Eye on Agribusiness features Bill Copeland Bobcat and Fencing

eye on agri-business meeting the needs of farmers

Bill Copeland Bobcat and Fencing

By Laura L. Valenti

Owner:

Location: Family:

Bill Copeland (pictured with son Hunter) Pittsburg, Mo. Wife Laura and son Hunter (11)

History: Bill Copeland grew up on a dairy farm in St. James, Mo., so working with equipment is second nature.

Along with the help of his wife, Laura, they began their business in 2004, clearing land with chain saws and an early tree shear.

“Today, we operate a couple of skid steers with tree shears and a brush hog that makes the work a lot faster and easier,” Bill said. “We also use an excavator with a tree shear, as well as a boom mower.”

Photo by Laura L. Valenti Services: Services provided include land clearing, habit management – including the eradication of undesirable trees and shrubs, such as invasive species – and building brush piles for wildlife and land restoration.

“We work to reclaim old fields,” Bill explained. “For conservation agencies that usually means providing brush piles for bobwhite quail, rabbits and wild turkeys. For farmers, it includes restoring overgrown fields and making them useful once again and may include adding hedgerows. It allows the farmer to reclaim unused fields and to better utilize all parts of his land.

“We work all over the state and with the Missouri Department of Conservation in Southwest Missouri. We do a lot of work in the Truman Lake and Pomme de Terre Lake areas. We rehab, open up trails and restore existing trails. We also do levee mowing and mowing of pond banks which, of course, can be dangerous if you don’t have the right equipment for it. We do a lot of heavy-duty brush-hogging.

“I also have a commercial applicator license so we cut and spray to control re-growth of some species. We are careful to use ‘clean’ chemicals. A lot of the problems people have experienced in the past with chemical applications is not reading and complying with the instructions that come with the product. Misuse has contributed to many of these problems.”

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At Home: Bill and his family have about 25 head of commercial cows, Charolais-Gelbvieh crosses, as well as 13 hogs.

“I went to AI school years ago so we are planning on using AI with a clean up bull in the future, but right now we are just taking care of the animals we have on 187 acres outside Pittsburg.

“Hunter helps with the pigs and also has rabbits, dogs and barn cats,” he added with a laugh. “With all of it, we stay busy, especially at this time of the year.”