turner-Crawford
Josh Stephans focuses his poultry and waterfowl operation on breeding- and show-quality birds
In certain livestock circles around the Ozarks, Josh Stephans is a “goat guy.”
He has shown and judged meat goats across the country and has ventured to Canada to sort classes.
Today, Josh and his family still have goats and a few head of cattle, but the largest livestock operation at their Elkland, Mo., farm has feathers. About 200 chickens, geese and ducks can be found at the farm, and just like his goats, Josh seeks birds of high quality.
“I got my first set of birds at around 10 years old,” Josh said. “I’ve had the poultry as long, if not longer, than the goats. They just kind of sat here and did nothing for a lot of years, but it has evolved over the last several years.”
Josh and his family, including wife Cassie, sons Grayson and Noah, and daughter Lucy, have as many as 15 different breeds of chickens.
“I like a little more odd, exotic or unusual breeds,” Josh explained. “That’s not to discredit breeds like White Rock, Wyandotte bantams,
or something else you often see win at the show. Most of the breeds we have are fairly rare.”
Breeds Josh raises at Hidden Springs Farms include Dutch bantams, Whitefaced Black Spanish and Phoenix, which are rarely seen in shows.
Waterfowl breeds include Pilgrim and Toulouse geese, and Call, White Mandarin and Mcavoy ducks.
Gray Toulouse are a recent addition to the farm. Josh purchased the gray flock in Wisconsin last fall, and he also has a pair of buff Toulouse.
“These guys are going to be my main waterfowl focus,” Josh said.
The Mcavoy ducks are also a new venture. Josh will alternate drakes with a black female to achieve certain colors in the offspring.
“I only have one black hen, and sliver in waterfowl is basically the same as splash in chickens,” Josh explained. “Silver to black makes 100 percent blue. With only one
black hen, I want to be able and continue with the blue program and have some blacks as well.”
Raising show-quality chickens and waterfowl requires more than many may realize.
“It’s far more fickle than ruminant livestock species,” Josh explained. “Ruminant livestock species don’t decide to drop all of their feathers the day before a show. Mink, foxes and owls don’t bother cows and goats, but everything eats chickens. Poultry isn’t hard to contain, but it’s keeping them safe.”
The Stephans family has fewer birds than usual, but they are ready to step up production.
“What we have now is breeding stock, with about 50 laying hens, egg producers,” Josh explained. “In the fall, we sold off everything we didn’t need to carry over. We shut the incubators off in October that had been running for two years.”
Chickens and waterfowl can have very long and productive lives, Josh said. That longevity depends on the species of bird and the care it receives.
“A long life for a chicken is seven to 10 years,” he explained. “Some will live longer with individualized care.
The waterfowl can live into their 30s and 40s. My oldest peafowl is 18 years old, and those can live to be 50 or 60.”
To keep poultry lines true, linebreeding is critical.
“You can linebreed most species of poultry for six or seven generations without any trouble to set in phenotype,” Josh said. “A lot of poultry breeders don’t think about it, but you have both your male and female lines. Breeding a female line is a little more popular in the poultry world. If you raise cattle and want to improve, you get a new bull with good maternal traits. With poultry, you use linebreeding, and you have to work your
male and female side to establish the linebreeding program.”
Genetics, like any other livestock species, is the key to a successful breeding program.
“I feel it’s much more of a challenge than cattle, sheep, hogs and goats,” Josh said. “There are so many different factors wrapped up in the phenotype: the feather width, color, shade, depth of color and pattern. They say black is black, but it isn’t. There’s sheen, there’s green sheen, purple sheen. Then there are the body types, phenotype, conditioning, eye color, leg color, all of it. It’s challenging from a genetic aspect, but I really enjoy the variety.”
Josh sells some rare breed hatching eggs, but primarily offers live birds to fellow producers.
“Typically, with the purebred stuff, I don’t sell chicks; I sell 6- to 8-monthold birds,” he said.
“I don’t like sending anything out that I don’t know about the quality. With the waterfowl, we hatch everything we can and sell a few eggs when my incubators are full. The young waterfowl will be sold in the fall. There are a lot of those birds that are great for backyard flocks. There’s nothing wrong with them, they just aren’t what I would call breeder or show quality.”
Josh plans to focus more on the waterfowl side of his operation.
“It’s because of the ease of maintenance, and they like it when it’s muddy,” Josh said with a laugh. “Seven months out of the year, we have a mud farm, and the waterfowl love it. It’s really nice to come outside on those nasty, mucky weeks and months we have, and everyone is out playing in the mud, having a good time.
When everything you have hates the rain and the mud, you fight it. With the waterfowl, they make another mud puddle.”
60 LANDSTAR, Forage, Inoc., Not Coated 8# 2.44
Equivalent to $1.59 coated seed
60 GAINER II MIX, Inoc., Not Coated 8# 2.68
85% Red Clover, 15% Rampart Ladino
50 KENLAND, Inoc., Not Coated 8# 2.68
Equivalent to $1.74 coated seed
50 Hay Thickener,Inoc., Not Coated 10# 2.72
75% Red Clover - 25% Hulled Orchardgrass
60 Hay ‘N Graze Mix, Inoc., Not Coated 10# 2.76
70% Red Clover - 30% Haygrazer Alfalfa
50 MEDIUM RED, Raw 8# 2.32
50 MEDIUM RED, Coated, 65% Pure 12# 1.98
50 LADINO, “JUMBO” Inoc., Not Coated 3# 4.86
Giant Leaf, Equivalent to $3.16 coated seed
50 LADINO - Rampart, 3# 4.34 Inoc., Not Coated
55 BALANSA - Viper, Raw, Annual 3# 2.58
50 WHITE CLOVER - Ivory 2, 3# 3.88
Intermediate, Inoc.
25 WHITE CLOVER - Durana, 5# ASK
Coated, 65% Pure
50 WHITE CLOVER - Nitro, White Dutch 3# 4.78
50 ALSIKE, Raw, Perennial 5# 3.48
50 SWEET CLOVER, Yellow Blossom 12# 3.78
50 ARROWLEAF, Winter Annual 6# 2.62
50 CRIMSON, Winter Annual 15# 2.08
50 BERSEEM CLOVER, Annual 15# 2.18
Spring Plant
50 BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL, 6# 6.26
*Less than Full Bags, add 20¢ per lb.
Cow/Horse
A non-bloating legume, Summer Annual, Spring Plant
50 KOBE/KOREAN, Inoc., Not Coated, Feb. 20# 2.64
50 SERICEA, Scarified 20# 3.96
No Sell to KS, CO, OK
60 COMMON SENSE, 3-Way Blend 20# 3.68
Haygrazer, Cimarron 400 & 500, Inoc., Not Coated
50 HAYGRAZER, Cert., Inoc./Not Coated 20# 3.78
50 CIMARRON VL400, 20# 3.78 Cert., Inoc., Not Coated
50 CIMARRON VL500, 20# 3.78
Cert., Inoc., Not Coated
50 GENUITY, Roundup Ready® 25# 8.62
L442RR Coated
*Less than Full Bags, add 20¢ per lb.
Lb./Acre Bag $
48 GOLIATH OAT, Hay Type/Tall/Later 96# 21.86
48 HAYDEN OAT, Grain 96# 21.84
50 SOYBEANS - LAREDO 50# 44.86
Very Tall Hay Type
50 SOYBEANS 50# 32.90 Roundup Ready® Willcross WXR7878, 3.5’ Tall
50 SOYBEANS, Liberty Link® Willcross 50# 38.90
50 SOYBEANS 50# 48.90
Enlist® E3 Willcross, 2, 4-D, Liberty, Roundup
Bag Lb.
50 SPRING PEA, Little Giant, 1.06 Mix 50# 0.96
TURNIPS, Purple Top 2# 1.68 50 TURNIPS, 7 Top Forage 2# 1.78
RADISH, Daikon 5# 1.78
COWPEAS, Iron & Clay, Inoc., Not Coated 50# 1.38
COLLARDS, Impact Forage 4# 2.48 *Less than Full Bags, add 20¢ per lb.
50 KY-31, Certified & Endophyte-Free 24# 1.84 ONLY $6 PER ACRE DIFFERENCE
50 KY-32, Certified & Endophyte-Free 24# 1.96
50 KY-31, 24# 1.58
50 KY-31 & 9% ORCHARD GRASS MIX, 24# 1.63
50 FAST PASTURE MIX, Cattle/Horse 30-35# 1.96
66% Endophyte-Free KY-31 Fescue, 14% Hulled Orchard Grass, 18% Best-For Plus Ryegrass & 2% Timothy
25 MAX Q II TEXOMA, Friendly Endophyte 24# ASK
25 BAR OPTIMA E34, Friendly Endophyte 24# ASK
25 ESTANCIA, Friendly Endophyte 24# ASK
Add a Legume Add a Legume
50 ARID “DR” 15# 2.68
Disease + Drought Resistant
50 POTOMAC/RED CLOVER MIX, 20# 2.68 75%/25%
50 POTOMAC, Disease Resistant 15# 2.48
50 FAST PASTURE MIX 30-35# 1.96 No Cover Needed, 66% Endophyte-Free KY-31 Fescue, 14% Hulled Orchard Grass, 18% Best-For Plus Ryegrass & 2% Timothy
50 ANDES, Tetraploid Annual Ryegrass 24# 0.78
50 MARSHALL, Annual Ryegrass 24# 0.78 Not a Tetraploid
50 BEST-FOR PLUS, 24# 1.48
Tetraploid Intermediate Ryegrass
50 BROME-SMOOTH, Southern 20# 4.28
“The High Protein Grass.” Sow with Alfalfa!
The historic Landers Theatre is a treasured gem in the heart of the Ozarks. Built on what is now historic Walnut Street in downtown Springfield, Mo., this unique and eclectic theatre offers much more than meets the eye from the beautiful stone façade street-side. Shannon Sherrow, Springfield Little Theatre marketing director, recently explained the history of the most sought-after entertainment venues in the area. The Landers Theatre and the Springfield Little Theatre are different. The Landers Theatre, Shannon explains, refers to the building erected in 1909 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The Springfield Little Theatre is the organization born from Central High School graduates, inspired by their drama teacher who encouraged graduating students to form an acting group and perform community plays. Thus, the
Springfield Little Theatre was born and is thriving in its 88th season.
“The Springfield Little Theatre purchased the Landers Theatre in 1970. The company’s first production in the Landers was The Importance of Being Earnest. Springfield Little Theatre members asked people to donate $1 at the time, and the money was then used to fund the first
production,” Shannon explained. There is nothing little about the Springfield Little Theatre, and it has a rather huge impact on the community. The theatre is a non-profit organization and receives no state funding, and revenue from ticket sales is small. The majority of income derives from local business sponsors and partnerships, as
well as much-appreciated community and individual patron donations.
The actors on stage are all volunteers. Shannon shared many families engage in acting productions as a family-bonding experience. In the Springfield Little Theatre’s current production, Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang, there happens to be a mother/daughter, sister/sister and father/son duo acting on stage together.
For Shannon, the Landers is also a family affair.
“I started volunteering backstage and got my family and children involved. The people who work here are so encouraging and make you feel special, a part of something really big. It is a safe space,” she said.
