Brian and Kim Zahn offer products raised in a natural, sustainable manner
Piney Creek Farm is improving its ecosystem
Recommendations to benefit farming operations
Couple works to grow their farming operation
Academy members selected: The Missouri Department of Agriculture has selected 30 high school sophomores to participate in the 2023 Missouri Agribusiness Academy. Selected students will spend a week in June in St. Louis exploring careers in agriculture, building leadership skills and learning more about farming, ranching and food production. Youth from the Ozarks who were selected to participate in the academy are: Kiley Evans, Galena; Lane Engelmeier, St. James; Lindsay McDonald, Mount Vernon; Raegan Pendleton, Stotts City; Reagan O’Farrell, Appleton City; Rhett Keaton, Anderson; and Saige Miller, Cassville.
Clubs receive funding: The Barton County 4-H Teen Leaders of Lamar and the Jasper County 4-H of Carthage have been awarded 2023 4-H Feeding Missouri grants through the Missouri Farmers Care Foundation. This is the fourth year the foundation has provided grants for Missouri 4-H clubs to fund local food security efforts. The 4-H Feeding Missouri Drive to Feed Kids matching grants are available to 4-H clubs that host service-learning projects focused on the 4-H Feeding Missouri and Drive to Feed Kids mission.
Missouri Beef Days Returns: Missouri Beef Days will be held on May 6-13 in Bolivar, Mo. For complete information on sponsorships, calendar of events, ticket purchases and more, visit www. missouribeefdays.com.
Court upholds law: The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously upheld a state law that effectively limits counties in their regulation of controlled animal feeding operations, finding it does not conflict with the “right to farm” that is in the state’s Constitution. The Cedar County Commission, the Cooper County Public Health Center and the Friends of Responsible Agriculture challenged a state law pertaining to public health and welfare, which “was amended to prevent counties from enacting public health ordinances that ‘impose standards or requirements on an agricultural operation and its appurtenances … that are inconsistent with, in addition to, different from, or more stringent than any provision of’” state law, according to the court’s opinion. The plaintiffs claimed the amended law — enacted by the Missouri legislature in 2021 with House Bill 271 — was unconstitutional, did not apply retroactively and should therefore not invalidate a 2016 Cedar County public health ordinance regulating controlled animal feeding operations, nor a 2019 Cooper County Public Health Center regulation pertaining to air and water quality standards for such feeding operations.
The Ozarks Most Read Farm Newspaper APRIL 3, 2023 | VOL. 25, NO. 11
3 Jerry Crownover –Making a living with cows
4 Julie Turner-Crawford –Farming dreams, big and small
7 Couple plans to expand and become more sustainable
8 Decades later, former FFA member is still true to the blue
10 Stories of Elvis and the Mother Road
12 Eye on Agribusiness features Central Ozarks Stockyards
13 Couple builds their farm on natural, regenerative practices
16 Town & Country - Eula Richardson
20 Working with nature is key for Piney Creek Farm
24 Youth in Agriculture features Cameron Crowe
25 Stopping financial exploitation
26 The basics to start a backyard flock
28 Reducing compaction for soil health
29 The care and breeding of heifers
30 Tips to improve efficiency and sustainability on your farm
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
My father was always a little skeptical of the advice offered by highly educated people (his only son, included). I suppose that fact was due to Dad’s complete lack of formal education, for he grew up in the early years of the last century, when a strong back and willingness to work, was much more appreciated than a beautiful mind.
I was the first child of my generation, from either side of my lineage, to attend college. Even though I knew my dad was proud of that fact, he would often remind me that, “book learnin’ is fine, but real life doesn’t always play out like the book says it should.” Amen.
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.’
I can remember coming home from college during the Christmas break of my freshman year. Eager to impress my parents with what I was learning, I made some suggestions to my father, concerning our farm and how I thought it could be made more profitable, according to my favorite professor. Of course, all of these suggestions cost money and Dad did not like parting with his hard-earned money, unless the likelihood of that new expense making money was in the neighborhood of 95 to 100 percent.
“How many cows does that professor run?” My father quizzed.
“Actually, I don’t think he owns any cows,” I replied. “But he has a Ph.D. in animal science from a really prestigious university.”
Dad didn’t know or care, what a Ph.D. was, but he made it abundantly clear to me that if I ever encountered a professor who had made his living from cows, he might be interested in what that professor had to say. Maybe.
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Irecently spoke to someone who is brand new to the farming industry.
They want to grow row crops, raise cattle, sheep and goats, and have some horses. They have some goats, and asked where to plant corn and beans, when to plant, how much corn and beans to plant, if they should raise pigs and so on. My head was spinning just a bit with all the questions and I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, but it was great to see the enthusiasm. I finally asked how many acres they had … about 15 or 20. I could see the disappointment when I told them they may be limited in what they could do.
“I guess I shouldn’t have bought a farm when I don’t know anything about a farm,” they said.
Julie Turner-Crawford is a native of Dallas County, Mo., where she grew up on her family’s farm. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Julie, call 1-866532-1960 or by email at editor@ozarksfn.com.
I pointed out there are still many things they can do with their land, but they need to learn how to use it efficiently. I explained I was not the person to advise them on accomplishing their goals, and they seemed a little happier
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• Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 C crushed gingersnap cookies
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 quart pumpkin ice cream (homemade or store bought), softened
• 2 C crumbled pumpkin bread
• 1/2 C chopped candied pecans or other nuts for garnish
Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. In a large, chilled metal bowl, beat the whipping cream with 2 tbsp brown sugar, the maple syrup and vanilla until it holds medium-stiff peaks, refrigerate. Combine the gingersnaps, the remaining brown sugar and melted butter in a large bowl and mix until completely combined. Firmly press the mixture into the prepared pie plate. Freeze for 30 minutes to set. Spread the softened ice cream into the pie crust, being sure to make the top as smooth as possible. Top with the pumpkin bread and then with the whipped cream. Freeze for at least one hour. Garnish with candied pecans before serving.
Continued from Previous Page
when I offered some informational and educational recourses.
One of my “big farming dreams” is to grow a record-setting pumpkin. I want to grow one of those pumpkins that takes a forklift to load onto a trailer. Why is this a goal? I have no clue. We didn’t grow pumpkins when I was a kid, and I don’t have much of a green thumb, but I’ve wanted to do it, much to the amusement of many of my friends and family.
I have room to grow one of these monsters, but is it an efficient use of my time and resources?
First, I would have to fence off a portion of the pasture and put in a gate to get an area big enough with eight hours of direct sun. In the fall, I would have to build a 10-by-10 bed for each plant I want to attempt to grow and fill the beds with cow manure compost and soil.
Seeds from a world champion to grow my spectacular squash are upwards of $100 or more each, so those must be handled carefully and started a month before the projected last freeze. Once planted, there are the daily soil checks, weekly fertilizing, weeding, and trying
to keep the cats and other critters away from the pricey sprout.
To top it off, to get a big one, you have to pick just one bloom to nurture, keep the vines trimmed to a certain length, make sure the growing pumpkin doesn’t get too hot or too cold, move the pumpkin while it’s growing, put a canopy over it at some point, and too many other chores for one pumpkin.
I guess the front pasture will remain pasture, and my dreams of growing a 2,000-pound pumpkin will go to the back burner. The task isn’t off the table but might be a “retirement” job.
Farmers and ranchers can have big dreams on a small piece of land or bigger dreams on a bigger spread, but they have to know how to do it in a way that works. It might take some modification to the original plan to make the dream come true, but it will happen in time, and dreams are worth the wait.
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I couldn’t help but dredge up these memories last week as I attended a market outlook meeting with a very learned academic in the field of economics. His computerized PowerPoint presentation was extremely impressive, and the gentleman was obviously very competent in his area of expertise. Backed up by facts, figures and data that spanned 50 years, he concluded those of us in the beef cattle business were going to, “make more money in the next two years that you will be able to spend.”
Plainly, he was trying to interject a little humor to make his point, that all the data concerning beef supply and demand would suggest that our business will perform extremely well for the next 12 to 24 months. That was welcome news to the entire group of cattlemen who were gathered that night. I, too, was elated to hear what the experienced educator was saying, but, the words that kept echoing through my head, were, “I wonder how many cows this guy owns, and I also wonder if he’s ever had to make a living from cows?”
By Sarah Helms
Despite coming from two very different backgrounds, Zeb and Joanna Ritzheimer have worked diligently to create a self-sufficient farm for their children just north of Buffalo, Mo. Zeb grew up on a farm in Illinois and then Tunas, Mo., when his family moved there. Zeb said the family always had goats and pigs and chickens and horses. While he grew up around a variety of farm animals, Joanna’s family were more city-originated. She loved animals as a child and said she always wanted to live on a farm.
Now, she lives her dream with her husband and two little girls, Mackenna-Lynn and Brynlee-Anne at HeimerTime Farms. On their farm, they have a calf, a pony, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats and goats. The main population of their farm is made up of goats and pigs, specifically registered Nigerian Dwarf goats and registered Kunekune pigs.
The goat herd began as a Mother’s Day gift from Zeb when Joanna expressed a desire to have farm animals.
“I wanted goats and we lived on his mother’s property previous to here, and I wanted all the farm animals,” Joanna recalled.
While living with her mother-in-law, the couple only had a small place to raise animals, yet it was still enough room to start their goat herd. The family’s plans for the goats include selling the kids, but focuses primarily on showing the goats.
During her time with the goats, Joanna learned a lot about the personalities of her goats that she didn’t expect.
“I learned that each goats is very different,” she said. “Like, Rosie, not personable. She will run from you. Whereas, like Daisy, you can pick her up and hold her like a baby. Iris, you could throw her on a leash and walk her like a puppy.”
While the goats breed weren’t a concern, the pig breed was important to the family because of their small children and how destructive pigs can be.
“Kunekune pigs are easy and very docile animals. The Kunekune don’t root; they pasture graze, so they’re not going to make everything look terrible,” Joanna said. “Their meat is really good, and they’re just like giant puppies. You don’t have to worry about them trying to eat you if you fall down in the pen. The kids can go out and pet on them and the only thing you have to worry about is your toes. It’s definitely a boot pen.”
In the end, their goal is to sell the pigs and goats to other farmers who want to start up their own herds. Since the animals are registered, they hope to have a good market for them.
“I wanna start selling,” Joanna said “I invest in nice bloodlines so I can sell nice
bloodlines. I want to be able to sell babies to people who want to grow their own show lines and farm names.”
In addition to showing animals, Zeb and Joanna want to focus on self-sufficiency. “Our goal is to be as self-reliant as possible,” Zeb said. “Not rely on the grocery stores. We want to produce our own food.”
