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Expanding Through Faith By Laura L. Valenti
Ralph Koehler took a chance on a new cattle operation and a new farm When Ralph Koehler, who Three years into a 10-year lease was born and raised in the on the new farm — and after Competition, Mo., area, much work and expense in fencwent looking for pastureing and cross fencing to establish land to rent, he had no idea paddocks for rotational grazing in what he would find. conjunction with assistance from Looking over nearby land, USDA and Natural Resources he stopped at a house, not that Conservation Service, and their far from his home, just down grazing school — the landowners the road from the Competition decided to move back to the city. store and knocked on the door. Ralph’s heart sank as he reHe explained his situation to the alized all his hard work might owner of 80 acres across the road be for naught. The owners surfrom his parents, Ralph and prised him when they told him Mary Koehler, in eastern Laclede how much they wanted for the County. He was looking to lease land and that they really wanted more land and increase his cattle him to have it. He was astoundoperation. He currently has a 40ed but grateful as he calculated head cow/calf operation with the needed down payment after commercial cows, but he wants a couple of weeks of extra hard to gradually expand that to a reglogging. And then it rained – for istered Red Angus operation. days. As the deadline drew near, Ralph Koehler was looking to The woman who answered the Ralph had less than half of what move into registered Red Andoor, looked at him with tears in he needed. gus when he found a farm to her eyes as she said, “I’ve been “And then I was surprised by rent, the same farm he evenpraying to God that He would a call from my accountant,” he tually bought. send us someone to help us with announced with a grin. “She told this farm. And now here you me for the first time in years, I are....” Photo by Laura L. Valenti had received a tax refund. Now I Ralph was more than a little takwas more than halfway to where I en aback but he has learned over the years, not to be surprised at God’s touch in an needed to be, but still short a couple of thousand.” ordinary life. The landowner explained a relative had originally bought the farm as an That was on his mind as he pulled up to his mailbox and was sharing his predicament escape from the city but now they were trying to figure out exactly what to do with the with one of his loggers that day. acreage since they had no farming equipment and were not farmers, but city dwellers. “Wouldn’t it be great if one of those stimulus checks they keep talking about on the In looking over the farm, Ralph, who worked as a flooring installer for many years news would show up about now? And there it was, in that day’s mail,” Ralph recalled and now is in the logging business as Ozark Mountain Logging, explained a great deal with a wide smile. “There is no doubt in my mind that God was in this from the beof work would be needed in terms of fencing to keep cattle out of the woods ginning.” and brush hogging of fields that had not been worked in several years. As a final result, a way of giving back, Ralph and his sons and some friends plan While he was willing to do that work, there would need to be a contract, to build a large log cabin they can use to host area church youth groups to come detailing the length of a lease, the terms and the lease amount. and learn about God’s amazing grace and enjoy life on the farm. The landowner countered if Ralph was willing to do the work and put in “I can’t really say, I bought this farm. The truth is I acquired it through God’s the fencing, it would be enough payment. grace from the first day I knocked on that lady’s door.” Ralph and his wife Stacie suddenly found themselves in business on land Competition, Mo. And today, fields that were once in neglect are glowing green with warm that may not have been theirs, but Ralph and his sons worked it as if it was. and cool season grasses as spring comes once again to the Ozarks and Their efforts did not go unnoticed and ultimately, not unrewarded. Ralph Koehler prepares to expand his cattle business. MAY 23, 2022
Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
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