The theatre welcomes volunteers for a plethora of behind-the-scenes activities, including (but not limited to): ticket taking, technical assistance (under the supervision of Chuck Rogers, technical director), painting, set construction, ushering for the shows or costume design (no sewing experience necessary. They will work with whatever creative skills a volunteer might possess. The sky is the limit when it comes to volunteers, and the Little The-
atre is always open to new ideas and ways of making the theatre experience shine like each well-rehearsed actor on center stage.
Beth Domann is the executive director of the Springfield Little Theatre. Lorianne Dunn is the educational director. These ladies and their respective teams partner to decide which plays will grace the stage.
“There is truly a show for everyone,” Shannon said.
There is a whole process and delicate balance involved in being granted rights to each show, as well as the availability for scheduling actors and enough assistance to make each play come together in a successful production. Musicals run for three weeks, and plays run for two weeks. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is currently showing, with plans for Beauty and the Beast as a near-future production.
Shannon has been involved in the theatre for six years. She never thought becoming the marketing director would be her future. However, she enjoys ev-
ery single minute spent in this magical theatrical space.
She enjoys being backstage as “there is a different and unique energy from the actors behind the curtain, as well as watching the plays from the stairs leading to the second floor and balcony.
“From the stairs, you can feel the emotion and reaction from the audience.
I love the Springfield Little Theatre and Landers because of the feelings it evokes,” Shannon said. “The first time I entered the theatre, the smell hit me, it was in the walls, the smell of possibility. You can feel the history; knowing you are a part of something bigger than you.”
Donors and staff work to stay in line with the rich atmosphere, from the floral carpet gracing the aisles and lobby to the golden gargoyles overlooking the stage and audience seating areas. There are always updates and continual touch ups. The rows are now wider with larger, more comfortable seats, keeping the audience’s comfort at the forefront of the theatre’s agenda.
There are 525 seats in the theatre. The box seats are available to anyone and reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. They offer a unique viewing experience from the sides of the theatre, which enhances a view of the stage wings. The second story is the most popular, as the view encompasses a grander scale than can be seen from the first-floor seats. A third balcony is no longer used for patron seating.
Historically, the balcony was used as the segregated section, underscoring its historical significance, yet coupled with a testament to progressive change evident in the building’s rich history.
In 1909, the Landers Theatre was part of the Orpheum circuit of theaters, showing Vaudeville and “tab” or tabloid shows with a different show each week when it opened, according to Shannon, in addition to the famous Ozarks Jubilee. No old theatre would be complete without a ghost story thrown in.
According to Shannon, there are many ghost stories associated with a
building so full of history and constant action.
The Springfield Little Theatre offers ghost tours in the fall, around Halloween. The tours are wildly popular. The top floor of the theatre was once apartments, where at least two former residents said they heard strange noises, saw puzzling green glows, and even heard whispery voices. More than one volunteer is rumored to have seen a man dressed in period attire who simply vanished through the walls during a rehearsal below the stage.
Whether you wish to volunteer your time at the theatre, indulge in a spooky Halloween ghost tour, revel in the vast history and endless stories the building could tell, or wish to simply find a comfortable seat to enjoy an entertaining live performance, the Landers/Springfield Little Theatre has something to offer to all. And what a treasure that it is located in such an accessible and popular area downtown, surrounded by restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, and eclectic social businesses.
Owner: Peyton Ray
Location: Cassville, Mo.
History: Peyton Ray originally hails from Southcentral Missouri, but has spent the last 12 years serving in the National Guard, both overseas and on the southern border.
Hoping to build a business of his own, he decided to become a farrier and attended Texas Horseshoeing School while still stationed in Texas.
“I came out realizing I didn’t know anything. So, I started calling around to all these horseshoers, so I didn’t get myself in a bind to see if any of them took apprentices,” Peyton said.
“The only one that answered his phone was Blane Chapman who said they were going to the 6666s Ranch and invited me to tag along. After I trimmed two horses of the 50 horses they had for us, Blane suggested that I just pull shoes for a while,” Peyton recalled with a laugh..
He worked under the tutelage of Blane Chapman for five years, while also serving in the National Guard.
Peyton came to Missouri in October to build his business while also working for an asphalt company. He traveled between Texas and Missouri shoeing horses in both states until he felt established in Missouri enough to move his family up a couple months later. Peyton’s wife, Hannah, and 5-year-old daughter, Adeline, officially moved to Missouri in December. Peyton still serves in the National Guard but with less than a year left, he is anxious to stay in Missouri and serve his new customers.
He is hopeful to get Adeline interested in riding horses with some lessons to keep the love of equines all in the family.
Products and Services: Peyton has experience in most disciplines and corrective shoeing, while working for one of the largest ranches in Texas and also at the Brock Veterinary Clinic in Lamesa, Texas.
Now located in Cassville, Mo., Peyton is willing to travel within an hour’s drive to a customer’s location. However, he will travel further if there are several head needing his services. He has set up a Facebook page, Ray’s Farrier Services, to help get his name out.
Philosophy: “My business philosophy comes directly from Ecclesiastes 9:10‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.’
“I’ll always give my best work and conduct a fair and honest business.”
Nestled in Polk County, Mo., is a small, almost forgotten cemetery –“Pickel Cemetery.”
A small tributary near the cemetery, which dates back to the Civic War area, is dubbed Pickle Creek by the owners of the land in which it crosses. When they began looking for a catchy name for their budding registered cattle operation, they looked no further than their farm.
Pickle Creek Beefmasters began about six years ago near Dunnegan, Mo. Marilynn
big butts,” Marilynn said of the Beefmaster breed.
The couple started their endeavor with Beefmaster bulls added to the commercial herd and eventually added a registered heifer. Since then, their registered herd has grown to about 50 primarily red Beefmasters, and the couple is actively involved in six state, regional and national Beefmaster organizations. Both have held or currently hold leadership positions in those organizations.
The six essential traits outlined by breed
Teague and Jimmie Chastain raised Angus and Charolais-influenced cattle for several years, but when Marilynn graduated nursing school, she wanted to reward herself by purchasing registered cattle. Jimmie’s family has been on the Chastain Ranch since 1939, and Pickle Creek Beefmasters is a part of the operation.
“We were at a sale in Springfield, Mo., and decided we liked
founder Tom Lasater — weight, conformation, milk production, fertility, hardiness and disposition — drew the couple to Beefmasters. The breed was developed from Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle.
“We collected cattle from 10 states to start our breeding herd,” Jimmie said. “We aren’t buying $40,000 heifers, but we get some top-of-
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the-line genetics.”
Once they began adding Beefmaster females to their herd, Marilynn said they incorporated an AI program to build their genetic profile. They typically AI heifers and rotate between AI and natural service.
The majority of the Pickle Creek Beefmasters-Chastain Ranch herd is spring calving, with a few stragglers in the fall.
“We like the spring calves because that coincides with the sales,” Jimmie said. “We have spring sales, and those calves need to be a year old for the futurities; it just works out better. Some production sales cater to earlier-than-spring calving, so we bred some this year to see if we can compete in another feed test in Texas. Those had to be January calves, and we usually have February calves.
Angus , Red Angus , Polled Hereford and Heat-Tolerant Bulls
April 6 th — Springfield, MO
“When you enter the feed tests and the yearling futurities, you want them to be as early in the window as you can so they will be bigger. I had a great bull, and it should be the number one bull, but there were two bulls bigger.”
Marilynn explained bulls in feed tests are typically kept on grass for two to three months, then put on feed.
“They look at the daily rate of gain on grass, then on feed, then an overall order is set by a group of judges,” she said.
Bulls raised by Marilynn and Jimmie have competed in three bull sales so far, and they had the top bull at an Arkansas sale last year. The number of bulls in a test or included in a futurity and the number each breeder may enter is determined by each breed association.
This year, Marilynn and Jimmie are also entering heifer futurities.
Participating in feed tests and futurities is a marketing tool, but the couple would rather sell animals directly from the farm.
“We like the competition and seeing how our bulls measure up, but you can’t have 10 number one bulls,” Jimmie said.
Marilynn and Jimmie are selective when evaluating their bulls, and both commercial and registered bulls must meet specific standards, including eye appeal and structure, to remain possible herd sires. Any bull not meeting the criteria is castrated. The couple also scans each animal to obtain a ribeye size and intramuscular fat.
“They have to be tame,” Marilynn added.
“Most of the time, I work them by myself. We start looking at them right before weaning to see how they are growing, how they are developing.”
Marilynn and Jimmie have retained most of their females to build their registered herd. Percentage females or heifers born into their commercial herd are sold as replacement heifers.
“We have sold more heifers this year than we ever have,” Jimmie said. “Right now, we have a Beefmaster bull with the commercial herd. Last spring, I sold my last Charolais bull. I still sell a certain amount of Charolais bulls, and I will probably put a Charolais bull back in with those Charolais cows. If not, we will keep a Beefmaster with them.”
Utilizing a Beefmaster bull on a commercial herd, Marilynn said, produces heavier calves for those looking the terminal market.
Females retained in the Pickle Creek Beefmaster-Chastain Ranch operation, or any females brought in as breeding stock, must meet Marilynn and Jimmie’s high standards.
“They have to have that eye appeal and docility,” Marilynn said. “They have to come from good mommas, and we always pelvic score them. Getting that pelvic measurement has really helped us improve. We also watch birthweights. When a calf hits the ground, you can tell if they are going to be a rock star or a dud. When we go to a sale, I get a catalog, he gets and catalog, and I build a spreadsheet.”
Jimmie said Marilynn looks at numbers and he evaluates the appearance, but they are usually on the same page.
“More times than not, we will come up with the same cows,” Jimmie said. “They might not be in the same order, but our top eight out of 10 will be the same.”
Heifers enter the Pickle Creek-Chastain Ranch breeding program at about 14 to 15 months of age.
“Most Beefmaster breeders want heifers that will calve by the time they are 2,” Marilynn added.
Because they want animals that stick to the six essentials of the Beefmaster breed, Marilynn and Jimmie will not keep a heifer that does not breed on the first breeding cycle, and those animals will not be sold as replacement animals.
Jimmie added that the Lasaters had a phi-
Because of the way our bulls have been bred and developed, they can breed twice as many cows for twice as many years as bulls coming out of other programs.
losophy that any cow that could not raise a calf — be it her fault or the fault of Mother Nature — the cow was culled.
“They are supposed to be disease resistant, really resilient and raise a calve in some of the toughest environments, so if she doesn’t wean a calf, she is gone,” Jimmie said.
In the commercial herd, which is about 110 head, Jimmie said their heifer customers appreciate the quality of the Beefmaster-cross heifers.
“I had a load to go Kansas last week,” he said. “I even have a market for the crossbred bulls.”
Cows receive few inputs, other than minerals, grass and hay, which they produce on the farm or is grown locally. The herds will receive an occasional treat of feed. Marilynn said heavily fed cattle tend to develop feet and fertility issues.
Initially, Marilynn and Jimmie leaned more toward a moderate frame, wide-bodied animal, which is more in line with the foundation breeding of Beefmasters. As the years went on and the breed evolved, a larger-framed Beefmaster developed, and the couple added a little more frame. They do not strictly follow either line but instead found a good mix.
“We want to raise the type of cattle people want,” Jimmie said. “We could chase that bigger frame and only buy those big cows and spend a ton of money feeding them, so we are going to do our thing.”
Calves are weaned at around 205 days and occasionally receive creep feed, usually a lowgrade commodity feed, prior to weaning. As they grow, they remain on a commodity mix. Cattle going to sales or futurities receive a higher-quality show ration the last 30 or 40 days to “slick them up.”