The largest sow in the herd, Marshmallow, will be their meat-producing sow. “She’ll have giant piglets that aren’t necessarily show quality, but she’ll give you a lot of meat,” Joanna said. “We got her for more of a meat
After seeing the prices of food at grocery stores, the couple wants to provide alternate and more economic food sources for their family.
“You can pay the same amount for what you are going to get at the store as what you’re going to get farm fresh now,” Joanna said. “Might as well know where your stuff is coming from and what is in it.”
Beyond their own needs, Zeb and Joanna want to show others that it is possible.
“It feels so inaccessible to so many people and I want to be like, no, it’s not as hard as it seems,” Joanna said. “You can just have plywood barns. It doesn’t have to be fancy; it can just be fun.”
The Ritzheimers want their children to learn responsibility and the process of life and death at a young age. By watching the life cycle of animals under their care, Brynlee and Mackenna are learning important life lessons. Such as, having to care for animals before other things. Joanna also told a story about one of her daughters when they found a dead chicken.
“At first it really upset her,” she recalled. “We’ve had a few chickens that we’ve come across that have no longer been with us, and she has now normalized it as something
In the future, Zeb and Joanna plan to have their herds of goats and pigs expanding to fill their property.
“It just kept growing. Didn’t mean for it too, but now I think we’re going to end up with a lot of them,” Joanna said. “We’ve got the space.”
They would like to give all credit to God, because without him, they would not be where they are in life.
“God has given us a beautiful piece of land to raise Jesus-loving babies on and produce our own food and hopefully food for others,” Joanna said.
“Waking up to the sunrise seeing our farm animals and children makes all the hard work and lessons from him worth it.”
Throughout his life Vearl Counts has cherished his FFA jacket and the memories he made as a young man in the Salem, Mo., FFA chapter. Vearl has lived his life by the original FFA Creed – I believe in the beauty of God’s open country; that life out of doors and in touch with the earth is the natural life of man.
Vearl grew up as a traditional ag kid in Salem, milking cows and doing chores alongside his father Pless Counts. Their farm
was situated along the Meramec River. A typical day on the farm consisted of young Vearl waking up at 4:30 a.m., and sitting down to breakfast prepared by his mother Edna.
“I was what’s known as a river rat,” Vearl said. “In the winter I’d take my gig pole and walk down to the river and run my traps. I’d gig about four or five suckers, along with whatever I’d caught that night, then I’d walk back to the house and mount the hides from the nights’ trappings on
my possum boards. After that, it was time to go out to the pasture and feed the cattle. Then I went to school. That sounds like an impossible schedule but I did it.”
Vearl was highly involved in FFA, holding the offices of secretary and treasurer. He also competed in a variety of supervised agricultural experience (SAE) events including public speaking, farming, livestock grooming and showmanship.
Vearl’s advisor, B. Oscar Brown, was more than a teacher, he was a friend. Mr. Brown taught shop and he was instrumental in organizing trips to Salt Lake City, Utah, and a trip to the Florida Keys. The Salem Chapter also held annual boxing matches with the funds used to finance projects.
“He took me by the hand and showed me things that made it much easier to understand,” Vearl said.
One of Vearl’s SAE projects – a bull calf named Silver Domino Larry – won
reserve grand champion and was noted for its extraordinary growth.
Vearl was awarded the State Farmer degree, signifying outstanding achievement, active FFA participation and an exemplary scholastic record. After Vearl graduated, his parents Pless and Edna were made honorary chapter farmers.
In 1946, Vearl was just 9-years-old when his father was involved in a terrible accident while working for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Pless had finished his routine run from St. Louis to Jefferson City and gone home when they called him to return for another trip to Jeff City. Initially, Pless refused until they told him that the brakeman on the train was drunk.
“What they didn’t know at the time was the engineer was drunk too,” Vearl recalled. “Dad went back to work, jumping on the train. The rain was falling as they pulled out of St. Louis when the
engineer ran into the back of a work train. Dad was trying to swing himself up onto a refrigerator car when a coal car ran into to him, crushing both his legs in two. Dad laid on the side of the tracks until another train found him. Railroad workers put Pless in the caboose and transferred him to the Missouri Pacific hospital.”
After the accident, Pless underwent a year of rehabilitation and another year of acclimating to his physical state.
Vearl didn’t even think about it; he took over for his father the best way he could.
Pless had instilled a wonderful work ethic in his son. Vearl still has the lantern and the rain suit his father wore during the accident.
Vearl went on to get married and have three children – Melanie, Brad and Melissa.
Vearl’s lifetime mottos – “I can” and “I want to make a difference” – served him well throughout his 86-years. He attended Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, and taught school for one year and later attended Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. Instead of returning to teaching, in 1957, Vearl enlisted in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood where he was a cook.
“I was a head cook,” Vearl recalled. “I cooked for 250 trainees and cadre officers.” Vearl’s company was called to Vietnam twice, but never deployed.
“I still feel bad, in some ways,” Vearl recalled. “I sent a lot of healthy boys to Vietnam with the food I cooked. Someone had to feed them, someone had to be a truck driver or mechanic. I just happened to be a cook and it still hurts me today knowing that many of those same boys that I cooked for died in Vietnam.”
Vearl didn’t even his veterans status after serving on active duty for eight years; three years in the United States Army and an additional four years in the Army National Guard. He didn’t feel “worthy” after not fighting in Vietnam. Six-years ago however, some of his friends told him “Vearl, you are a veteran.”
After his military career ended, opportunity knocked on Vearl’s door once again in 1960 when he was offered the position of caseworker 1 at the Dent County, Mo., Division of Family Services. By the time he retired in 1994, Vearl was County Director 11 of the Stone County Division of Family Services. The Missouri House of Representatives honored him with a plaque for 30 years of impeccable service including — providing for children in need, facilitating holiday food baskets, charter membership of the Springfield area OACAC, board member of the Red Cross, volunteer ambulance driver and attendant and welfare officer at the Salvation Army and he was Santa every year. Also, after retiring from family services he taught for an additional 10-years at Galena R- 11 School District, Galena, Mo. Vearl feels his parents have had the greatest impact on his life.
“They were doers. They were ‘I can’ people. If it’s broken, fix it.”
Slim Davis, Vearl’s pastor, has also had a very positive affect on him.
“I asked Slim one time – if I do the things I’ve been talking to you about, whose going to know? He looked at me square in the eye and said ‘you will.’”
A musician all his life, Vearl is a wellknown performer on the Southwest Missouri music scene. He attends music jams several times a week with his significant other Treva Brown.
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Route 66 was born in Springfield, Mo., on April 30, 1926, when highway officials met and agreed to the designation of 66 to the Chicago to Los Angeles highway.
The road was recognized in popular culture by both the 1946 hit song Get Your Kicks on Route 66 and in John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), the highway symbolized escape, loss, and the hope of a new beginning. Steinbeck dubbed it the “Mother Road.” Other designations and nicknames include the Main Street of America.
After the new federal highway system was officially created, Cyrus Avery called for the establishment of the U.S. Highway 66 Association to promote the complete paving of the road from end to end and to promote travel down the highway. In 1927, in Tulsa, the association was officially established and John T. Woodruff of Springfield, Mo., was elected the first president.
The Rail Haven Inn began when in 1937, Lawrence and Elwyn Lippman bought their maternal grandfather, Robert Moore’s, apple orchard at the crossroads of U.S. 65 and 60 (both of which followed Glenstone Avenue) and South Highway 66 or St. Louis Street on the eastern edge of Springfield.
The Rail Haven Inn, with its split-rail fence, has long been an anchor to the cross-country Mother Road. In 1938, the Lippman built the Rail Haven Motor Court, starting with just eight sandstone cottages that sat on 4 acres and were encompassed by a split-rail fence around the property. Each cottage had its own front porch and a heated garage. People enjoyed sitting on their porches in the evening. Wilson’s Service Sta-
tion, with its two gas pumps, sat on the corner of the property. The old service station eventually became the motel office and gift shop. It still serves as the office today and the gas pumps still sit on the property, along with its antique phone booth.
In 1948, 18 additional cabins were built, and soon thereafter, were approached by Best Western to be added to its chain of motels. The Rail Haven Inn is the longest existing Best Western Motel.
In 1961, the Lippmanns sold the Rail Haven Inn to Ward Chrisman. He built a 24-hour restaurant on the property where the pavilion is now standing. The Sycamore Inn was a famous spot in Springfield for many years. It was frequented by motel clients, politicians, students and passersby. It was initially run by Carl Hamby of Hamby’s Restaurant. After about seven years, he decided he needed to get back to taking care of the restaurant.
By the 1990s, the once grand Rail Haven had succumbed to neglect, and word got around that the owners were willing to part with it. A local accountant, Gordon Elliot, had been buying other hotel properties and, as a history buff, was fascinated with the historical significance of the Rail Haven Inn. Once he bought it, he had to take on the requirements of Best Western’s standards as he remodeled it, bringing it up to code. The Sycamore Inn restaurant was also falling into disrepair and parking became an issue, so the restaurant was razed.
While remodeling the motel, Elliot created some themed rooms, catering to the crowds who visited from across
the country and the world. Every year, people come on tours to visit the “Mother Road” and many of the sites are still standing on the road where visitors can still get their kicks on Route 66.
Themed-rooms include the Elvis Room, where Elvis stayed when he came to play at the Shrine Mosque. The Elvis Room, which is Room 409, is decked out with photos of Elvis and an actual tail end of a pink Cadillac converted into a combination sofa and footboard. The Elvis Room also sports a jacuzzi. The future “King of Rock and Roll,”
was booked to stay at Kenwood Arms, but he walked 1.4 miles to the Rail Haven, where is mother was staying.
The Wild Bill Hickok Room commemorates the first gunfight in Springfield. It has a mural of the gunfight against one of the end walls commissioned, especially for the decor of the room. It has a metal, free-standing soaking tub and is decorated in rich wood tones.
The Marilyn Monroe Room is one of the more popular rooms and remains booked. The room also has an in-room jacuzzi, and is adorned with photos of
the blond bombshell.
A room dedicated to Elvis’s lead guitarist, James Burton, who also stayed at the Inn, features numerous memorabilia pieces donated by his wife after his death.
The Rail Haven Inn, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, is still a gathering place for those who frequent antique car shows in town or those traveling the historic highway.
During the Route 66 Blues Festival, a band is hired to play at the Rain Haven, and brats and beer are served. Last
year, more than 800 people were served. The Rail Haven is also a stopping place for motorcycle clubs touring the area, hitting up other cruising spots in Springfield, like famous and frequent the spots famous for cruising in Springfield, like Steak and Shake, Taylors Restaurant and Reds Giant Hamburg.
The Rail Haven Inn has grown to 90 units, and continues to give guests unique look at Americana in the Ozarks. Not only is it of historical significance, but is a real treat for those who stay there.
Location: Squires, Mo.
Owners: Marty and Leigh Ann Crews, and Andy and April Mills
History: Marty and Leigh Ann Crews, and Andy and April Mills took over Douglas County Livestock in August 2022. The McGill and Shannon families previously owned the facility for nearly 20 years. Under the Crews-Mills ownership, the livestock market become Central Ozarks Stockyards.
Services: With the ownership change came a new sale day.
“Strategically, the average cattle farmer in the United States has 42 cows and if you have 42 cows, that’s not your primary source of income; it’s basically supplemental income,” Marty said. “These are the guys who do their farming on the weekends, so having a sale in the middle of the week causes people to take off from work to get their cattle hauled to the barn. We picked Monday because people would have the weekend off to get their cattle to the sale barn and not have to take off from work to do it”
Feed and water pens are available for those producers who opt to bring in their cattle a day or two before the sale. Central Ozarks Stockyards also offers on-farm consultations and trucking for producers of all sizes.
Video sales have been added to the weekly sale at Central Ozarks Stockyards.
“It gives people who have lot loads of cattle in different regions to market their cattle with us,” Marty explained.
Herd reductions or dispersals are held in conjunction with the regular weekly sales. Cattle will also be the only livestock sold at Central Ozarks Stockyards.
“We feel there’s enough of the small animal sales around that specialize in that,” Marty said.
Business Philosophy: Marty and his partners want to provide quality cattle to their buyers. “If I’m a professional in this business and I take advantage of the average farmer who might not be a professional and over sell him something, I feel like I’m stealing from them. As a marketing agent, I want to be the go-between.”
Brian and Kim Zahn offer customers products raised in an natural and sustainable manner
Growing up, Brian Zahn wanted to be a farmer. His grandfather and uncle farmed in Northern Missouri, and Brian loved visiting them.
Brian enrolled in every ag class offered at his high school, but his dad convinced him to change his class load. Brian’s love for agriculture, however, continued.
Brian gardened for many years on a small property near Brighton while working in the Springfield School District, teaching German for eight years before moving into the IT department. When retirement approached, Brain thought it was time to become a farmer.
“We started looking at properties when we got married seven years ago. It was either really good land and really bad houses, or really good houses and really bad land for farming, then we found this place,” Brian said of their farm near Elkland, Mo. “(Kim) came into it with a
little trepidation, being a city girl, but she has adapted well and does so much here.”
They started with 11 acres and bought 30 more acres about a year and a half ago.
Interior fencing for a grazing system on the 30 acres is still under development and will become the primary location for the couple’s South Poll herd.
“I did a lot of research,” Brian said of his South Poll cattle. “I didn’t want big, monster cows. I didn’t want horned or aggressive cattle.”
A grazing school led by Greg Judy showed him the gentle nature of the breed.
“We walked out there and walked up to a couple of bulls,” Brian recalled. “They looked up at us and then kept grazing. I thought this was the breed for us.”
Grass and mineral blocks sustain the cattle herd, which are rotated daily through a management intensive grazing system.
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Continued from Previous Page
When the grass begins to grow in spring, the herd rotates two to three times a day. “I want my pasture in a vegetative state, so it will grow back quickly,” Brian explained. “If you graze it down to the ground, it takes longer to regrow; then you start getting into trouble in the summer. I like to stockpile for the winter and feed no hay here. The property up the road is in rehab, so I had to feed hay. Right now, all of the cows are here. When I have to feed hay, I feed someone else’s hay because I want to get someone else’s nutrients on my land to feed the land.”
With the MIG program, cattle naturally fertilize the ground in concentrated areas. At the home farm, there has been no other fertilization. Through the graz-
ing system, Brian and Kim have seen native forages grow well and soil quality improve. A soil test at the 30-acre property recommended lime, which was applied. Brian expects similar results when the herd is moved, and the MIG program can be fully implemented.
They currently have 16 head of cattle, with six calves on the way.
“South Polls are a smaller-framed animal, and I know processors can get more out of larger animals, but when you have a 1,500-pound cow compared to an 800- to 1,000-pound cow, I can get three to their two per acre. I get more calves a year from an acre than they do, and my calves grow faster on just grass. Missouri has the largest number of South Poll farms in the U.S., so they are very popular in the state.
The preferred breeding method is natural cover and the implementation of an AI program is planned for the future as they retain heifers from their current herd sire.
“I’m very much into line breeding to concentrate the good traits,” Brian said. “You have to cull pretty heavy with that, but I’ve seen the benefits of it in several ranches, so that’s where I’m headed.”
Brian and Kim try to calve in early spring to avoid winter weather extremes.
“I’m not in the commercial market, so I don’t need calves twice a year,” Brian said. “Generally, we calve in mid-April through the end of May.”
He added that cattle are putting on weight in the spring of the year, which allows the females to cycle quicker and rebreed.
The Zahns sell two to four head annually through their beef sales, offering wholes, halves and individual cuts, with most of their sales being cuts. Calves going to beef sales are processed at about 2 years old and about 800 to 900 pounds.
“It takes longer, but I think you have healthier beef and healthier fats,” Brian said, adding that culled females can also go into beef sales, depending on the condition.
They have also sold a couple of South Poll bulls and females to fellow cattle producers.
“We can’t keep up with the demand,” Brian said. “Seedstock production was what I want to do.”
While they take an all-natural approach to livestock production, cattle do receive a blackleg vaccination annually, and ill animals are treated with antibiotics. Those animals are not, however, used for meat sales.
“If it’s a heifer, I’ll keep her to breed her,” Brian said. “That antibiotic isn’t going to pass on.”
Typically 120 to 150 laying hens spend the winter months in hoop houses, and fertilize the soil inside the structures, then go out on pasture in a mobile coop Brian constructed in warmer weather. The layers follow the cows through the rotation, allowing the pastured birds to spread the manure, find fly larvae and other bugs, and add fertilizer to the fields.
Kim and Brian also raise about 50 Cornish-cross meat birds a year in portable chicken tractors that are moved daily. Broilers come to the farm as chicks and are ready for harvest at 8 to 10 weeks, sometimes 12. After processing, the birds weigh about 5 to 7.5 pounds.
The pigs were the final addition to the farm, and not a part of the original farm plan.
“Three years ago, we had a friend who had to move and he had a boar and a sow, and some piglets,” Brian said. “For two months, they were here and as a thank you, he left two piglets.”
They have between 20 and 40 pigs each year, most of which are sold as feeder pigs, but they also sell pork as halves, wholes and in cuts, and are offered a hog growing ration from Crescent Feed. Pigs are processed at 250 to 300 pounds.
“My goal is to have pastured pigs,” Brian said, adding the pigs are housed in a large pen area. “Now that the grass is coming on, I am going to let them out into an area; I just don’t have the availability of my pasture to let them out right now. I want to get them trained to electric wire because I have a lot of woods at the other farm, and there are a lot of acorns there in the fall.”
Pigs and chickens also serve as “recyclers” for unsold produce and the remains from processed chickens.
In addition to their livestock operation, the couple maintains an orchard, and grows blackberries, blueberries, other produce and Shiitake mushrooms.
Zahn Farms offer no claims of being organic but raises all animals and plants as naturally as possible, with no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.
“We want to be as honest as possible and to provide safe, sustainable foods,” Brian said.
The couple offers their products at farmers markets in Marshfield and Lebanon.
“We eat what we grow, and we grow what we eat,” Kim said. “We grow what we need first and sell the rest.”
Brian’s father, who was an avid gardener, may have persuaded him to take other classes in high school, but he never discouraged his farming dream.
“It was a rough time for farmers back then,” Brian said. He saw that a lot of family farms were starting to go under, and it was difficult to make a living farming. He wanted me to have something to fall back on if I went into farming anyway so I could still make a living. He never said, ‘I don’t want you to be a farmer.’ He was glad I finally found my farm.”
Hometown:
Walnut Grove, Mo.
Family: Father, Cleo Jasper; mother, Sharron Jasper; significant other, Jerry Leadford; children, Tyler Brown, Lauren Brown and Gavin Stidham; two grandchildren; bonus children, Addie, Lucas, Emily, Makayla, Breanna, Jason; and six bonus grandchildren and another on the way
In Town: Eula began her career in nursing in 1996. She is currently the director of nursing at the Manor at Elfindale in Springfield, Mo.
“Probably 20-plus years has been in longterm care,” Eula, who is working towards a bachelor’s in nursing, said. “I like taking care of the geriatric population. What I enjoy most is hearing their stories and how life was for them, things we don’t even realize. To hear them talk about it is amazing.”
In the Country: Growing up, Eula enjoyed going to her grandpa’s and playing with the young chicks and ducklings. After she purchased her home and property in Walnut Grove three years ago, she wanted to fill her empty nest.
Jerry contented there were too many predators for chickens, but one day he texted Eula a video of a trampoline used as a makeshift chicken coop.
“Pretty soon, I see my little dog running around the trampoline in the video,” Eula said. “I go to the back door, and he had gotten me six hens.”
The couple built a chicken coop, complete with a swing, and Eula has added to her flock and the coop. She has take suggestions from fellow backyard chicken owners to make the coop a happy place, including a miror and a Christmas lights around the holidays. She now has 16 chickens, including Silkies, Barred Rocks and Cinnamon Queens.
“I like the variety,” she said. “Jerry keeps saying the more chickens I get, the bigger the feed bill. I can afford the feed bill right now, and they give us eggs. I would like to add a couple of Bantams because they are so cute and tiny, like the Silkies.”
Eula said she and Jerry do not eat many eggs, so she gives her excess eggs away.
“As long as I can afford to feed my chickens, I’m going to share,” she said.
Being a new poultry producer, Eula has been researching ways to better care for her birds. In addition to regular chicken feed, she bakes eggshells, grinds them up, and feeds the powered shells back to her hens for extra calcium, and she has begun spouting lentils.
“Lentils are a good source of protein, and it takes three to four days for a cup of dried lentil beans to produce 8 cups of spouts,” Eula explained, adding that the sprout starts to develop in less than 24 hours. “You don’t want the sprouts to get over 2 inches because it loses the nutritional value. It will be like a treat for them, so I’m expected to give it to them.”
Eula keeps a rooster and has attempted to incubate eggs but was unsuccessful. She plans to allow a couple of hens to sit and raise chicks.