In addition to seedstock, Marilynn and Jimmie have a beef program, selling whole, halves and quarters. They processed close to 30 head last year, but they may reduce that number this year because of feed and processing costs.
Marilynn and Jimmie plan to continue building their registered herd, and maintain their commercial herd, which provides a steady income stream.
“I am really happy about how far we have come and with our cattle, and with Beefmasters,” Marilynn said, adding that they plan to continue to seek out genetic lines that work well for them in the Ozarks.”
Hometown: Bolivar, Mo.
Family: Children, Kiley Ramsey and Blake Ramsey and Blake’s fiancée Jacey Alexander; parents: Frankie and Paula Phillips; brothers Paul Phillips and Brad Phillips (deceased); nieces and nephews, Rileigh and Noah Phillips, and Allen and Cole Phillips.
In Town: Stacey Ramsey recently retired after a 26-year career in the Bolivar, Mo., School District, serving as the district’s children’s services worker.
“I dealt with the child abuse issues, kids not coming to school and connecting families with any kind of assistance they might need,” Stacey explained. After retirement, Stacey began a new career, but she still helps children.
“I work for the state [of Missouri] in the hotline unit,” she said. “When people call to report abuse or neglect, I’m one of the people on the other end of the phone.”
In the Country: Stacey’s family has been involved in the Foxtrotter industry for decades, breeding and showing multiple world title winners.
“We have had our ups and downs, but we have always been at the top of the breed,” Stacey said. “Mom and Dad had Traveling Suzi (the 1982 World Champion). She was the top of the breed, and people still know who she is to this day. She had a son, Stroker Ace, and he was a top producing stud. Paul and I had mares, and his mare was a year older than mine. He would win his class, and I would win my class.
Stacey said the first time she showed was on a pony when she was about 6 or 7, then moved up to the “big horses.”
The walls of the family’s trophy room are filled with garlands, Stacey said.
“We don’t have room to hang anymore up, but anymore that we’ve gotten, we find a place for them,” she said. “I have two containers of garlands just from my mare Snip. Snip was the kind of horse that wanted to win. If there was a crowd of horses to move through, I would shut my eyes and say, ‘Go, Snip.’”
Stacey continues to be involved in the Foxtrotter breed, and her daughter Kiley following in Stacey’s footsteps.
“She loves it,” Stacey said. “I haven’t shown as much because I want her to be successful. Dad can call her and say he needs this done with this horse, or says he needs her to feed and she will do it.”
Thanks to Kiley’s interest in showing, the family has begun adding horses.
“Things had dwindled down, but Kiley want to give it a go,” Stacey said. “She has even gotten Dad interested in riding again.”
Future Plans: Stacey plans to move back to her hometown of Buffalo to be closer to her parents, and the horses.
“I want to be able to work with the horses as much as I can and continue the winning tradition our stock has always had,” she said.
5 Area (Tx-Ok, Ks, Neb, Ia, Colo, Nm, Mn)
Live Basis Sales - Over 80% Choice
Steers: 161.00-167.00; wtd. avg. price 165.03.
Heifers: 163.00-166.00; wtd. avg. price 164.85.
Dressed Basis Sales - Over 80% Choice
Steers: 265.00-268.00; wtd. avg. price 267.42.
Hair Breeds - Choice 1-3 (per cwt): 140.00-230.00.
Hair Breeds - Good 1-2 (per cwt): 155.00.
Hair Ewes - Good 2-3 (per cwt): 140.00.
Hair Ewes - Utility an Good 1-3 (per cwt): 105.00-120.00.
Hair Ewes - Cull and Utility 1-2 (per cwt): 110.00.
Hair Bucks - 1-2 (per cwt): 137.50-165.00.
Replacement Sheep/Lambs:
Ewes - Medium and Large 1-2 (per cwt): 135.00.
Hair Ewes - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 147.50-240.00.
Families - Small and Medium 1-2 w/<20 lbs lamb (per unit): 190.00-345.00.
Feeder Goats:
National Dairy Market 3/3/23
Cheese: Barrels closed at $1.5750 and 40# blocks at $1.9500. The weekly average for barrels is $1.5675 (-0.0050) and blocks, $1.9160 (-0.0215).
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 340.00-435.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 245.00-315.00.
Kids - Selection 3 (per cwt): 207.50-210.00.
Wether Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 370.00.
Slaughter Goats:
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 322.50-405.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 285.00-305.00.
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 130.00-227.00.
Fluid Milk/Cream: Farm level milk yields are mixed after some inclement weather in recent weeks/days throughout the country. Winter storms in areas of the West that are still recovering from heavier than typical rainfalls are adding to the uneven milk output levels from one farm to the next. All said, though, milk is generally plentiful for all Classes in all regions. Bottling orders are variant from one region to the next, as school orders vary. Retail bottling orders are steady. Spot milk availability into cheese production is widely available in the Midwest, as spot prices ranged from $10 to $2.50 under Class III. Condensed skim is and has been widely available for drying, as well. Butter makers are running active churning schedules, as cream multiples are holding at steady, for the most part, from week to week. F.O.B. cream multiples are 1.20-1.27 in the East, 1.14-1.25 in the Midwest, and .95-1.21 in the West. SPOT PRICES OF CLASS II CREAM: $ PER POUND BUTTERFAT, F.O.B., producing plants, Midwestern U.S. - $2.8710 - $2.9906.
Diamond, Mo. • TS White Sheep/Goat 3/2/23
Receipts: 496
Feeder Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Lambs - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 285.00330.00.
Slaughter Sheep/Lambs: Hair Breeds - Choice and Prime 1-3 (per cwt): 245.00-322.50.
Bucks/Billies - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 130.00-240.00.
Wethers - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 185.00.
Wether Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 405.00.
Replacement Goats:
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 165.00-260.00.
Families - Selection 1-2 w/<20 lbs kid (per unit): 190.00270.00.
Receipts: 611
Feeder Sheep/Lambs: Hair Lambs - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 295.00312.00.
Slaughter Sheep/Lambs: Hair Breeds - Choice and Prime 1-3 (per cwt): 222.00-315.00.
Hair Breeds - Choice 1-3 (per cwt): 232.50.
Hair Ewes - Good 2-3 (per cwt): 120.00-134.98.
Hair Ewes - Utility and Good 1-3 (per cwt): 90.00-119.00.
Hair Bucks - 1-2 (per cwt): 100.00-141.00.
Replacement Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Ewes - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 218.00.
Families - Small and Medium 1-2 w/<20 lbs lamb (per unit): 235.00.
Feeder Goats:
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 322.00-397.50.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 242.50-325.00.
Kids - Selection 3 (per cwt): 150.00.
Slaughter Goats:
Norwood, Mo. • Producers Auction Yards Sheep/Goat 2/25/23
Receipts: 1,526
Feeder Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Lambs - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 277.50340.00.
Slaughter Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Breeds - Choice and Prime 1-3 (per cwt): 237.50-330.00.
Hair Breeds - Choice 1-3 (per cwt): 267.50.
Ewes - Utility and Good 1-3 (per cwt): 100.00.
Hair Ewes - Good 2-3 (per unit): 145.00.
Hair Ewes - Utility and Good 1-3 (per cwt): 100.00-120.00.
Hair Ewes - Utility and Good 1-3 (per unit): 95.00-145.00.
Hair Ewes - Cull and Utility 1-2 (per cwt): 80.00.
Hair Ewes - Cull and Utility 1-2 (per unit): 65.00-100.00.
Hair Bucks - 1-2 (per cwt): 100.00-125.00.
Replacement Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Ewes - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 135.00.
Hair Ewes - Small and Medium 1-2 (per unit): 155.00-210.00.
Families - Small and Medium 1-2 w/<20 lbs lamb (per unit): 130.00-360.00.
Families - Small and Medium 1-2 w/20-40 lbs lamb (per unit): 160.00-405.00.
Feeder Goats:
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 317.50-400.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 270.00-310.00.
Kids - Selection 3 (per
1,567
1-3 Higher
Selection 1 (per cwt): 310.00-495.00. Selection 2 (per cwt): 210.00-282.50.
Selection 3 (per cwt): 140.00-180.00.
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 112.00-137.50.
Bucks/Billies - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 140.00-222.50. Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 150.00.
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 332.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 225.00-272.50.
1,526
Sheep/Lambs:
Lambs - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 277.50-
Sheep/Lambs: Breeds - Choice and Prime 1-3 (per cwt): 237.50-330.00.
Breeds - Choice 1-3 (per cwt): 267.50.
Utility and Good 1-3 (per cwt): 100.00.
Good 2-3 (per unit): 145.00.
Utility and Good 1-3 (per cwt): 100.00-120.00.
Utility and Good 1-3 (per unit): 95.00-145.00.
Cull and Utility 1-2 (per cwt): 80.00.
Cull and Utility 1-2 (per unit): 65.00-100.00.
- 1-2 (per cwt): 100.00-125.00.
Replacement Sheep/Lambs:
Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 135.00.
Small and Medium 1-2 (per unit): 155.00-210.00.
Small and Medium 1-2 w/<20 lbs lamb (per unit): 130.00-360.00.
Small and Medium 1-2 w/20-40 lbs lamb (per unit):
160.00-405.00.
National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report 3/3/23
Receipts This Week: 91,065
Early weaned pigs are 4.00 per head lower, and feeder pigs are steady. Demand is good on moderate offerings.
Volume By State Or Province Of Origin: Missouri 5.4%
Total Composite Weighted Average Receipts and Price (Formula and Cash):
All Early Weaned Pigs: 83,590 head, wtd. avg. 55.82.
All Feeder Pigs: 7,475 head, wtd. avg. 86.89.
Barrows and Gilts Purchased Swine (including Packer Sold)
National Head Count: 6,474
National Price Range: 74.00-79.00.
Western Cornbelt Wtd Avg Price: 78.46.
Western Cornbelt 5 Day Rolling Avg: 79.20.
Goats:
Selection 1 (per cwt): 317.50-400.00.
Selection 2 (per cwt): 270.00-310.00.
Selection 3 (per cwt): 132.50.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 300.00.
Goats: Selection 1 (per cwt): 330.00-440.00. Selection 2 (per cwt): 257.50-320.00.
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 225.00-295.00.
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per unit): 180.00.
Nannies/Does - Selection 2-3 (per cwt): 100.00.
Bucks/Billies - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 210.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 282.50.
Replacement Goats:
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per unit): 220.00-260.00. Selection 1-2 w/<20 lbs kid (per unit): 260.00-
There is an old saying that rain makes grass and if that is true the state should be lush and very green soon. The latest drought monitor shows only 4 percent of the state in any state of dryness. A huge improvement from the start of the calendar year when over 63 percent was showing. With the arrival of March many producers will be thinking about spreading fertilizer in the coming weeks. Although still high prices have declined significantly from last year with most ingredients 11 to 25 percent lower than a year ago. The supply of hay is light, demand is moderate and prices are steady. The Missouri Department of Agriculture has a hay directory visit http://mda.mo.gov/abd/haydirectory/ for listings of hay http://agebb.missouri.edu/haylst/
Alfalfa - Supreme (Ask/Per Ton): Medium Square 3x3: 250.00-300.00.
Alfalfa - Supreme (Ask/Per Bale): Small Square: 10.0015.00.
Alfalfa - Premium (Ask/Per Ton): Medium Square 3x3: 180.00-250.00.
Alfalfa - Good (Ask/Per Ton): Large Round: 150.00180.00.
Alfalfa - Good (Ask/Per Bale): Small Square: 5.00-9.00.
Alfalfa - Fair (Ask/Per Ton): Large Round: 125.00150.00.
Alfalfa/Grass Mix - Good/Premium (Ask/Per Bale): Small Square: 5.00-9.00.
Mixed Grass - Good/Premium (Ask/Per Ton): Large Round: 125.00-175.00.
Mixed Grass - Fair/Good (Ask/Per Ton): Large Round: 100.00-150.00.
Mixed Grass - Fair/Good (Ask/Per Bale): Small Square: 5.00-8.00.
Mixed Grass - Fair (Ask/Per Bale): Large Round: 50.00100.00.
Corn Stalk (Ask/Per Bale): Round: 35.00-55.00.
Straw: Wheat (Ask/Per Bale): Small Square: 4.00-7.00.
Wyatt Cox is just 20 years old, but he has known since he was a young boy that his destiny was to follow in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, grandfather, father and uncle. Wyatt wanted to be a farmer.
“I’ve been farming pretty much since I could walk,” Wyatt said “Grandpa had me picking up sticks and rocks in the fields. Farming has just been my life. I guess I was kind of born into it. Having the upbringing I did, I don’t think I will ever find myself out of the ag industry.
“I enjoy it. It’s something new every day. An office worker sees that office every day, but as a farmer, you see the crops planted, or the calf being born. You get to watch the calf grow. You go out and fertilize your crop and watch it grow. You get to see things from start to finish. When you harvest your crop, you think, ‘I did that.’ The satisfaction in that keeps you going.”
The family farming operation – which also includes Wyatt’s grandfather Alan, father Brian, uncle Mark – raised cattle at one time, but today all land is used for crops.
“The cattle weren’t making us very much money. Now, we grow corn, soybeans and wheat,” Wyatt explained. “We used to grind our own crops to feed the cattle, so it was kind of full circle.” The family has about 10,000 acres of owned and leased farmland near Butler, Mo.
Spring is a busy time for the family as they prepare fields for planting and put their crops in. Corn, typically, is planted before soybeans. Winter wheat then follows soybeans.
“We get along better planting wheat after beans, not on corn stubble,” Wyatt said. “As soon as we get beans out in November, we put in the wheat.”
The family works to be good swards of the land, following
conservation practices, and carefully monitoring soil health.
“We want to do the best we can with what Mother Nature intents for us,” Wyatt said. “In the Bible, it says to prepare your fields; sometimes they provide, sometimes they don’t.”
Poultry litter is utilized to improve soil fertilization and organic matter.
“Then we will hit it with anhydrous,” Wyatt explained. “We want fields to be like gardens. Before planting, we come in with a field cultivator and packer to get the ground ready to plant and to get the seeds at the same depth. We take pride in keeping our land up, building waterways and terraces, doing everything we can to get the best outcome.”
The family utilizes wells and two lakes to irrigate their crops.
In 2022, Wyatt received the Missouri FFA Association Diversified Crop Production Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award. To earn the award, Wyatt followed the practices outlined by his grandfather, father and uncle on more than 340 acres of land he rented to raise corn and soybeans.
“I worked with my family on a labor exchange for using equipment for my land,” Wyatt explained. “I couldn’t have done it without working with my family and what I learned from my family. Anything we normally did got applied to those fields, like terraces and waterway work. Planting season was the same, and it worked out just fine.”
Wyatt’s younger brother, Eli, is still in high school but is also active on the farm. The brothers are also planning their own farming operation.
“We have put together a little LLC, and hopefully, we will be buying our own land after he gets out of school,” Wyatt said. “We want to branch out a little. My grandpa’s
brother branched out into the cattle business just up the road, but I think Eli and I will build on what we have with the row crops. Grandpa is getting a little older and doesn’t want to do as much anymore, so I think me being here has helped take a little weight off of him, my dad and my uncle. When Eli gets out of school, it will be even more weight off. I think we will end up taking it over one day. We are fortunate to have what we have and to have them as good teachers; they are good people to follow.
“If I hadn’t grown up this way, I might not have been a farmer, but I would have still been involved in farming, like working at the co-op or being a custom applicator. If it weren’t for my family, it would be very difficult to get started in farming; I’m very blessed. Things have not been handed to me because I put in the hours, but the hours I’ve put in can’t even compare to what I would have had to put in to get to where we are today on my own.”
In high school, Wyatt was active in sports and other activities, but the family farm always took priority.
“At my school, people were kind of oblivious to anything that goes on out in the cropping world,” he said. “People
would ask why I wasn’t at the football game. I would tell them the corn has to come out when the corn has to come out; that’s how we make our living.”
Wyatt has no regrets about those missed football games because he was gaining the knowledge and work ethic to carry him throughout his life.
“I think everyone should work on a farm for two or three years,” he said. “You learn everything from simple plumbing to carpentry. We had some guys show up just out of high school looking for jobs, and they didn’t even know how to change the grease in a grease gun or operate a drill. These are just a few things you should learn, and I learned them on the farm.”
While it is years down the road, Wyatt hopes there will one day be a fifth-generation tending the land and crops of his family’s farm.
“When I was 13, 14 years old, my dad told me he loved me and loved the farm, but he wanted to make sure I was doing what I wanted to do, and if that wasn’t here, then so be it,” Wyatt recalled. “I believe I will have that same mindset when I have a family. I hope they would like to continue, but I will be supportive. I suppose we will have to wait and see.”
Boyce-Dill Cattle began with Limousin and added Angus
Boyce-Dill Cattle incorporates two generations.
Pictured, from left, are Jackson Dill, Ellie Dill, Brody Meadows and Brent Boyce.
Boyce-Dill Cattle is a family-run operation in Webster County, near Marshfield, Mo. Brent Boyce operates the farm. His sister, Lisa, and her husband, Jake Dill, and their family work together and show cattle.
Brent has 70 females. He said about a third of the herd is Limousin, a third is Angus, and a third is commercial, which is used for recips.
Brent’s involvement in the cattle industry began more than 40 years ago.
“I was 10 years old when I bought my first registered heifer. It was a Limousin heifer,” Brent said. He started showing cattle when he was 14.
“Most of our cattle are Lim-Flex, which is Angus/Limousin cross. It’s a registered breed, and [animals have] to be out of a registered Limousin and registered Angus to qualify as Lim-Flex,” Brent explained.
The venture into Lim-Flex began for Brent began before it was recognized as a breed.
“We bought an Angus bull and started using our Angus bull on some of our heavier, Limousin-influenced commercial cows.
We really liked the results,” he said. “Then we would AI our full-blood cows and use an Angus bull for clean-up. At that time, we registered those cattle as half-bloods. So we had a head start before they made it its own breed.”
The registered side of Brent’s cattle operation may goes back to that first registered heifer, but he had a little prior experience with Limousin.
“We bought a commercial heifer from my uncle, and she out-performed everything. She was half Limousin and she out-performed the cattle we had. A couple of years later, we bought our first registered heifer,” Brent said, estimating that was back in 1982.
The addition of Angus to the cattle operation came several years later.
“Probably 20-plus years ago, we got our first Angus cow, so we raised registered Angus and registered Limousin,” Brent added.
A visit to Brent Boyce’s farm on a Monday might find his nephews, Jackson Dill and Brody
Meadows, and niece, Ellie Dill. The younger generation spends time with their uncle and helps out on the farm. Jackson, 17, and Ellie, 14, are Jack and Lisa’s children. Eleven-year-old Brody is the son of Brent’s other sister, Julie.
Jackson is a senior in high school, and Brent said the teen helps with breeding decisions.
“It’s good to have him to bounce stuff off of,” Brent said. “We AI. We do embryo transplant. We do both conventional and IVF. We try to breed strengths to weaknesses on our cattle. We like moderate, easy-fleshing, efficient, low-input cattle that are good maternally. Cattle that milk, with good udder and teat placement; that’s what we focus on and we don’t chase one particular trait. We use EPDs as far as making breeding decisions,” Brent explained.
Brent likes for his cattle to calve in March and April, and then in September, October and November.
“I actually like the fall calving cows the best,” Brent said.
“It just works out better for my schedule. It’s easier to get them bred back in December and January. You’re not fighting the heat.”
Brent’s cattle operation has changed over the last decade. Jackson said Brent is flushing cows and doing a lot more embryo transfers.
“In the last 10 years, we’ve raised more embryo calves than we did,” Brent agreed.
Jackson has also seen people changing what they want in their cattle.
“They want more body, volume as far as feed efficiency,” he said.
Brent stated when he was a kid, people wanted big-framed cattle, which has also changed.
“The big cattle always won,” he said. “Nowadays, the more moderate, big-bellied, easy-fleshing kind of cattle are preferred. It’s completely changed from the time I started.”
Ellie is the family’s showman.
“We go to [the Missouri Cattleman’s Association All-Breed Junior Show] in Sedalia, the Ozark Empire Fair and junior nationals. Last year, we went to Texas. We’ve been to Nebraska, Colorado, Louisiana and South Dakota,” Ellie said, adding that showing is not easy. “You have to be willing to put in the work. It’s going to take a lot of time, but it will be worth it,”
She also shows at the Missouri State Fair and the Tulsa State Fair. Ellie is the one who shows, but they all work together .
“We plan our vacations around it,’ Brent said.
Jackson, who has about 20 head of his own cattle, is looking at the show ring himself, just a little differently.
“I would like to be able to sell more show heifers to juniors and younger kids, or just sell more heifers in general; increase the volume,” Jackson said.
Boyce-Dill Cattle is a cow/calf operation and they also sell bulls and replacement heifers.
“A lot of our Angus bulls go to Gilbert Cattle Company. They purchase our bull calves at weaning. On our Limousin bulls, we do a cyber-Monday online sale where we market them and market some females,’ Brent said.