“Most people think chickens are just chickens, but they are very smart,” Eula said. “They are fabulous, and I love them. They all have their own personalities; they are like my kids.”
may 6-13, 2023 • bolivar, mo
TUE, MAY 9, 2023
Saturday MAY 6 • Missouri Beef Days Block Party
• Junior Livestock Show
• Boots & Bling- dinner, auction, and Polk County Cattleman of the Year
Monday MAY 8 • Ray Archuleta
Tuesday MAY 9 • Temple Grandin
• Beef & Wine Pairing
Thursday MAY 11 • Missouri Beef Days Rodeo - DAY 1
• Rodeo Market
Friday MAY 12 • Missouri Beef Days Rodeo - DAY 2
• Rodeo Market
Sunday
MAY 7 • Cowboy Church with Amanda Radke
• Beef Feed by Polk County Cattlemen
Wednesday MAY 10 • NextGen Economics Team
• Beef & Whiskey Pairing
Saturday MAY 13 • Missouri Beef Days Parade
• Ag Expo • Concert
MAY 6-13
2023
For details and to purchase tickets, scan the QR code or go to
Receipts: 2,508
National Dairy Market 3/24/23
Cheese: Barrels closed at $1.9625 and 40# blocks at $2.1000. The weekly average for barrels is $1.9535 (+0.0795) and blocks, $2.0290 (+0.1000).
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 120.00-200.00.
Bucks/Billies - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 150.00-230.00.
Wethers - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 200.00-277.50.
Wether Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 280.00.
Replacement Goats:
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per unit): 170.00-310.00.
Fluid Milk/Cream: Milk output is strong to steady, aside from areas of California having regionally steady to lighter milk production. Flooding and overflowing rivers are creating differences regionally in California. Industry sources report some relocating of cows to drier dairies, causing decreased milkings per day. Across the country, available milk volumes are heavier to balanced compared to current production needs. Class I demand is lighter in some areas as educational facilities cycle through spring break schedules. Spot load sales and purchases of Class III milk in the Midwest ranged from $11 to $4 below Class III. Ice cream, cream cheese and soft serve manufacturing have increased as spring holidays approach, making cream supplies regionally tighter in some parts of the country. Stakeholders expect this tightness to loosen when spring flush conditions are reached. Overall, cream is plentiful to ample for production needs throughout the country. Condensed skim milk volumes are regionally tighter in parts of California due to some unplanned downtime at processing facilities. Elsewhere, condensed skim milk supplies are increasing to steady. Cream multiplies for all Classes are 1.24 - 1.30 in the East, 1.22 - 1.30 in the Midwest, and 1.00 - 1.21 in the West.
SPOT PRICES OF CLASS II CREAM: $ PER POUND BUTTERFAT, F.O.B., producing plants, Midwestern U.S. - $2.9850 - $3.1044.
Compared to the February 25th sale feeder lambs sold 6.00-9.00 lower. Slaughter lambs sold 9.00-13.00 lower. The offering included several hundred replacement sheep. Bred replacement ewes sold up to 300.00 per head with sheep families selling up to 430.00 per family. In the goat portion of the sale feeder kid goats sold 46.00-69.00 higher with a fancy set of 35 lbs. replacement kids selling for 520.00. Slaughter kids sold 26.00-33.00 higher. Replacement nannies sold up to 310.00 per head. Replacement billies sold up to 500.00 per head. Supply was heavy with very good demand. Supply included: 26% Feeder Sheep/Lambs (100% Hair Lambs); 28% Slaughter Sheep/Lambs (4% Wooled & Shorn, 87% Hair Breeds, 8% Hair Ewes, 2% Hair Bucks); 21% Replacement Sheep/Lambs (60% Hair Ewes, 40% Families); 7% Feeder Goats (100% Kids); 12% Slaughter Goats (74% Kids, 11% Nannies/Does, 6% Bucks/Billies, 7% Wethers, 1% Wether Kids); 6% Replacement Goats (91% Nannies/Does, 9% Families).
Feeder Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Lambs - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 250.00-353.00.
Slaughter Sheep/Lambs: Wooled & Shorn - Choice and Prime 1-3 (per cwt): 155.00190.00.
Hair Breeds - Choice and Prime 1-3 (per cwt): 175.00-305.00.
Hair Breeds - Choice 1-3 (per cwt): 175.00-275.00.
Hair Ewes - Utility and Good 1-3 (per cwt): 100.00-115.00.
Hair Ewes - Utility and Good 1-3 (per unit): 100.00-140.00.
Hair Ewes Cull and Utility 1-2 (per cwt): 100.00.
Hair Ewes - Cull and Utility 1-2 (per unit): 100.00.
Hair Ewes - Cull and Utility 1-3 (per unit): 100.00.
Hair Bucks - 1-2 (per cwt): 80.00-144.00.
Replacement Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Ewes - Small and Medium 1-2 (per unit): 120.00-300.00.
Families - Small and Medium 1-2 w/<20 lbs lamb (per unit): 180.00-430.00.
Families - Small and Medium 1-2 w/20-40 lbs lamb (per unit):
120.00-420.00.
Feeder Goats:
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 346.00-520.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 250.00-315.00.
Slaughter Goats:
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 305.00-430.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 260.00-340.00.
Kids - Selection 3 (per cwt): 185.00-250.00.
Families - Selection 1-2 w/<20 lbs kid (per unit): 160.00-375.00.
Receipts: 937
A good crowd was on hand for this mid March TS White goat and sheep sale. Compared to the sale 2 weeks ago feeder lambs sold 29.00-38.00 lower. Slaughter lambs sold 17.00-20.00 lower. Not enough slaughter ewes last sale for a price comparison. In the goat portion of the sale feeder kid and slaughter kid goats sold 16.00-19.00 lower. Not enough slaughter nannies last sale for a comparison. Supply was heavy with very good demand. Supply included: 29% Feeder Sheep/Lambs (100% Hair Lambs); 30% Slaughter Sheep/ Lambs (71% Hair Breeds, 24% Hair Ewes, 5% Hair Bucks); 7% Replacement Sheep/Lambs (41% Hair Ewes, 59% Families); 17% Feeder Goats (91% Kids, 9% Wether Kids); 15% Slaughter Goats (61% Kids, 16% Nannies/Does, 8% Bucks/ Billies, 15% Wethers); 3% Replacement Goats (75% Nannies/ Does, 25% Families).
Feeder Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Lambs - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 210.00-465.00. Slaughter Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Breeds - Choice and Prime 1-3 (per cwt): 265.00-287.50.
Hair Breeds - Choice 1-3 (per cwt): 205.00-247.50.
Hair Breeds - Good 1-2 (per cwt): 150.00-200.00.
Hair Ewes - Good 2-3 (per cwt): 130.00-170.00.
Hair Ewes - Utility and Good 1-3 (per cwt): 105.00-120.00.
Hair Ewes - Cull and Utility 1-2 (per cwt): 85.00-110.00.
Hair Bucks - 1-2 (per cwt): 90.00-130.00.
Replacement Sheep/Lambs:
Hair Ewes - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 160.00-190.00.
Families - Small and Medium 1-2 w/<20 lbs lamb (per unit): 190.00-460.00.
Feeder Goats:
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 325.00-400.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 230.00-305.00.
Wether Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 325.00-375.00.
Slaughter Goats:
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 290.00-375.00.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 205.00-320.00.
Kids - Selection 3 (per cwt): 192.50-200.00.
Nannies/Does Bucks/Billies Wethers Replacement Nannies/Does Families Families 390.00.
1,653
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 120.00-200.00.
Bucks/Billies - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 150.00-230.00. Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 200.00-277.50.
Kids - Selection 2 (per cwt): 280.00.
Replacement Goats:
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per unit): 170.00-310.00. Selection 1-2 w/<20 lbs kid (per unit): 160.00-375.00.
937 crowd was on hand for this mid March TS White sheep sale. Compared to the sale 2 weeks ago lambs sold 29.00-38.00 lower. Slaughter lambs sold lower. Not enough slaughter ewes last sale for a comparison. In the goat portion of the sale feeder kid slaughter kid goats sold 16.00-19.00 lower. Not enough nannies last sale for a comparison. Supply was very good demand. Supply included: 29% Feeder
Sheep/Lambs (100% Hair Lambs); 30% Slaughter Sheep/ (71% Hair Breeds, 24% Hair Ewes, 5% Hair Bucks); Replacement Sheep/Lambs (41% Hair Ewes, 59%
17% Feeder Goats (91% Kids, 9% Wether Kids); 15% Goats (61% Kids, 16% Nannies/Does, 8% Bucks/ Wethers); 3% Replacement Goats (75% Nannies/ Families).
Sheep/Lambs:
Lambs - Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 210.00-465.00.
Sheep/Lambs:
Breeds - Choice and Prime 1-3 (per cwt): 265.00-287.50.
Breeds - Choice 1-3 (per cwt): 205.00-247.50.
Breeds - Good 1-2 (per cwt): 150.00-200.00. Good 2-3 (per cwt): 130.00-170.00.
Utility and Good 1-3 (per cwt): 105.00-120.00.
Cull and Utility 1-2 (per cwt): 85.00-110.00. - 1-2 (per cwt): 90.00-130.00.
Replacement Sheep/Lambs:
Small and Medium 1-2 (per cwt): 160.00-190.00.
Small and Medium 1-2 w/<20 lbs lamb (per unit): 190.00-460.00.
Goats:
Selection 1 (per cwt): 325.00-400.00.
Selection 2 (per cwt): 230.00-305.00.
Kids - Selection 1 (per cwt): 325.00-375.00.
Goats: Selection 1 (per cwt): 290.00-375.00.
Selection 2 (per cwt): 205.00-320.00.
Selection 3 (per cwt): 192.50-200.00.
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 135.00-165.00.
Bucks/Billies - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 195.00-210.00.
Wethers - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 180.00-265.00.
Replacement Goats:
Nannies/Does - Selection 1-2 (per cwt): 160.00-395.00.
Families - Selection 1-2 w/<20 lbs kid (per cwt): 235.00.
Families - Selection 1-2 w/<20 lbs kid (per unit): 260.00390.00.
National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report 3/24/23
Receipts This Week: 88,991
Early weaned pigs are 7.00 per head lower, and feeder pigs are 3.00 per head lower. Demand started the week steady and then fell on moderate offerings.
Volume By State Or Province Of Origin: Missouri 2.5%
Total Composite Weighted Average Receipts and Price
(Formula and Cash):
All Early Weaned Pigs: 85,852 head, wtd. avg. 42.84.
All Feeder Pigs: 3,139 head, wtd. avg. 85.89.
Barrows and Gilts Purchased Swine (including Packer Sold)
National Head Count: 5,098
National Price Range: 69.00-77.00.
Western Cornbelt Wtd Avg Price: 75.44. Western Cornbelt 5 Day Rolling Avg: 77.83.
Mo. Weekly Hay Summary 3/24/23
It continues to be extremely wet across the state. There has been little to no field work completed at this time. An ever so small number of pastures and hay fields have been fertilized but so far there hasn’t been enough dry time to make for any rush on buggies yet. Heavy rains and the probability of flooding is expected over the next few days across the Ozarks. Hay feeding is decreasing with each passing day as cattle start to chase grass but some sun is needed before grass can really get ahead of grazing pressure. The supply of hay is light, demand is moderate and prices are steady. The Missouri Depart-
ment 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.