STOCKTON - STOCKTON - Hwy B, 153 Ac. This beautiful 153 ac. Has it all! Bottom ground, scattered woods and upground w/nice highway frontage, some sites, cattle-tights fence, Cedar Creek flowing through entire property. Don’t miss! ..................................... $688,500
BRIGHTON - BRIGHTON - 3 to 6 Acre residential lots, paved roads, underground electric ...................... ............................... STARTING AT $40,000
EVERTON - 130 Ac. Dade 117. 1.4 miles of road frontage on three sides, open, fences, well, pond, pipe corals, great views. $715,000
LOCKWOOD - LOCKWOOD - 160 Ac CR 41. Open and level pasture ground just north of Lockwood, fenced, rural water. $720,000
SQUIRES - CR 955, 264 Ac., Beautiful farm situated in a valley south of Ava, 3 BR home, shop, garage, equipment shed, livestock barn, ponds, creek. Don’t miss this one! $750,000
LOCKWOOD - LOCKWOOD - 138 Ac CR 72. Road frontage on 2 sides, mostly all tillable .............. $759,000
MILLER - MILLER - 120 Ac. Hwy 97, Nice open farm, tillable acres, nice livestock barns, home, great location .................................... $785,000
MT. VERNON - MT. VERNON - 40 Ac., Law. 2160, Nice and open 40 ares with good grass Southwest of Mt. Vernon, great building sites. .......... $239,500
AURORA - AURORA - Lawrence 1200 1+/- acre Quaint 3 BR/2 BA home located South of Mt. Vernon. Large 2-car garage, outbuilding, beautiful setting. Views overlooking Honey Creek. .......... $275,000
EVERTON - EVERTON - 45 Ac. Dade 177. Great panoramic views, mostly open, scattered trees, pond, road frontage on 2 sides................ $292,500
FORDLAND - FORDLAND - Stewerd Drive, 25.5 Ac., Beautiful land w/great open views, multi. building sites, open, good fencing. ..................... $306,240
BOIS D’ARC - BOIS D’ARC - Farm Road 144, 37 Ac., Convenient to Springfield, beautiful rolling ground & mostly open property, great building sites ..... $325,000
EVERTON - EVERTON - 80 Ac. Dade 77. Mostly open, scattered walnuts, fenced, gently rolling. .......... .............................................. $440,000
STOCKTON - STOCKTON - Hwy M, 78 Ac., Nice balance of open/wooded ground, 3 BR home with w/o basement, 24x36 morton barn, horse barn, equip. shed, good fencing. ............ $485,000
SOLD SOLD
SOLD
FORDLAND - FORDLAND -155 Ac., Tall Grass Rd., Nice open farm, tillable ground, shop, commodity barn, feed pens, pipe corrals .................. $995,000
EVERTON - 186 Ac. Dade 184. Fenced and crossfenced, well, several ponds, barn, shed, one mile of road frontage. Very Nice! .... $1,018,350
WENTWORTH - WENTWORTH - Law. 2145, 37 Ac., Located just off I-44, 2 - 50x60 tunnel barns, 2 - 42x30 ft. conventional turkey barns, 2 BR home, 60x100 red iron equipment barn ............... $1,200,000
MOUNTAIN GROVE - MOUNTAIN GROVE - 140 Ac. CR 76-149, Beautiful property lying South of Mountain Grove, 6,350 sq. ft. home is exquisite custom built w/ imported cypress, 40x60 insulated shop, 2 BR cabin, too much to list............... $1,750,000
MT. VERNON - MT. VERNON - 445 Ac., Law. 2170, Great cattle ranch w/mostly open & some tillable ground, new fences, red iron barn, 3 wells .. $2,500,000
EVERTON - EVERTON - 522 Ac., Dade 184, all contiguous w/road frontage throughout, great open pasture w/views all around, 14 ponds, 2 barns, pipe/corral, really nice ............. $2,583,900
Special
DADEVILLE - DADEVILLE - 61 Ac. Dade 16, Great farm very close to Stockton Lake, nice home, 30x40, shop, 2 barns, great fencing & ponds, adjoining government land. ................... $525,000
BOLIVAR - BOLIVAR - 325th Road, 202 Ac., This 202 +/- acre property is located north of Bolivar & adjacent to Pomme de Terre Lake, great hunting, livestock or recreation ground... $649,000
SOLD SOLD SOLD
FORDLAND - FORDLAND - 80 Ac., Greenhill Rd., Nice 4 BR, 3 BA walkout basement home, 40x60 shop, horse/hay barn, feeding traps & concrete line bunks, close to Hwy 60 ................. $695,000
UNDER CONTRACT SOLD SOLD SOLD Dairy Sale
Special
THEODOSIA - THEODOSIA - Wallace Ranch Rd., 638 Ac., Beautiful open and productive farm, live water, multi. springs, pipe corral, multi. barns, new 50x60 insulated shop, 3 BR w/o basement home, paved drive, really nice
$3,000,000
GAINESVILLE - GAINESVILLE - 1,753 Ac. Hwy N, Great grass farm setup & ready to go, 750 Ac. open, 1,000 Ac. timber, 4 BR home, commodity barn, equipment & livestock barns, great water & fencing
$4,999,000
SOLD
$7,888,200
NORWOOD - NORWOOD - 2,590 Ac. Hwy 76 CR 137, Exceptional cattle ranch in heart of cow/calf country, mostly open w/fence, 3 acres of bottom ground, many buildings, 30 plus ponds & pipe water, 2 nice homes, too much to list .... ...........................................
tomkisseerealestate.com 417.882.5531
Age: 16
Hometown: Fordland, Mo.
Parents: Jared and Brittany Raybuck
Sibling: Kyndal Raybuck
FFA Chapter: Fordland FFA
Advisor: Clayton Tunnell and Melissa Porter
What is your involvement in agriculture?
“I am in the poultry business. I have Cochin, Polish, Rhode Island Red and Production Red. I have hens and I sell their eggs, and some hatching eggs.”
What is your favorite part of being involved in agriculture/ living on a farm?
“I like to see how everything grows. Being involved in agriculture makes me happy.”
What are your future plans? Do they involve agriculture in some way?
“I want to be in the Air Force, then after that I want to go into the ranching business in Minnesota.”
What is the best advice about agriculture you have received from an adult?
“Don’t give up on projects; just keep pushing.”
award
In my line of work, I have the unfortunate job to deal with the passing of someone’s spouse, parent or sibling. I see in these moments of grief I know how, if the details aren’t thought of ahead of time, the pain can be compounded with the frustration of trying to navigate through the messiness of financial matters not thought of ahead of time.
Recently, a friend died, her husband not only has to deal with the grief of losing his spouse, but also with all the details of their financial life.
It soon became evident that he did not know the details of their finances (he didn’t even know the password to the checking account).
Because of this, I thought I would take the time to share what I advise my clients to do regarding the preparation of what is inevitable.
Brad Pistole of Ozark, Mo., is farmer and a Certified Financial Fiduciary®, Certified Annuity Specialist®, and CEO of Trinity Insurance & Financial Services, INC.
I advise my clients to keep a list of all their accounts (checking, savings, CD, annuities, life, mutual funds, etc.) in their Safe Documents folder. In it along with names and phone numbers of their advisors for each of those accounts. For the checking, savings, CD’s, etc., those accounts should have a POD (Payable On Death), as well as having their passwords for those accounts given to someone they trust.
Why give the password to someone they trust? What happens if the mortgage needs to be paid and yet the death certificate is not available yet?
Even though the account may have the POD, until the death certificate is produced, only those on the account has authority to access the accounts to take care of any necessities.
When it comes to a spouse having to deal with the financial decisions; the grief can cloud their choices, and that is why having a plan written out and discussed with the family and the advisor can take away one less decision to make, since it has already been made.
This is especially true when it comes to planning the funeral.
All the proper planning in the world will not be beneficial if the information cannot be found during the crucial days and weeks following the loss of a loved one, or not having a written-out plan and discussed with an unbiased advisor and attorney to help carry out those wishes.
While the topic is maybe challenging to discuss, it is essential.
Folder:
1 - Will: If the deceased had a will, it outlines how their assets will be distributed and who will be in charge of carrying out their wishes.
2 -Trust documents: If the deceased had a trust, the trust document outlines how assets will be distributed and who will manage the trust.
3 - Life insurance policy: The policy outlines the benefits and who the beneficiaries are.
4 - Marriage certificate: If the deceased was married, the marriage certificate may be needed to prove their relationship with their spouse.
5 - Social Security card: The Social Security Administration will need to be notified of the death, and the deceased’s Social Security number will need to be included on certain forms.
6 - Military discharge papers: If the deceased served in the military, their discharge papers may Being prepared is smart planning.
Making farming a little easier
In the Ozarks, tall fescue thrives as a hardy, insect resistant and drought tolerant grass. However, the type of tall fescue pervasive in many pastures, Kentucky-31, creates toxins that negatively affect some aspects of livestock production. “Kentucky-31, produces toxins that impact livestock production which includes reduced conception rates, milk production, and weaning weights, as well as others,” Sarah Kenyon, PhD, field specialist in agronomy with the University of Missouri, said.
Replacement Options: Producers looking to replace Kentucky 31 tall fescue may choose to plant a novel endophyte tall fescue. “Novel tall fescue, sometimes called ‘friendly,’ contains an endophyte but the endophyte does not produce the toxins resulting in livestock impact,” Kenyon explained.
Additionally, producers may choose to plant an endophyte free tall fescue that contains no toxins, but it is more susceptible to insect infestation, overgrazing and heat. Both the novel endophyte and the
what do you say?
What is a task you perform on your farm to prepare for spring?
endophyte free cultivars have a similar growth cycle as Kentucky 31. Another replacement option is native warm-season grasses. These varieties typically produce the most forage in June, July and August. The warm-season grasses generally require less fertility compared to cool season grasses. “The native warm season grasses need less nitrogen and, in some cases, less phosphorus and potassium as well because they are deeper rooted and pull up mineral from deeper in the soil profile,” Gene Schmitz, specialist in livestock with the University of Missouri Extension, said. “They also pull up more moisture from deeper in the soil profile.” Schmitz added the native warm season grasses can be very productive and good for grazing and haying.
Advantages: One advantage to renovating pastures is eliminating the potential health risks and negative impacts to livestock that exist with toxin producing fescue. “Research has demonstrated that having 25 percent of the total grazing acres in novel tall fescue can help to al-
“We brush hog in the fall, so in the spring we spray for thistles and other damaging weeds. We also check water all of our water gaps.”
Gerrie Moore Taney County, Mo.
leviate the impacts of fescue toxicosis,” Kenyon stated. “This research is important because it means that farmers do not need to convert all of their tall fescue, but having a portion of their acres, managed correctly, could have a big impact on their overall production.”
Secondly, replacing Kentucky 31 with a forage like a native warm season grass, can enhance several aspects of herd performance. “The advantages are improved animal performance, improved reproduction, gains on stocker cattle, improved breeding rates, improved calf gains and improved stocker gains,” Schmitz, explained.
Additionally, warm season grasses produce additional forage during the hottest time of the year. “Having 15 to 30 percent of the total grazing acres in warm season forages can increase forage yield in the summer months,” Kenyon explained. “Cool-season grasses, like tall fescue, orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, etc. reduce their growth in the summer months. Warm-season grasses have different cell structure that allows them to be most productive in hot temperatures.”
Disadvantages: But there are disadvantages. Tall fescue can be hard to kill. And even after efforts to eradicate the toxic tall fescue it can invade renovated stands. In addition, some fields may simply not be conducive to renovation. The fields may be too steep, the soil too rocky, and terrain unsuitable for other grasses to be planted.
Moreover, the process takes time. During the time of eradication, replanting
“We clip the pastures to hopefully get better grass growing, and try to put on a little fertilizer.”
Charles Todd Greene County, Mo.and growth producers will incur a loss of productivity on those acres. Also, some of the replacement grasses may not be as hardy and drought tolerant as Kentucky 31 tall fescue.
Steps of the Process: There are a variety of ways to eradicate endophyte infected fescue. Extension specialists recommend spraying the infected field with an effective herbicide, seeding a smother crop, and planting a new forage. Then wait for the new forage to grow and produce a full stand.
Other important renovation measures to consider whether producers reseed with a native warm-season grass or a novel endophyte tall fescue variety. First, conduct a soil test and utilize the information to correct soil nutrient deficiencies. Next, institute a weed control plan, both before and after seeding a new forage. “These steps will help with the success of the renovation process and with future productivity of the new forage stands,” Schmitz explained.
Lastly, follow recommended harvest management practices for the renovated acres. Overgrazing or cutting forage plants too short will weaken and shorten the lifespan of the new stands.
Stages of Implementation: When undertaking the task of renovating pastures, implement the transformation in stages to battle loss of productivity and mitigate risk. For example, if a producer wants to renovate 40 acres, then spread the process out over four years transforming 10 acres each year.
“The first thing we do is prepare tags for spring calves. We get them numbered and ready to go.”