Farming is sometimes a battle against Mother Nature, but Adam Stevens says it doesn’t have to be.
Adam and his family own and operate Piney Creek Farm, a 42-acre farm near Cabool, Mo., where they have a few dairy cows, pigs, sheep and chickens and grow vegetables.
The family moved to the Ozarks from a homestead in Oregon in 2019 with a plan to expand.
“My mom had already moved to Missouri, so we thought it was a good opportunity to chase the dream,” Adam, who grew up in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah, explained. “We were scaling up our small farm; we had done some pastured meat sales and some vegetables, so we had gotten our feet wet.”
Adam has been a student of the permaculture farming method for many years. Before moving to the Ozarks, he became a certified permaculture designer, incorporating and sometimes modifying the teachings of Joel Salatin and Greg Judy among others.
“Through the course of studies, it became very clear that there is an intelligent design in nature,” Adam explained. “I believe that design was created by God and that God works in different patterns. If we look at nature, we can observe those patterns, which will inform us of the natural laws. If we obey natural laws and mimic natural patterns, we are more in line with how things are supposed to work. That allows us to be much more efficient and, hopefully, have an easier time doing things. Nature is a force to be reckoned with, and it’s easier to work with something than against it.”
Permaculture isn’t a farming method, he added. It’s the way one views the world and solves problems.
“It’s a design language,” Adam said. “When you use the ap-
propriate language, the natural answers come out. If you can properly describe a situation, you can find the right answer to your questions. We pull from a wide variety of disciplines to solve our problems, looking at it through the view of permaculture. There is no permaculture garden; it’s not plant this next to this. There are all the ways people can garden or farm; some are going to fit within a permaculture view, some are not.”
An example Adam offered was that wild blueberries occur in nature, but there will not be large, natural blueberry fields.
“You can have a 100-acre farm and have 30 acres of berries that you can mechanically harvest, which is perfectly fine, but the way you lay it out and interact with the system would be different,” he said. “I wouldn’t put in 30 acres of just blueberries because nature doesn’t work that way. You will never find a mono-crop in nature; it doesn’t exist. We look at a robust ecosystem, and there are layers there. For ex-
ample, blueberries are shrubs, and that’s only one of the six layers, so what else can you grow in that space? If you stumble upon a wild blueberry location, you have the blueberries, but you would also have trees, the ground cover, different things that flower, and so forth. It’s not just the things we plant; it’s that cohesive system we are working to design and build . The patterns are the same, but the systems and scale are different when someone designs a homestead, as opposed to someone trying to build a 100-acre farm.”
Permaculture is also about the interaction of systems in a beneficial way.
“As we look at the different elements of our farm, it’s not just one thing; what else can I do with it, and how can I connect the output of one thing to the inputs of another,” Adam said.
Manure from the milking parlor area is collected and moved to a compost pile. Once the compost pile is fully operational, it will be managed by the chickens.
“Any spent grain from the dairy cows in the manure, the laying chickens work the compost system, pick it out and spread the manure. We will mix in other waste, like spent hay, scraps from the garden and other compostable things, and the chickens will get a good part of their food from the compost system. They will scratch and turn the compost, add their own fertility to it, and that compost will then go into the garden.
“I have taken three typically unrelated things and connected them all so the outputs of one and the inputs of the other. On a homestead scale, if we completed that loop, I can then grow food to feed my cows at milking time instead of buying grain.”
The managed grazing program is one operational “loop” on Piney Creek Farm. The dairy cows move through a paddock first, followed by the flock of haired sheep, then the Kunekune/American Guinea
Continued from Page 20
Hog herd, and finally, the chickens.
“They all eat differently and have different components in their manure,” Adam said. “Your cows and sheep compete a little, but there are things the sheep will eat that the cows don’t and vice versa. The cows go first and get the cream of the crop; the sheep are the next level after that. The pigs eat differently than the cow or the sheep, and the pigs will spread out the manure looking for the spent grain. The chickens are the clean-up crew and will spread the manure because they are looking for the fly larva.”
The pigs and chickens, Adam added, also disturb the seed bank and can quickly build soil if managed correctly.
There is no set pattern in the rotation of paddocks, and movement has several variables.
“For the pigs, we have breeding stock
to manage, so they aren’t always going to move right away,” Adam said. “There are some paddocks, because of drought, you don’t want to run everyone through because it is going to destroy the grass. There’s also going to be paddocks with problem areas that you want the pigs to fix for you because they will root out blackberries, shrubs, trees and such and help convert it to grassland.”
Timing, Adam added, is also a contributing factor to the rotational pattern.
“That’s where you, again, get into recognition of patterns within nature,” he said.
“We can say, ‘this is what’s going to happen when this animal is in there, and this is the aftermath.’ Last year, when we got into a drought, I didn’t want the pigs out tearing up my best pasture, so I will leave the pigs longer in the marginal land. It will be a higher-impact, longer duration, and when they leave, you will have a longer rest period and allow that land to recover.”
Adam said the forages on the farm were
primarily there when they arrived, but introducing a management system has allowed those plants to grow, and new ones have arrived.
“We have oversewn some clover, Orchardgrass and things. I will stop on the side of the road if I see a healthy stand of early rye, and I will pick that and throw it out, or if I get some little bluestem seed, but mostly we work with what we have,” Adam said. “Part of that is economics, but there is so much diversity in nature that you’re going to grow to your management. How you manage it will determine the forages you have. Some seeds can stay viable for hundreds of years in the seed bank. One thing I picked up from Joel Salatin was to graze what you have and let nature provide. If you find the stuff growing in the ditches, add that as it doesn’t need help.
“There is no scarcity in God’s system. Everything we need to exist can be provided if we would just let it and get out of
the way.”
An example Adam offered was the growth of Timothy and clover in a farrowing area last year.
“The combination of drought and keeping the pigs in one paddock longer than I typically would led them to obliterating it. I was like, “Man, what are we going to get to come back?’ I was thinking ragweed and all kinds of stuff I don’t want. But that’s not what we got. We got Timothy and clover. It’s because Timothy and clover were already in the soil, the pigs hit it hard, then it got a long rest. There was plenty of manure and urine, and the land saw an increase in fertility, so rather than bring the ragweed and annual weeds back that are repairing mechanism, it grew grass and cover because it was already repaired.”
The smaller animal breeds were selected based on their breeds’ performance in a pastured situation.
The Kune Kune/American Guinea Hogs were selected because they are small-
er, are easier on the land, and are known to forage. The pigs are also not aggressive rooters. The Cornish-cross broilers are a common pasture-raised meat bird, and the Dorper/Katahdin cross sheep offer disease resistance and hardiness.
The Stevens family offers raw milk from their dairy-cross cows, lamb, pork and chicken. Chickens are processed on the farm. Because they want the lives of animals to be as stress-free as possible, the on-farm harvest is important to Adam. The family will harvest and process animals for their use, but the animal meant for customers are done by a third party and then taken to area custom processors. The farm does not offer beef but hopes to add that product in the future.
Grain fed to livestock is an organic mix from Peterson Organics in Mountain Grove, Mo.
“I don’t think Missouri, at least our place, has sufficient nutrients during certain times of the year to meet all of the animal’s nutritional requirements,” Adam said. “We minimize the grain we give, and our current ration is 75 percent alfalfa pellets, with wheat and corn because they need the carbohydrates, other fats, and energy that isn’t always available to them. I would rather have healthy animals than stick to only grass-fed and let their health suffer. A dairy animal’s requirements are so much higher. Our sheep only get grain as a training aid to get them to come to me when I call them.”
Piney Creek Farm has downsized some of its livestock operations to refine genetics or feed costs, but they are far from slowing down.
“This is a multi-year process when you are designing and implementing holistic symptoms; there are a lot of pieces,” Adam said. “The full implementation schedule for what we want to do is between five and seven years, at a minimum. We understand what needs to happen, but you can only do so much in a day, week or year. With what we are doing, we implement as much as we can, understanding not everything is connected the way it should be.”
Age: 18
Hometown: Fordland, Mo.
Parents: Stuart and Christy Crowe
Sibling: Makenzie Crowe
FFA Chapter: Fordland FFA
Chapter Advisor: Clayton Tunnell
What is your involvement in agriculture?
“My family has black baldie cattle. I do most of the feeding, and in the winter I bust ice in the ponds.”
What is your favorite part of being involved in agriculture/ living on a farm?
“I get to learn more about cattle and what is best for them, so we can give them all the nutrition they need.”
What are your future plans? Do they involve agriculture in some way?
“I plan on playing college baseball and to get a degree involving agriculture.”
What is the best advice about agriculture you have received from adults?
“Since I like cows, I want to get a farm of my own. My dad said, ‘Get you a degree that involves agriculture and get your own farm. Since you like cattle so much, it’s like you are never working a day in your life.’”
Awards: SAE Book
By Erin Harvey
One of the biggest growing problems our state and country faces is financial exploitation. As a banker, this subject comes up unfortunately more than I would like. I’m hoping this article will help provide some tips and resources so we can all come together to stop it.
Financial exploitation has been called “the crime of the 21st century” and occurs when there is an illegal use of a vulnerable adult’s resources for another person’s gain. The vulnerable adult is at least 60 years old or disabled and between 18 and 59. He or she is tricked or coerced into handing over money to a son, daughter, relative or stranger.
Financial exploitation is the third most frequent type of abuse, neglect and/or exploitation of vulnerable adults. Chances are good that if an elderly or disabled person is being exploited financially, he or she is being victimized in other ways, too. Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services serves as the Adult Protective Services agency for the elderly and disabled and is mandated to investigate reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Adult children victimize their parents in 60.4 percent of substantiated financial exploitation cases investigated by state adult protective services agencies. The primary reasons include the easy access adult children have to their mother or father or other elderly relatives, as well as the love parents have for their children – a love which can function to lower the potential victims’ suspicions and defenses. Grandchildren and other relatives also victimize their elderly loved ones in 19 percent of financial exploitation cases, followed by friends and neighbors at 8.7 percent Those who commit the crime tend to be young or middle-aged: almost one-half are less than age 40, while almost 40 percent are between ages 41 and 59. Interestingly, an adult child will victimize a parent even if the parent is of humble means. Why? Access to the victim matters even more than the victim’s wealth. And it’s the victim’s vulnerability as well as close proximity to the exploiter, that makes him or her an easy target. Experts believe that for every case of adult abuse or neglect reported, as many as 23 cases go unreported. If you suspect an elderly or disabled person is being exploited financially, call the Department of Heath and Senior Services hotline (1-800-392-0210 ) or visit health mo.gov/safety/abuse. Provide as much identifying information as possible when making the call, such as: names, addresses, and daytime phone numbers of the alleged victim and perpetrator, any witnesses, information regarding the victim’s age or disability, and your daytime phone number. A thorough explanation of what happened, include the nature and date(s) of the incident, if law enforcement is involved, and any other information that may help the investigation.