“We rearrange pigs to get them into new pens, clean up from winter, and rearrange the trailer to get ready for markets.”
As the season edges closer to spring, the time spent feeding winter hay will come to an end. But as spring arrives, the remnants of cold weather hay feeding litter pastures. Now is the time for producers to make plans to clean up those old hay feeding sites and use the cleared-out space for new forages.
When left unkempt through the spring and into the summer months, hay feeding sites from the previous winter may evolve into weedy messes. According to agronomy specialists, the win-ter hay feeding spots are some of the most fertile spots in the entire field because of the added manure. However, with no permanent grass at the old hay feeding site, weeds can take ad-vantage of the open ground and fertility and then establish a foothold. Clearing the areas of the manure and uneaten hay, provides insight for management strate-gies for next winter’s hay feeding season. “Farmers should use this review of their pasture damage to evaluate how to best feed hay in the future,” Tim Schnakenberg, field specialist in agronomy at the University of Missouri Extension, said.
According to Schnakenberg, forcing cattle to clean up hay before adding more hay to bale rings, is something that can help overcome the problem of damaged pastures. In addition, producers should move the bale rings to a new location before feeding more hay. This strategy will ensure there are less problems in the spring. A similar practice should be followed when unrolling hay in a field. “It’s very important to limit the amount that is unrolled, so that there is no more than a day’s allocation of hay. Don’t add more hay to the field until all is cleaned up,” Schnakenberg explained. “We find that this makes a huge difference on improving strategies for keeping hay waste to a minimum.”
When not properly managed, problems can manifest at winter hay feeding sites. If the bale rings are never or rarely moved, then some feeding areas may become so full of manure that there are mounds of it left behind. This management practice creates a significant concern for efficient hay feeding. Additionally, when the bale rings stay in the same area manure is not properly distributed around the field and damage can be excessive on the feeding areas.
There are ways to clean up feeding areas and make them productive again, but in all cases, it can become labor intensive. According to agronomy specialists, in areas where excessive rotting hay is still there, there may be a need to burn those sites to expose the soil for forage growth again. Research indicates there are ways to utilize the hay feeding areas as ground for new forage. “Dr. Greg Halich with the University of Kentucky has been studying spaced bale feeding for years, using carefully planned bale ring spacing around fields,” Schnakenberg said. “In his research, he has found that the aftermath of a feeding area can turn into the most productive sites in the field the following year.”
Producers can take advantage of the bare soil and excessive fertility left behind by hand seeding the areas with forage seed in late winter before the weeds get a foothold. Forage specialists suggest some of the best forages for these sites include clovers, annual ryegrass and, in some cases, orchardgrass.
Adding annual lespedeza and/or forage crabgrass will also benefit those sites in the summer months. “Compared to the standard fescue pasture in the surrounding are-as, these sites turn into cattle candy for cows when they first enter a paddock,” Schnakenberg explained.
By Leah Greene
Pecking and cannibalism among chicken and turkey flocks could be an expensive problem for farmers without the correct preventative measures. Birds with high stress and fear levels, dam-aged feathers and skin increase economic costs and reduce production efficiency.
In the Merck Veterinary Manual, Dr. Fredric J. Hoer said crowding, light intensity and poor nutrition are reasons why pecking and cannibalism occurs. Feed management, light management and environmental enrichment could reduce and prevent this issue.
According to Phillip J. Clauer, Virginia Cooperative Extension poultry specialist, due to the numerous reasons for cannibalism outbreaks, it is very important that cannibalism control be a part of every producer’s management program.
“If a chicken should sustain a penetrating wound through the skin, where there is some bleeding, other chickens in the flock will gather around and incessantly peck at the would until it becomes larger and larger to the point of death,” said Terry Conger, veterinary medical officer of Benton and Washington counties in Arkansas.
Poultry producers must consider the pecking order when managing flocks. Stronger, more aggressive birds will start pecking at the weaker or injured birds.
Cannibalism is essentially impossible to stop once it has started.
Low fiber diets, lack of protein and other nutrients may cause the birds to start pecking. For smaller flocks, feeding large handfuls of fresh greens, like clover grass or weeds could help keep birds busy. For larger producers, finding feeds with higher fiber percentages will keep them more content.
The absence of feed and water could also cause birds to compete for their food,
making them more aggressive toward each other. Ensuring that the birds have free access to water and food at all times is important according to Clauer.
“Photoperiod is extremely important for layers as it stimulates growth, development and re-productions, and thus, egg production,” said Weimer. “Light type, intensity and wavelength also affect bird productivity and welfare.”
Using 15-to-25-watt lights and avoiding excessively long periods of light will decrease the likelihood of harmful pecking. Weimer added proper facility management and enriching environments keep birds content and busy, ensuring less aggression.
Environment is detrimental to the wellbeing and productivity of poultry flocks. Producers must maintain proper stocking density, equipment, diet formulation, water quality, litter quality, biosecurity and air quality, according to Wiemer.
Another method to prevent pecking and cannibalism is beak trimming. Trimming the tip of the beak provides a square tip, making the risk for injuries less likely. This process must be done when the chick is 10 days old or younger.
“If the pointed end of the beak is blunt, [pecking and cannibalism] won’t happen,” Conger said.
If a producer observes pecking and cannibalism, it is important to separate the weaker or injured birds. Applying anti-pecking ointment to wounds could also help prevent further damage.
Pecking and cannibalism in poultry flocks could be a costly welfare issue that can be avoided if proper management practices are used.
“Don’t take chances,” said Clauer. “Make cannibalism control a part of your management program and you will save a great deal of time and money.”
‘Tis the season for adorable, fluffy chicks to be for sale at farm supply stores. The current price of eggs makes the thought of caring for a small flock even more appealing to many folks. However, there are some things to keep in mind before taking the leap into raising chickens.
PATIENCE: Though most aspects of farming require patience, poultry experts say some people are surprised how long they must wait for their chicks to mature and lay eggs. “A lot of people get chicks in the spring, and they get halfway through the summer, and they say, ‘Why are these chicks not laying eggs, they look so big?’ It’s because they are still not old enough,” Tatijana Fisher, PhD, Missouri poultry specialist and Lincoln University assistant professor, said. Most chickens are 5 or 6 months old before they start to lay eggs.
CONSIDERATIONS: First, it is important to plan for the chicks care from the time they are little through maturity. “They are a live animal, and they require care 365 days out of the year,” Fisher explained. “You have to have a plan; for example, if you have to go on vacation. Don’t underestimate that they are a living animal that needs care.”
In addition, checking local ordinances, HOA requirements, and county codes to make sure chickens are allowed is an important step. This is particularly true for people living within city limits or in a neighbor with a HOA association.
ENS: Another consideration is the vast number of predators. “Everything in the world loves to eat chickens – everything,” Fisher said. Foxes, skunks, raccoons, opossums, dogs, coyotes, snakes, and that’s just to name a few. Additionally, free ranging
chickens are vulnerable to aerial predators such as hawks. Poultry specialists recommend designing and building a coop that will protect the birds during the day and especially at night.
PLAN AHEAD: The cute fuzzy chicks can pull at the heart strings, but poultry specialists reiterate the importance of thinking through the decision prior to purchasing chicks. “I do recommend that people plan and not impulse buy chicks,” Fisher shared. “I always recommend planning ahead because they grow up faster than you think.”
The plan should include determining where the chicks are going to be housed in the short-term and long-term. The chicks become very dusty if they are kept inside for a long period of time. It’s important to plan and build a coop, so it’s ready when the chicks are big enough to transition to a coop.
PURCHASING CHICKS: There are a lot of heritage breeds that will work well in backyard flocks such as Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks and Orpingtons. There is no need to stick with just one breed, owning several breeds has its advantages. “When you have them from different breeds it is easier to tell when something is wrong and keep track of it, than if they are all the same,” Dr. Fisher added.
If raising laying hens is the goal, make sure to purchase female chicks or pullets (young female chicks). Though buying a straight run may be less expensive, the chicks are picked up exactly as they hatch. Therefore, a straight run typically contains 50 percent hens and 50 percent roosters. Hens do not need a rooster to lay eggs. So, if egg production is the ultimate goal, select all females from the start.
Chicks possess a unique feature that allows them to be shipped from hatcheries
within 24 hours of hatching. Their anatomy allows them to survive without food or water for the first 48 to 72 hours. “At the very end of their incubation, the last thing they do is draw the last bit of yolk that they have been feeding on into their abdomen,” Fisher explained. “They have a yolk sack in their abdomen that will last two to three
days before they have to eat or drink.” As soon as the chicks arrive at their destination, they will need food and water.
In the next issue of Ozarks Farm and Neighbor, the farm help section will take a look at the specifics of raising chicks to be healthy, productive chickens.
The first signs of spring have arrived. Warmer days and sprigs of green grass point to the growing season on the horizon. While producers wait for the full arrival of spring, it’s time for some pasture maintenance.
Experience in agriculture preferred, but not required. Some photography skills needed. Freelancers should have excellent organizational and time management skills, the ability to produce feature stories following AP style and the guidelines of OFN. Freelancers should have a strong initiative, be able to meet deadlines and follow through with projects. Please send writing samples and a resume to julie@ozarksfn.com.
High fertilizer prices can take a big chunk out of a producer’s budget. Therefore, producers planning to fertilize their fields may want to consider strategies to ensure they are getting the most benefit for their money. “There is no reason to fertilize a field with nutrients that are not needed,” Tim Schnakenberg, field specialist in agronomy with the University of Missouri Extension, said. “Yet, farmers and ranchers who put a standard ratio of fertilizer on the same ground year after year are gambling and often miss opportunities to have positive impacts on forage production.”
Extension forage specialists recommend producers utilize soil test results to guide their decisions on the proper fertilizer blend. Following a soil test for each field is the only way for producers to know the specific phosphate, potash, and lime needs for that field.
“It pays to have a prescription recommendation for each field instead of guessing with fertilizer blends that only have a shotgun effect on fertilizing,” Schnakenberg added. It’s not too late to get a soil sample submitted and to use those results for the next three to four years to implement a more precise fertility approach to farming.
For producers planning to add nitrogen to fields with cool season stands, the nitrogen should be applied anytime from late February through April. “The earlier the better for maximum growth such as for hay fields, however, if it is needed on pasture, nitrogen can be staggered in various fields later during the spring following grazing,” Schnakenberg stated.
Nitrogen application may be needed on farms with a high stocking density. However, if the farm has a low or moderate stocking density, additional nitrogen may not be necessary. “Usually, the biggest bang for the buck on nitrogen will happen in August for fall growth,” Schnakenberg shared. “Spring nitrogen often just propels grass growth faster and in some cases we won’t have enough cattle on the place to fully utilize it all.”
Due to last year’s drought, forage specialists advise producers to evaluate their stands this spring to make sure there is enough grass for the season. This would include developing a short-term and longterm plan for thickening the stand. “Our stands are open enough that weeds will likely be a severe problem in 2023, occupying space that should have forage in them,” Schnakenberg said.
Instead of trying to establish a permanent stand of tall fescue or orchardgrass in the spring, which may not survive the summer, experts recommend choosing an alternative. This year some producers have used forages such as turnips, annual ryegrass, clover or spring oats to get by. Another alternative producers may want to try is adding forage crabgrass and lespedeza. Those two forages will come up in time to fill gaps in the summer.