A scam may be reported to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline (1-800392-8222) or at ago.mo.gov/app/consumercomplaint. The purpose of the hotline is to investigate alleged violations of the State consumer fraud law, and pursue legal proceedings to protect Missourians from illegal advertising and sales practices.
Making farming a little easier
Sweet little chicks find a way to make it into many people’s hearts and homes this time of year. Once the soft, feathered babes are a part of the family, there are important steps to take to make sure the chicks grow into healthy, productive chickens.
Chicks are not able to control their body temperature from the time they hatch until they reach six to eight weeks old. “It’s not until they have their full adult feathers that they can regulate their body temperature on their own,”
Tatijana Fisher, PhD, Missouri poultry
what do you say?
What is a practice you follow to make your farming operation more efficient?
specialist and Lincoln University assistant professor, said.
Therefore, during that time period the chicks need supplemental heat. Many people choose to set up a heat lamp in the brood pen to help the chicks stay warm. The chicks require the additional warmth even in the summer months. However, poultry experts also advise taking precautions to prevent the chicks from overheating. “When you are setting up a pen, make sure you are setting up an area where they can get away from the heat lamp. Have a warm end and then a cooler end,” Fisher advised.
“We cull unproductive cows, and not just because she didn’t have a calf. It could be for not having a quality calf, a bad utter or other reason.”
Beth Robidoux McDonald County, Mo.At each stage of their life cycle chickens need feed formulated for their particular life stage. For example, chickens starting to lay eggs require a layer feed which contains additional calcium for the development of eggshells and less protein because the chickens are no longer growing. “You can feed them some table scraps and things like that but that’s never going to be their whole diet,” Fisher explained. This holds true for free-range chickens as well. “Even during the height of summer when there are the most bugs, grass and the most everything. You still want
“You see people buying cattle all the time and they don’t know what the markets are. You need to know what that first and last cost is going to be. I’m also big on insurance; you have to protect that equity you’re building.”
Scott Fry Barry County, Mo.
to provide them with seed,” Fisher said. “You may see that they eat a little bit less feed because they are able to pick up a little bit of their diet from free-ranging.” A rule of thumb for the amount of feed needed is two pounds of feed, per week, per hen. Poultry specialists encourage people to place the chicken seed in some sort of feeder. Spreading the seed on the ground creates waste and increases the risk of parasite exposure.
Chickens need constant access to water. When the animals are chicks, particular attention should be made
“Being conscious every time we turn the tractor on. We try to limit that because fuel is expensive, we want to limit the carbon footprint and be conscious of our time.”
Debbie Cribbs Camden County, Mo.“We keep our cowherds sorted based on age. This allows us to manage the younger females and pairs while they are still developing. Then they are 4, we put them into a mature cowherd.”
Josh Gilbert Christian County, Mo.
to ensure the chicks don’t drown in their water bowl. Poultry specialists recommend purchasing something made especially for chicks or using a very small, shallow dish filled with rocks. Chicks can easily drown if they cannot get out of the water dish. They can also freeze if they get wet. Another option is using nipple waterers for chicks and adult birds. The nipple waterers provide a consistent, clean water source. Chicks will need to be trained to use these type of waterers.
Once the chicks become hens, they will need roosts and nest boxes. The roosts should be placed higher than the nest boxes so the chickens don’t sleep in the nest boxes. Nest boxes should be brought out when the hens reach five-months of age, in order for the hens to get used to the nest boxes prior to starting to lay eggs.
Some folks prefer to make nest boxes for their chickens, others choose to purchase them. “If you are buying one, I recommend purchasing one with the roll out feature, so the eggs roll into a container that the hens can’t get to. That makes collection easier, keeps your eggs cleaner, and reduces the likelihood that hens will eat eggs,” Fisher said. Typically, backyard flocks require one nest box for every four to five chickens. A nest box is not needed for every bird. However, if there are only four or five chickens, set up two nest boxes simply to give them an option.
When building a coop, it’s advised to use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. Chicken wire is less expensive, but many predators can easily break through chicken wire. “Use chicken wire to protect your garden from your birds, don’t use chicken wire to protect your birds from the world,” Fisher stated.
Poultry specialists emphasize the importance taking preventative measures to keep disease away from flocks. Implementing biosecurity measures will go a long way to keep flocks protected from illnesses.
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
STOCKTON - STOCKTON - Hwy B, 250 Ac. Really nice, mostly open property for livestock & hay production, upland & bottom ground, pipe corrals, well, Cedar Creek flowing through entire property $1,125,000
LOCKWOOD - LOCKWOOD - 160 Ac CR 41. Open and level pasture ground just north of Lockwood, fenced, rural water. $720,000
SQUIRES - 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
ALDRICH - ALDRICH - 237 Ac., Hwy 215, Really nice property overlooking Stockton Lake, mostly open, ponds, cattle tight fencing, road frontage on 3 sides ...................................... $832,000
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
Special Cow Sale
Saturday • April 15th • 4 p.m.
Feeder Wean-Vac Special Sale
Wednesday • April 19th
Special Dairy Sale
Tuesday • April 25th
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
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
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
EVERTON - 130 Ac. Dade 117. 1.4 miles of road frontage on three sides, open, fences, well, pond, pipe corals, great views........... $715,000 tomkisseerealestate.com
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
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
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 ....
$7,888,200
417.882.5531
By Cheryl Kepes
24300 McDonald Dr.
MO 65536 jack@jbarjlimousin.com www.jbarjlimousin.com Jack (417) 588-6121 Josh (417) 664-0913
(417) 664-1186
COMPANY
Horned & Polled Hereford & Angus Bulls
Josh & Mindy Menzies 417-425-5659 • Marshfield, MO jmenzies79@gmail.com
BULLS PRIVATE TREATY 3/25/24
Soil compaction may create problems for producers in areas on their properties they may not have considered. A compacted area prevents water from infiltrating the soil thus causing stress to trees and plants, creating muddy spots prone to cause foot rot, and decreasing the lifespan of ponds. However, there are ways to reduce soil compaction and minimize its impact.
Livestock appreciate grazing in wooded pasture especially in the heat of the summer. But allowing heavy-hooved animals, such as cattle and horses, to continuously graze the area can compact the soil near tree roots. “What happens with compaction is all the voids and aerobic pathways through the soil profile are being compacted down so now when it rains water just runs off and it doesn’t infiltrate very well,” Nathan Bilke, district conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, said. “Then the trees get stressed because they don’t get very much water.” The compacted soil causes the tree to suffer and makes them more prone to disease.
This can be particularly frustrating for producers planning to utilize their wooded area to cultivate nut crops or to harvest timber. District conservationists recommend allowing livestock to graze in the woodland parts of property, but to limit the access. One way to limit the access is to fence off the wooded area with a permanent or temporary fence. Then, the animals can occasionally graze in the woods at the producer’s discretion.
In the same token, controlling livestock access to water will reduce compaction
problems near water sources. For example, fence cattle out of the pond while giving them limited access to the water. Hoof action around the pond bank can compact the soil and cause soil to wash into the pond. This will reduce the pond’s storage capacity and life expectancy. “If you don’t have water, you don’t have anything,” Bilke stated.
Additionally, compaction problems can occur near waterers. The waterers are a drawing point for livestock causing compaction areas around the water tank or automatic waterer which can turn into mudholes. District conservationists recommend implementing heavy use area protection measures in these situations. Installing geotextile fabric and gravel around the area can reduce problems.
Minimizing the impact of compaction throughout pastures can be achieved through the combination of several management practices. “A lot of things work together to offset the issue of compaction. So, having good forage resources and water distributed across the landscape is important and that will help,” Bilke explained.
During severe weather conditions, such as a drought or extremely muddy conditions, consider choosing a single paddock instead of letting cattle roam throughout the pastures. “When the soil is muddy or the weather isn’t right and you don’t want to cause issues across the place for a long period of time, put them in a paddock you don’t mind sacrificing that you can rehab later,” Bilke advised. When the stressful time has passed, producers have to rehab only part of their pasture instead of all of it.
Last spring’s heifer calves are fast approaching their first breeding season. As producers work to develop and manage replacement females there are a few things to keep in mind. First, growing heifers from calf to cow takes time, money, and discipline. “Heifer development is expensive and sets the stage for the rest of the cow’s lifetime production,” Paul Beck, Ph.D., extension beef cattle nutritionist with Oklahoma State University, said. In addition, proper heifer development is important in maintaining the genetics of a herd. “Do not cut corners, it will lead to a long depressing calving season,” Beck added. “Developing your own replacements is also not for everyone, if you do not have the right genetics or the right facilities, you are better off buying replacements from others that do.”
Producers planning to raise replacements should focus on utilizing the genetics of heifer calves born first in their calving season. “Older heifers, those born earlier in the calving season, are associated with higher fertility, because heifers that breed early in the breeding season are more fertile and will calve early in their first calving season and then tend to breed and calve early in subsequent years,” Beck explained. The genetics for fertility are passed on to their offspring.
Producers raising replacement females should monitor the heifer’s body condition closely. The heifers need to be developed to gain bodyweight without putting on too much condition. “The rule of thumb I prefer is we want to breed heifers at 65 percent of their mature bodyweight and calve when they reach 75 percent of their bodyweight,” Beck said. “Heifers that are born early in the calv-
ing season are usually bigger at weaning and performance does not have to be as high to reach these benchmarks.”
Additionally, livestock extension specialists recommend producers calve heifers in a body condition score of six. Calving requires significant energy and thin heifers may wear out before the calving process is complete. A proper body condition also benefits the female post-calving. Producers should keep in mind that the repair of the reproduction tract and continued growth are important for rebreeding, so thin heifers are harder to get back into shape before rebreeding.
Though there are now genetic tools that producers can utilize to help them select the heifers that will make the best cows, livestock extension specialists say nothing replaces visual appraisal for selecting the right type of female that will fit in the cowherd and remain functional. “Feet and legs and teat shape and placement are seemingly small details but are important for longevity of the cow,” Beck stated.
Another factor producers may want to keep in mind when choosing replacement heifers is the location of the cattle operation. Females that fit well in one environment with its forages and weather patterns, may not thrive somewhere else. “When selecting replacement heifers, mature size and milk production are tied to forage intake and nutrient requirements,” Beck added. “Consider the environment your ranch is in when selecting replacements for cows in your herd.”
Scheduling a visit from the herd veterinarian to check heifers’ pelvic areas and determine reproductive tract scores
(RTS) provides producers with additional information on a heifer’s breeding and calving ability. Experts recommend heifers be checked prior to breeding to ensure they are developing and have an adequate pelvic area.
Additionally, producers can utilize
RTS prior to breeding to assess fertility and cycling activity. “Heifers with low scores (RTS 1 or 2) are less likely to be cycling before the breeding season and are thus not likely to breed early in the season and are more likely to remain open,” Beck explained.
Whether working with pastureland, woodland, cropland or a garden, implementing a few simple practices can help an operation run more efficiently and sustainably. Some of the recommendations come with minimal out-ofpocket costs to producers.
The recommendation for producers to utilize soil tests likely doesn’t come as new information to most farmers. However, producers may not have considered the practice as a way to make their operation more sustainable and efficient.
If farmers are applying fertilizers without a soil test, then there is a chance they are over applying the fertilizer or under applying it. “If you are over applying you can be causing some environmental issues downstream in regard to water quality on lakes, streams and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico or you are not applying enough and your place is not living up to its full potential,” Nathan Bilke, district conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, said.
Experts recommend producers test their pastures an average of every two years because the nutrient levels will vary over time. A soil test in the Ozarks many times reveals the soil has an acidic pH. “Our soils are in general acidic. You wouldn’t think they would be with all the limestone and calcium but that’s how soil dynamics work,” Bilke stated. Applying ag lime to pastures will help neutralize the pH.
Another factor to consider is when pH is low in the soil it can inhibit nutrients already contained in the soil profile. “If your pH is low all the nutrients that are
banked are locked up and not available to the plant. So, that’s why neutralizing that pH will allow that soil to release those nutrients to the plant roots,” Bilke explained.
According to Bilke, there are instances in which producers continue to apply fertilizer year after year without getting a soil test. They hope the fertilizer application will cause their grass to grow but they see little or no results. Bilke says many times this is due to the low pH in the soil binding the nutrients. Lime will help neutralize the pH, thus creating a pathway for the uptake of nutrients into the plant.
Finding the proper stock density can help an operation become more profitable and sustainable. A livestock – forage balance creates an environment to assist a farm in difficult times. When the stock density is out of balance the operation may be running at a less efficient rate. A too high stock rate forces producers to buy more inputs in the way of feed and hay to get their herds through summer and winter months. When the stock density is out of balance it can be more difficult to survive a drought and other environmental stressors.
The proper stock density varies from one operation to another and depends on multiple factors. The local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) and county extension offices all have staff available to help producers determine optimal stock density for their operations.
Whether its crops, garden plot vegetables, or livestock there is value in
rotation. Rotation benefits the soil and breaks pest and disease cycles. Additionally, rotational grazing can bring benefits to livestock producers. “If you are wanting to be sustainable, efficient and increase your profit margin rotational grazing in some form is what you need to shoot for,” Bilke stated.
Rotational grazing is achieved through proper water distribution and fence layout. District conservationists encourage producers to install water and fencing systems that are flexible. Due to market fluctuations, family dynamics or other factors having a flexible system creates easier adaptability.
Additionally, utilizing cover crops in an operation protects the soil, adds nutrients to the soil and creates weed suppression. “Cover crops are a really important thing to inject into your operation whether it is a garden or a commercial cropping operation,” Bilke added. Cover crops utilized in a livestock operation provide additional forage and protect soil.
Farmers managing acres of woodland for nut crops, recreation, tree harvesting or other uses have the opportunity to receive expert advice on how to best care for their woodland. Forestry management experts will assess the woodland and develop a plan. The plan outlines what steps are needed to make the woodland healthier. This is a service provided at little or no cost by the Missouri Department of Conservation, NRCS or SWCD programs. Additionally, keep in mind most every county has an office with agricultural experts who are available to give technical advice specific to the region and to offer cost-share programs.
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
April 2023
3 Pasture Weed & Livestock Fly Control Workshop – 4-6 p.m. – Gainesville, Mo. – Cost: Free – for more information call 417-256-2391 or kenyons@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/l1d
4 Talk and Soil and Nutrient Management in the Garden – 6-7:30 p.m. – First Baptist Church, 801 N. Cedar Street, Rolla, Mo. – Cost: Free – to register call 573-458-6260 or visit go.ozarksfn.com/oxv
5 Free Pasture Week & Livestock Fly Control Workshop – 2-4 p.m. – Ava General Baptist Church, Ava, Mo. – pre-registration is required – to register call 417-683-4409 or visit go.ozarksfn.com/69f
6 Container and Raised Bed Gardening Workshop – 6-8 p.m. – Osceola, Mo. – to register call 417-646-2419
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
6 Sheep and Goat Production Management Workshop – 6-8:30 p.m. – Southwest Research Extension and Education Center, 14548 State Hwy H, Mt. Vernon, Mo. – register by April 3 – for more information call 417-276-3313 or davismp@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/fcu
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 – 8:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m. – University of Missouri Southwest Research Center, Mt. Vernon, Mo. – register by April 3 – for more information or to register call 417-466-2148
10 Pasture Weed & Livestock Fly Control Workshop – 3-5 p.m. – Mountain Grove, Mo. – Cost: Free – for more information call 417-256-2391 or kenyons@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/8h1
10 Produce Safety for Community Gardens and Home Gardeners – 6-8 p.m. –Online via Zoom – Cost: Free – register by 4 p.m. on April 10 – for more information contact Justin at 573-324-5464 or justin.keay@missouri.edu –register online at go.ozarksfn.com/5nm
11 Home Food Preservation - Water Bath Salsa Canning – 5:30-8:30 p.m. – Cost: Free – Cuba Bakery, 60 State Hwy P, Cuba, Mo. – for questions call 573-775-2135 – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/4rn
11 Native Warm-Season Grass Workshop – 11 a.m.-1 p.m. – Hunter Civic Center, 201 W. Jasper Street, Versailles, Mo. – Cost: Free – for more information call 573-378-5358 or rossjo@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/lpr
12 Accessible Garden Kick Off Event – 10-noon – 428 East Highland Avenue, Nevada, Mo. – Free event - for more information call 417-448-2560
12 Annual Abner W. Womack Missouri Agriculture Outlook Conference – MU Bradford Research Farm, Columbia, Mo. – register at mizzou.us/WomackConference
12 Women in Dairy - Grison Dairy & Creamery Tour – 12:30-4 p.m. – 608 E. State Street, Mountain Grove, Mo. – to register call 417-847-3161 or visit go.ozarksfn.com/q3t
13 Pasture Weed & Livestock Fly Control Workshop – 3-5 p.m. – Cost: Free –Houston, Mo. – for questions call 417-256-2391 or kenyons@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/y7t
14-5/24 Walk With Ease Program – Wednesdays & Fridays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. – Ozark Finley River Greenway Trail, Ozark, Mo. – Cost: Free – space is limited, registration required – to register call 417-581-3558 or visit bit.ly/3Jhfr3L
15 Niangua FFA 3rd Annual Machinery and Farm Equipment Consignment
Auction – 10 a.m. – Niangua High School Parking Lot, 301 Rumsey Street, Niangua, Mo. – to consign call 417-224-4163
17 Home Food Preservation - Pressure Canning – 5:30-8:30 p.m. – Cost: $20 –Cuba Bakery, 60 State Hwy P, Cuba, Mo. – for questions call 573-775-2135 – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/vkq
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
18 “Morning in the Garden” Gardening Series “Choosing Summer Annuals” –Free class – 10 a.m. – Taney County MU Extension Gardeners Demonstration Garden, Forsyth, Mo. – for questions call 417-546-4431 or taneyco@missouri.edu
19 Pasture Weed & Livestock Fly Control Workshop – 2-4 p.m. – Cost: Free –Alton, Mo. – for questions call 417-256-2391 or kenyons@missouri.edu –register online at go.ozarksfn.com/991
19-21 Phelps County Grazing School – St. James, Mo. – to register contact Stacie at 573-364-6202 ext. 3 or Stacie.Mannis@usda.gov
19 Phlox and Monarda: Great Perennials – 10 a.m. – free to attend, no registration required – Kimberling Area Library Community Room, Kimberling City, Mo. – for more information visit mgozarks.com