For producers with very thin stands of permanent grass, another option would be to drill in summer annuals such as sorghum sudangrasses or millets in mid-May to help stretch the for-age through the summer months. “Once we get through the summer, we are hopeful that we can have a less droughty fall where we can plant tall fescue and/or orchardgrass back in our stands around early September,” Schnakenberg stated. “If there is excess crabgrass or foxtail in fields, we may have to delay planting to when cooler weather starts to taper off their growth in the fall.”
Now-4/12 Taney County Get Your Taxes Prepared FREE! – call 417-546-4431
Now-4/13 Stone County Get Your Taxes Preparted Free! – call 417-357-6812
1st Monday of Every Month – Clover Coffee – 8:30-10 a.m. – Newton County Extension Office, Neosho, Mo. – for more information call 417-455-9500
March 2023
13 Building It from the Ground Up “Sheep and Goat Production” – 6-9 p.m. –Buffalo Alumni Building, Buffalo, Mo. – 417-745-6767 or 417-345-7551
13 Preparing for Farm Succession Workshop – Free Workshop, but space is limited – 6-8:30 p.m. – Hillside Christian Church, Marshfield, Mo. – to register call 417-859-2044 or visit muext.us/ABPevents
14 Poultry Butchering Workshop – Douglas County Fairgrounds, Ava, Mo. – for more information contact Webster County Extension Office at 417-859-2044
14 SW MO MU Extension Beef Cattle Conference – 4 p.m. – SW MU Research Extension Education Center, Mount Vernon, Mo. – Cost: $25 per person, meal included – for more information 417-276-3313 or davismp@missouri.edu –register at go.ozarksfn.com/r37
16 How To Manage Nuisance Wildlife In The Yard, Garden and On the Farm –6-8 p.m. – Howell County Extension Office, 1376 Bill Virdon Blvd., West Plains, Mo. – Class is free, but pre-registration is required – call 417-256-2391
16 Preparing for Farm Succession Planning – 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. – Online via Zoom – Cost: Free – register online at muext.us/ABPevents
17 Barn Quilt Class – Hermitage, Mo. – call 417-745-6767 to register
17 Free Cattle Grading Workshop – 6-8:30 p.m. – South Central Regional Stockyards, Vienna, Mo. – questions 573-438-2671 – register at 573-422-3359 or muext.us/CattleGradingWorkshop
18 5th Annual Road to the Backdrop Showpig Sale – 4 p.m. – Free meal provided by MFA Incorporated – Lawrence County Fairgrounds, Freistatt, Mo. – for more information contact Creighton at 417-496-2513, Rick at 417-491-4364 or Mike at 417-389-2043
18 Waking Up to Roses – 10 a.m. – Newton County Extension Office, Neosho, Mo. – Free event – for more information call 417-455-9500
20 Barn Quilt Class – 4-9 p.m. – Laclede County Extension Office, 186-D Adams Street, Lebanon, Mo. – Cost: $45 – to register call 417-532-7126
20 Building It from the Ground Up “Economics of the Livestock Business” –6-9 p.m. – Buffalo Alumni Building, Buffalo, Mo. – for more information contact Terry at 417-745-6767 or Katie at 417-345-7551
21 Nuisance Wildlife Conflict Workshop – 6-7:30 p.m. – MU Extension Office Meeting Room, 186-D North Adam Avenue, Lebanon, Mo. – for more information or to pre-register contact Lyle at 417-895-6880 ext. 1644 or Jonetta at 417-532-7126
21 Talk On Soil and Nutrient Management in the Garden – 6-8 p.m. – Cost: Free – 2436 Tanner Bridge Road, Jefferson City, Mo. – for more information call 573-634-5463 or dhakald@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/oei
22 Apple Grafting Workshop – 1:30-3:30 p.m. – Lybyer Room, MSU-West Plains, 605 W. Main Street, West Plains, Mo. – Cost: $20 – class size limited – for more information contact Patrick at 417-859-2044 or byerspl@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/pgv
22-23 Artificial Insemination School – Southwest Research Center, 14548 State Road H, Mount Vernon, Mo. – for questions call 417-256-2391 – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/2l4
22 Bull Breeding Soundness Clinic – Countryside Veterinary Clinic, Aurora, Mo. – to schedule an appointment call 417-678-4011
22-23 MU Extension Feedlot School – Kirksville, Mo. – Cost: $400 – for more information and to register visit cvent.com/d/zlqx37
23 Bull Breeding Soundness Clinic – Diamond Veterinary Clinic, Diamond, Mo. – to schedule an appointment call 417-325-4136
23 Home Food Preservation Workshop – 5-6 p.m. – Cost: Free – Crane Public Library, 201 Main Street, Crane, Mo. – to register call 417-357-6812 or visit go.ozarksfn.com/g78
23 How and Why to Renovate Tall Fescue Pastures Workshop – Mount Vernon, Mo. – to register visit TallFescueMO23.eventbrite.com
24 Apple Grafting Workshop – 6-8 p.m. – MSU Bond Learning Center, 2401 S. Kansas Expy, Springfield, Mo. – Cost: $20 – class size limited – for more information contact Patrick at 417-859-2044 or byerspl@missouri.edu –register online at go.ozarksfn.com/pgv
28 Bull Breeding Soundness Clinic – Dake Veterinary Clinic, Miller, Mo. – to schedule an appointment call 417-510-5105
28 Pasture Weed Management and Livestock Fly Control Workshop – 4-6:30 p.m. – Cost: Free – 1376 Bill Virdon Blvd., West Plains, Mo. – for more information contact Sarah at 417-256-2391 – register go.ozarksfn.com/04d
29-31 HACCP Training for Food Processors – MU Campus, Columbia, Mo. –Cost: $450 – for more information and to register visit bit.ly/HACCPcourse
29 Pasture Weeds & Livestock Fly Control Workshop – 2-4 p.m. – Free event –Webster County Extension Center, 800 S. Marshall Street, Marshfield, Mo. – pre-registration required, seating is limited – call 417-859-2044
30 Tomato Grafting Workshop – 6-8 p.m. – Cost: $15 – Greene County MU Extension Office, Springfield, Mo. – for more information contact Kelly at 417-881-8909 or mcgowank@missouri.edu – register online go.ozarksfn.com/hh0
1 Barry County 4-H Scholarship Banquet – 6:30 p.m. – Crowder Event Center, Cassville, Mo. – for more information call 417-847-3161
6-5/11 Missouri Master Pollinator Steward – Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon – Online via Zoom – Cost: $100 – for more information contact Kathi at 660-542-1792 or mechamk@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/45n
6 Private Pesticide Applicator Training – 9-11 a.m. – Online via Zoom – for more information contact Tim at 417-357-6812 or SchankenbergC@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/k56
7 Hay School at Wurdack Extension Farm – 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. – Wurdack Farm, 164 Bales Road, Cook Station, Mo. – Cost: $35 per person or $55 per farm couple – to register call 573-729-3196 or visit go.ozarksfn.com/3jt
10-12 Grazing School – University of Missouri Southwest Research Center, Mt. Vernon, Mo. – for more information call 417-847-3161
10 Produce Safety for Community Gardens and Home Gardeners – 6-8 p.m. –Online via Zoom – Cost: Free – register by April 10 at 4 p.m. – for more information contact Justin at 573-324-5464 or justin.keay@missouri.edu –register online at go.ozarksfn.com/5nm
17-5/22 Inspired by Annie’s Project, Value Added Agriculture Series – Mondays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Online via Zoom – Cost: $75 – for more information contact Karisha at 660-397-2179 or devlink@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/t2r
May 2023
10 Private Pesticide Applicator Training – 2-4 p.m. – Online via Zoom – for more information contact Valerie at 660-895-5123 or tatev@umsystem.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/mvp
March 2023
16 Benoit Angus 34th Annual Bull Sale – at the Ranch, Esbon, Kan. –785-725-3231 or 785-545-6806
16 Henke Farms Bull Sale – at the Farm, Salisbury, Mo. – 660-676-6233 or 816-244-4462
17 Marshall & Fenner Farms 14th Annual Performance-Tested Bull & Female Production Sale – Boonville, Mo. – 660-641-4522 or 406-833-0117
17 Wann Ranch 21st Annual Production Sale – at the ranch, Poteau, Okla. –918-658-8471 or 940-727-8492
18 Bradley Cattle Bull and Female Sale – Springfield, Mo. – 417-848-3457 or 765-376-8784
18 Brinkley Angus Ranch 21st Annual Production Sale – Green City Livestock Market, Green City, Mo. – 660-265-5565
18 Ertel Cattle Company Annual Production Sale – Kirksville Livestock Market, Kirksville, Mo. – 660-234-5265
18 Falling Timber Farm 14th Annual Bull & Female Sale – at the farm, Marthasville, Mo. – 636-358-4161
18 Full Circle Cattle Company 3rd Annual Bull Sale – Dodge City, Kan. –620-260-6815
18 Musgrave Angus Production Sale – at the farm, Griggsville, Ill – 217-242-3135 or 217-242-1160
18 Northeast Arkansas Angus Association Spring Sale – Cattlemen’s Livestock Exchange, Cord, Ark. – 870-799-8661
18 Reynolds Land and Cattle 41st Annual Production Sale – at the ranch, Sanford, Colo. – 402-350-3447
18 T and S Strnad Charolais Production Sale – at the ranch, Formoso, Kan. –785-794-2471 or 785-243-8600
18 Valley Oaks Spring Bull Sale – Warsaw, Mo. – 573-280-2351 or 816-365-5930
18 Wild Indian Acres 2023 Spring Bull Sale – Joplin Regional Stockyards, Carthage, Mo. – 785-672-7449 or 636-236-0306
19 April Valley Farms 26th Performance-Tested Angus Bull and Female Sale –at the farm, Leavenworth, Kan. – 913-683-0775 or 913-775-2130
19
Briarwood Angus Annual Quality Bull & Female Sale – at the farm, Butler, Mo. – 660-679-3459 or 660-679-3395
20 Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus Spring Sale – at the farm, Nevada, Mo. –417-944-2219 or 417-448-4127
21 Schrader Ranch 21st Annual Bull Sale – at the ranch, Wells, Kan. – 785-488-2135 or 785-488-7204
22 Hood Charolais Annual Bull Sale – Dunlap, Iowa – 712-210-4958
23 Sweiger Farms 27th Annual Bull Sale – Weatherby, Mo. – 816-724-0492 or 816-449-0024
24 Barrett Cattle Company & Mill Brae Ranch Bull Sale – at Mill Brae Ranch, Maple Hill, Kan. – 785-256-3072
24 Howard County Angus Sale – Boonville Livestock Sale Facility, Boonville, Mo. – 660-728-3700
25 3C Cattle Company Annual Spring Production Sale – 3C Events Center & Agri Complex, Carrollton, Mo. – 660-542-1234 or 660-322-0204
25 777 Farms Purple Reign Santa Gertrudis Sale – Magnolia, Ark. – 423-364-9281
25 8 Story Farms Charolais Cattle Production Sale – Gallatin, Mo. – 660-749-5834 or 660-663-5048
25 Arkansas Bull Sale Multi-Breed Bull Sale – Cleburne County Livestock, Heber Springs, Ark. – 205-270-0999
25 Seedstock Plus South Missouri Bull & Female Sale – Joplin Regional Stockyards, Carthage, Mo. – 877-486-1160
25 Wakefield Farms Performance Tested Bull Sale – Dunlap Livestock Auction, Dunlap, Iowa – 281-761-5952 or 507-402-4640
25 Worthington Angus 8th Annual Spring Production Sale – at the farm, Dadeville, Mo. – 417-844-2601
27 Southwest Missouri All Breed Performance Tested Bull Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 417-293-8002
28 GenePlus Brangus Production Sale – Chimney Rock Cattle Company, Concord, Ark. – 620-583-3706 or 417-425-0368
30 Minor Limousin Inaugural Online Sale – L365Auctions.com – 417-576-6364 or 443-605-6127
April 2023
1 “The Andras Kind” Red Angus Bull Sale – at the farm, Manchester, Ill. –217-473-2355 or 217-473-2320
1 Double A Land & Cattle Bull and Commercial Female Sale – Three Cedars Event Center, Nevada, Mo. – 913-558-7966 or 417-684-0881
1 Filippo Family Farms Bull Sale – Rush Springs, Okla. – 405-820-9862
1 Four State Angus Association Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 417-880-6873 or 417-536-8080
3 Brockmere Farms Inc. 29th Annual Angus Bull & Female Sale – New Cambria Livestock Auction, New Cambria, Mo. – 660-258-2901 or 660-375-2155
4 Hubert Charolais Ranch 44th Annual Bull & Female Sale – Monument, Kan. – 785-672-2540 or 785-871-7760
6 Pharo Cattle Company Missouri Spring Sale –Springfield, Mo. – 800-311-0995
7 Meyer Cattle Performance in the Pasture Sale – Meyer Cattle Sale Facility, Bowling Green, Mo. – 573-808-0624 or 573-694-1622
8 FHCC Spring 2023 Open House Bull Sale – New Bloomfield, Mo. – 608-279-3172 or 703-587-9959
8 Fink Beef Genetics Bull Sale – Randolph, Kan. – 785-293-5106
8 Hebbert Charolais Ranch 41st Annual Bull Sale – Hebbert Sale Facility, Hyannis, Neb. – 308-458-2540
8 Ozark & Heart of America Beefmaster Breeders Spring Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 979-229-6563
11 Sydenstricker Genetics 18th Annual SydGen Influence Sale – Mexico, Mo. –573-473-9202 or 573-581-5900
14 Waddle Farm Performance Bull Sale – Kirksville Livestock Market, Kirksville, Mo. – 585-208-0349 or 585-208-0322
15 Belle Point Ranch Pathway to Opportunity Sale – Lavaca, Ark. – 479-782-5579 or 989-965-6363 or 989-798-8223
15 Heart of America Gelbvieh Showcase and Elite Online Female Sale – 660-234-5265 – www.heartofamericagelbvieh.com
15 McBee Cattle Company Spring Selection Day Sale – Fayette, Mo. – 573-228-2517
15 Missouri Charolais Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. –
15 The Power Performance Pedigree Registered Angus Sale – Mountain Grove, Mo. – 417-293-8002
22 East Central Missouri Angus Association Spring Sale – Interstate Regional Livestock, Cuba, Mo. – 417-224-6296
22 Heart of the Ozarks Angus Association Spring Sale – Ozarks Regional Stockyards, West Plains, Mo. – 205-270-0999
22 Missouri Red Angus Association Show-Me Reds – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 816-807-6606
22 Show-Me Reds Sale – Springfield, Mo. – info@missouriredangus.com
22 Thomas Farms Spring Production Sale – Damascus, Ark. – 501-745-8728
29 Aschermann Akaushi 36th Edition Sale – at the ranch, Carthage, Mo. –417-793-2855
29 The Great American Pie Sale – Lebanon, Mo. – 402-350-3447
29 Wienk Charolais 54th Annual Bull Sale – at the ranch, Lake Preston, SD –605-860-0505 or 605-203-0137
3/17 James A. McClurg Trust Land Auction – Edwards, Mo. • Crawford Auction Service, 417-998-6629, crawfordauctionservice.com • See Our
Ad on Page 35
3/18 Bentlage Farms Retirement Auction –Golden City, Mo. • Cook Auction Company
3/23 Vernon County Land Auction – Hume, Mo. • Wheeler Auctions & Real Estate, 660-327-5890, wheelerauctions.com •
See Our Ad on Page 4
3/25 Annual Spring Consignment Auction –
Appleton City, Mo. • Wade Auction Service
4/1 Sims Estate Farm & Equipment Auction – Windsor, Mo. • Dick Hutchison
Auction & Real Estate LLC
4/8 Ron & Joyce Wolf Auction –Cross Timbers, Mo. • Crawford Auction Service, 417-998-6629, crawfordauctionservice.com • See Our Ad on Page 35
3/11 Ken Stites Estate Auction – Brumley, Mo. • Crawford Auction Service, 417998-6629, crawfordauctionservice.com •
See Our Ad on Page 35
3/18 Consignment Auction – Conway, Mo. • JD Lewis Auction Company
3/18 Estate of Dean & Norma (Clyde) Millard Auction – Phillipsburg, Mo. • Crawford Auction Service, 417-9986629, crawfordauctionservice.com • See Our Ad on Page 35
3/31 Gun Sale – Versailles, Mo. • Show-Me Auction Center
3/14 Estate Auction, Autos, Guns, Tools & More – Highlandville, Mo. • ree Creeks Auction
3/18 Gun, Antique and Collector Auction –Neosho, Mo. • Venture Group Auction
3/18 Real Estate and Personal Property Auction
– Ozark, Mo. • Essick Auction & Realty
3/19 Estate of Rich Ballard Auction – Nixa, Mo. • Glenworth Auction & Realty, 417767-4345, glenworth.com • See Our Ad on Page 35
3/19 Richard & the late Kay Lawrence Auction – Aurora, Mo. • Hodges Auctioneers
3/25 Charles R. Lashmet Public Auction –Spring eld, Mo. • Johnson Auction Service
4/1 Estate Auction – Galena, Mo. • Foster Auction & Appraisal Service
4/1 Spring Consignment – Neosho, Mo. • Venture Group Auction
— ZONE D AUCTIONS —
3/11 Consignment Auction – Ava, Mo. • Cheyney Auction Company LLC
3/25 Farm Consignment Auction – Annapolis, Mo. • Sample Auction Service
3/25 Huge Farm and Public Auction – Creighton, Mo. • the Midwest Auctioneers LLC
3/25 Robert Brouster Estate Farm Auction – Kingdom City, Mo. • Scotty’s Auction Service
3/28 Bryant & Bryant Construction Online Retirement Auction – bidding closes Mar. 28th at 10 a.m. – bigiron.com • Big Iron Auctions
• See Our Ad on Page 35
3/11 Real Estate, Land & Personal Property Auction – Fordland, Mo. • Glenworth Auction & Realty, 417-767-4345, glenworth.com
3/18 Jr’s 6th Semi-Annual Consignment Auction – Hartville, Mo. • Martin Auctions
3/19 Automobile Auction – Houston, Mo. • Rick Dixon Auctions
3/25 Consignment Auction – Mountain Grove, Mo. • Tri County Auction Service
4/1 Annual Spring Consignment Auction –Norwood, Mo. • Chadwell Auctions LLC
— AUCTIONS —
3/11 22nd Annual Farm & Machinery Consignment Auction – Perryville, Mo. • Manche Auction Service
3/14 Mark Hauschildt Online Estate Auction –bidding closes Mar. 14th at 10 a.m. – bigiron. com • Big Iron Auctions
3/15 Equipment Online Auction – bidding closes Mar. 15th at 10 a.m. – bigiron.com – Big Iron Auctions
3/16 Cory Connelly Online Retirement Auction – bidding closes Mar. 16th at 10 a.m. –bigiron.com • Big Iron Auctions
3/18 Estate Farm Auction – Charleston, Mo. • Brucker Auction Service
3/22 Dean & Virginia Henderson Public Auction – Emden, Mo. • Wheeler Auctions & Real Estate, 660-327-5890, wheelerauctions.com
• See Our Ad on Page 4
3/22 Equipment Online Auction –bidding closes Mar. 22nd at 10 a.m. – bigiron.com • Big Iron Auctions
3/24 Farm Equipment Auction – Richmond, Mo. • Wheeler Auctions & Real Estate, 660-327-5890, wheelerauctions.com
• See Our Ad on Page 4
3/29 Equipment Online Auction – bidding closes Mar. 29th at 10 a.m. – bigiron.com • Big Iron Auctions
3/29 Farm Retirement Auction – Burlington Junction, Mo. • Wheeler Auctions & Real Estate, 660-327-5890, wheelerauctions. com • See Our Ad on Page 4
3/30 J.S. Farms Auction – Fayette, Mo. • Missouri Land and Farm
4/1 Live Equipment Auction – Ash Flat, Ark. • Witcher Auctions
4/1 Spring Machinery Consignment Auction – Kingdom City, Mo. • Wheeler Auctions & Real Estate, 660-327-5890, wheelerauctions.com • See Our Ad on Page 4
4/2 Machinery Consignment Auction – Bonne Terre, Mo. • Merseal Auction Service
— ANGUS —
Bradley Cattle - Marshfield, MO417-848-3457 -
brucembradley@hotmail.com
Double H Ranch - Ava, MO -
816-896-4600
Mead Farms - Barnett, MO -
573-216-0210 - 573-280-6855
Menzies Cattle CompanyMarshfield, MO - 417-425-5659 - jmenzies79@gmail.com
Pitts Angus Farms - Hermitage, MO417-399-3131www.pittsangusfarms.com
— BALANCERS —
B/F Cattle Company - Butler, MO -
660-492-2808
Hilltop Farms - Asbury, MO -
417-842-3225 - 417-529-0081
- 417-529-7556
Rumfelt Farms - Phillipsburg, MO
- 417-664-6936brumfelt7556@gmail.com
— BRANGUS —
Horsehead Ranch - Talala, Okla. - 918-695-2357www.HorseheadRanch.net
— CHAROLAIS —
Bradley Cattle - Marshfield, MO417-848-3457brucembradley@hotmail.com
Mead Farms - Barnett, MO -
573-216-0210 - 573-280-6855
— GELBVIEH —
Hilltop Farms - Asbury, MO -
417-842-3225 - 417-529-0081
- 417-529-7556
Rumfelt Farms - Phillipsburg, MO
- 417-664-6936brumfelt7556@gmail.com
— HEREFORDS —
Jim D. Bellis - Aurora, MO -
417-678-5467 - 417-466-8679
Journagan Ranch - Mtn. Grove, MO - 417-838-1482
Mead Farms - Barnett, MO -
573-216-0210 - 573-280-6855
Menzies Cattle CompanyMarshfield, MO - 417-425-5659
- jmenzies79@gmail.com
— LIMOUSIN —
Glendenning J Bar J RanchLebanon, MO - 417-588-6121
- 417-664-0913 - 417-664-1186
- jack@jbarjlimousin.com -
www.jbarjlimousin.com
Minor Limousin - Strafford, MO
417-576-6364 - 443-605-6127 -
www.minorlimousin.com
Pinegar Limousin - Springfield, MO - 1-877-PINEGAR
— RED ANGUS —
Bradley Cattle - Marshfield, MO417-848-3457 -
brucembradley@hotmail.com
Dunseth Farm - Halfway, MO417-445-2256
Watkins Cattle CompanyHarrison, AR - 870-741-9795 –870-688-1232 –
watkinscattleco@windstream.net
— SALERS —
Dunseth Farm - Halfway, MO417-445-2256
— ULTRABLACK