20 Community Meeting for a New Recycling Center – 5:30 p.m. – Ava Senior Center, Ava, Mo.
20 Nubbin Ridge Homemakers’ Club “How to Care, Maintain and Decorate with Potted Plants on the Porch” – 10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Lion’s Club, Ava, Mo. – to register call 417-543-5642 or 417-683-4889
21 Freeze Branding Workshop – 11 a.m.-3 p.m. – Cost: $30 – Wurdack Extension & Education Center, 164 Bales Road, Cook Station, Mo. – to register call 573-438-2671 or visit go.ozarksfn.com/bwq
22 First Community Earth Day Celebration – 10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Central Park, Carthage, Mo. – for more information contact Erin at 417-358-2373
24 Container and Raised Bed Gardening Workshop – 6-8 p.m. – Polk County Fairgrounds, Bolivar, Mo. – no cost to attend – to register call 417-326-4916
25 Container Gardening – 10:30 a.m. – Taneyhills Community Library, Branson, Mo. – free class and open to everyone – for more information visit mgozarks.com
26-28 Howell County Grazing School – West Plains, Mo. – to register call 417-256-2391
1 Missouri Century Farm Application Deadline – for more information call 573-882-7216
2-3 Distillation Workshop – Missouri State University Winery and Distillery, Mountain Grove, Mo. – Cost: $450 – Limited to 8 participants – for questions contact Leslie at 417-547-7516 or LeslieAkers@missouri.edu – register online at go.ozarksfn.com/o4j
8-10 Hickory County West Central Grazing School – 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. – MU Extension Office, Hermitage, Mo. – register by May 1 – 417-745-6767 or wheelerjr@missouri.edu
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8-10 Wright County Grazing School – Hartville, Mo. – to register call 417-741-6195 ext. 3 or carol.ellis@swcd.mo.gov
10 Missouri Steer Feedout Entry Deadline – for more information call 417-276-3313
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
13 Growing Green Education Day and Plant Sale – 8 a.m.-noon – Rolla Downtown Farmer’s Market, Rolla, Mo. – 573-458-6260
13 Long Lane Lions Club Cattle Show – 10 a.m. – Open to Youth ages 5-21 – Entry Fee: $5 per head – 25 Park Trail, Long Lane, Mo. – call or text for more information 417-533-2627
13 Missouri Waster Pesticide Collection Event – Crane, Mo. – for more information call 573-751-0616
April 2023
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 31st Anniversary Edition Renaissance XXXI Sale – Chappell’s Sales Arena, Strafford, Mo. – www.charolaisusa.com
8 FHCC Spring 2023 Open House Bull Sale – New Bloomfield, Mo. – 608-279-3172 or 703-587-9959
8 Fink Beef Genetics Bull Sale – Fink Sale Facility, Randolph, Kan. – 785-293-5106
8 Hebbert Charolais Ranch 41st Annual Bull Sale – Hebbert Sale Facility, Hyannis, Neb. – 308-458-2540
8 Lucas Cattle Company Simmental and SimAngus Bull Sale – Cross Timbers, Mo. – 417-998-6512 or 417-399-1241
8 Ozark & Heart of America Beefmaster Breeders 45th Annual Spring Sale & Futurity Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. –979-229-6563
11 Sydenstricker Genetics 18th Annual SydGen Influence Sale – New Cambria Livestock, New Cambria, Mo. – 573-581-5900 or 573-473-9202
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 – 417-664-6936 or 573-280-4633 – www.heartofamericagelbvieh.com
15 McBee Cattle Company Spring Selection Day Sale – at the ranch, Fayette, Mo. –573-228-2517
15 Missouri Charolais Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. –
15 New Day Genetics Spring Bull Sale – Cunningham Livestock, Salem, Mo. – Cunningham Livestock, Salem, Mo. – 406-581-7835 or 256-590-2487
16 “Morning in the Garden” Gardening Series “Japanese Maples” –Free class – 10 a.m. – Taney County MU Extension Gardeners Demonstration Garden, Forsyth, Mo. – for questions call 417-546-4431 or taneyco@missouri.edu
17 Preserving and Using Herbs – 10 a.m. – free to attend, no registration required – Kimberling Area Library Community Room, Kimberling City, Mo. – for more information visit mgozarks.com
19 Preparing for Farm Succession Planning – 6-8:30 p.m. – Cost: Free – Phelps County Courthouse Multipurpose Room, 200 N. Main, Rolla, Mo. – to register call 573-438-2671 or visit go.ozarksfn.com/yq4
23 Salsa Gardening-Part 1, Let’s Get Growing – 10:30 a.m. – Taneyhills Community Library, Branson, Mo. – free class and open to everyone – for more information visit mgozarks.com
15 The Power Performance Pedigree Registered Angus Sale – Mountain Grove, Mo. – 417-293-8002
20-21 Flint Hills Third Annual Spring Sale – NextGen Cattle Company, Paxico, Kan. – 785-213-1753 or 785-580-6883
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 Bull & Female Sale –Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 417-327-7870
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 18th Annual Great American Pie Limousin & LimFlex Bull & Female 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
May 2023
6 Heartland Highland Cattle Association 12th Annual Spring Highland Cattle Auction – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. –417-345-0575 or 309-251-5832
7 JD Bellis Family Herefords Three Generations Raising No Excuse Herefords Production Sale – at the Farm, Aurora, Mo. – 417-466-8679
13 Mead Farms Female Production Sale – Mead Sale Headquarters, Versailles, Mo. – 573-216-0210 or 573-302-7011
19 Show Me Select Replacement Heifer Sale – Joplin Regional Stockyards, Carthage, Mo. – 417-276-3313
27 National Braunvieh Field Day – McBee Cattle Company, Fayette, Mo. –573-228-2517
June 2023
9-10 Missouri Junior Cattlemen’s Association Replacement Heifer Show & Sale –Missouri State Fairgrounds Youth Building, Sedalia, Mo. – lisa@mocattle.com
4/1 Estate of Jerry & Beverly Long – Lowry City, Mo. • Wade Auction Service
4/1 Sims Estate Farm & Equipment Auction
– Windsor, Mo. • Dick Hutchison
Auction and 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
4/29 27th Annual Farm & Ranch Equipment
Consignment Auction – Bolivar, Mo.
•
Diamond S Auction Real Estate Company
4/1 Gerald & Jennifer Sutton Estate
Auction – Louisburg, Mo. • Crawford
Auction Service, 417-998-6629, crawfordauctionservice.com • See Our
Ad on Page 35
4/19, 4/22 Charles Lormis Two Day
Auction – Lebanon, Mo. • Crawford Auction Service, 417-998-6629, crawfordauctionservice.com • See Our
Ad on Page 35
4/1 Betty & the late Jerry Laney Auction –Verona, Mo. • Holders Auction Service
4/1 Estate Auction – Galena, Mo. • Foster
Auction & Appraisal Service
4/8 Estate Farm Auction – Carl Junction, Mo.
• Venture Group Auction
4/8 Guns, Vehicles, Tractors, Equipment & More Auction – Protem, Mo. • Melton
Auction & Realty Company
4/8 Montgomery Farm Equipment Auction
– Rogersville, Mo. • Diamond S Auction
Real Estate Company
4/29 Dolly Jean Owens Real Estate Auction – Shell Knob, Mo. • Stump ’s Realty & Auction Service, Inc.
4/29 Estate Auction – Pierce City, Mo. • McKnight Auction Company LLC
4/29 Tractor, Implements, Pickup, ATV & More Auction – Brookline, Mo. • Melton Auction & Realty Company
4/30 Estate Auction – Crane, Mo. • Foster Auction & Appraisal Service
4/8 Bill Reese Estate Auction – Hartville, Mo. • Auctions by Mike Sherman Auction Service
4/15 Estate of Andy Myers Auction –Marsh eld, Mo. • Glenworth Auction & Realty, 417-767-4345, glenworth.com
• See Our Ad on Page 35
4/22 Estate Auction – Mountain Grove, Mo. • Chadwell Auctions LLC
4/29 137 Acre Farm & Personal Property Auction – Marsh eld, Mo. • Chadwell Auctions LLC
4/29 Gun Auction – Houston, Mo. • Rick Dixon Auctions
4/29 John & Eileen Warner Estate Auction –Bucyrus, Mo. • Scheets Auctions LLC
4/29 Real Estate Auction – Marsh eld, Mo. • Glenworth Auction & Realty, 417-7674345, glenworth.com • See Our Ad on Page 35
4/1 Wise Brothers Consignment Auction –Kingdom City, Mo. • Wheeler Auctions & Real Estate, 660-327-5890, wheelerauctions. com • See Our Ad on Page 29
4/8 Consignment Auction – Belgrade, Mo. • Turner Auction Services
4/10 Randolph County Real Estate Auction –Moberly, Mo. • Wheeler Auctions & Real Estate, 660-327-5890, wheelerauctions.com
• See Our Ad on Page 29
4/15 Farm Consignment Auction – Jackson, Mo.
• Sample Auction Service
4/15 Junior Sandy Estate Gun Collection
Auction – Richmond, Mo. • Steve Ritter Auctioneering LLC
4/15 Lentner Farm Equipment Auction –Lentner, Mo.
• Scotty’s Auction Service
4/20 Public Tack Auction – Puxico, Mo. • Sandy Smith Auction Company
4/22 334 + Acres with 3 Ponds & 5,631 sq. ft.
Custom Built Home Ranch Auction –Lincoln, Ark.
• Auction Management Group, 479-790-5513, AuctionMG.com •
See Our Ad on Page 13
4/22 omas & Sherry Miskle Auction –Montgomery City, Mo. • ornhill Real Estate & Auction Company
4/29 Absolute Moniteau County Real Estate & Personal Property Auction – California, Mo.
• Wheeler Auctions & Real Estate, 660327-5890, wheelerauctions.com • See Our Ad on Page 29
4/22
Blankenship Estate Auction – Rogersville, Mo. • Glenworth Auction & Realty, 417767-4345, glenworth.com • See Our Ad on Page 35
4/22 Real Estate, Vehicles, Tools, Furniture & More Auction – Nixa, Mo. • Melton Auction & Realty Company
4/5 Equipment Online Auction – bidding closes 4/5 at 10 a.m. – bigiron.com • Big Iron Auctions
4/6 Augustin Farms Retirement Online Auction
– bidding closes 4/6 at noon – bigiron.com • Big Iron Auctions
4/8 Baugh Estate Auction – Leslie, Mo. • Brehe Auctioneering Service
— ANGUS —
Bradley Cattle - Marshfield, MO417-848-3457brucembradley@hotmail.com
Double H Ranch - Ava, MO -
816-896-4600
Mead Farms - Barnett, MO573-216-0210 - 573-280-6855
Menzies Cattle CompanyMarshfield, MO - 417-425-5659 - jmenzies79@gmail.com
Pitts Angus Farms - Hermitage, MO417-399-3131 -
www.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
— BRANGUS —
Horsehead Ranch - Talala, Okla. - 918-695-2357 -
www.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
— HEREFORDS —
Jim D. Bellis - Aurora, MO -
417-678-5467 - 417-466-8679
Journagan Ranch - Mtn. Grove, MO - 417-838-1482
Mead Farms - Barnett, MO573-216-0210 - 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.comwww.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, MO417-848-3457brucembradley@hotmail.com
Dunseth Farm - Halfway, MO417-445-2256
Watkins Cattle CompanyHarrison, AR - 870-741-9795 –870-688-1232 –
watkinscattleco@windstream.net
the ability
produce
following AP style and a strong initiative. Must be able to meet deadlines and follow through with projects.
Freelancers are required to travel to farms to conduct interviews and take pictures.
Many
Ash Grove - 417-751-2433
MFA Agri Services
Aurora - 417-678-3244
Coop Assn. #86
Bolivar - 417-326-5231
Farmers Exchange
Buffalo - 417-345-2121
Farmers Exchange
As an extension of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), the Food and Drug Administration has added prescription-only rules for injectable, oral (bolus and liquid) and mastitis treatment forms of the same antibiotic classes included in earlier regulations.
That means there’s an even greater need for livestock producers to focus on enhanced disease prevention efforts and antibiotic alternatives. Good, complete nutrition, environmental management, low-stress animal handling, herd biosecurity, proper vaccine and parasite control programs, and timely use of products with MFA’s Shield Technology may lessen the need for antibiotics and help them work better when they are needed.
Take action today to make this next regulatory transition as smooth as possible and keep your herd healthy and high performing.
Cassville - 417-847-3115
MFA Agri Services
Fair Grove - 417-759-2525
Farmers Exchange
Golden City - 417-537-4711
MFA Agri Services
Lamar - 417-682-5300
MFA Agri Services
Lebanon - 417-532-3174
MFA Farmers Produce EX #139
Lowry City - 417-644-2218
Farmers Exchange
Marshfield - 417-468-2115
MFA Agri Services
Mt. Vernon - 417-466-3752
MFA Agri Services
Ozark - 417-581-3523
MFA Agri Services
Stockton - 417-276-5111
Farmers Exchange
Urbana - 417-993-4622
Farmers Exchange
Weaubleau - 417-428-3336
Farmers Exchange
antibiotic medications previously available over the counter will require veterinary prescription.