meet your neighbors
A Blessing in Disguise By Rachel Harper
The Cooper family took a vacant farm and transformed it to Stormy Farms
Sam Cooper says his Jasper County, Mo., farm is his playground, and he finds it very calming and relaxing.
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Photos by Rachel Harper
The farm is mostly based on organic and Sam Cooper grew up sharing time with his parents between Re- non-GMO farming practices. They curpublic, Mo., and Santa Cruz, Ca- rently have 500 chickens, 50 hogs and four lif. In Missouri, he worked on a dairy farm cows. Most of the chickens are broilers and after graduating high school, enrolled with some laying hens. The hogs are mixed Hampshire’s, Large Blacks and Gloucesterin the Army, serving for 22 years. In 2015, Sam’s wife Joanie encouraged shire Old Spots, and the cattle are mixed him to re-establish contact with his adopt- Angus and Hereford. All of the animals ed dad Ted Watkins, who lived in Califor- are raised non-GMO and on pasture. The chickens live in chicken tractors nia. Sam took her advice and met up with Ted in Carthage, Mo. During the visit, Ted and are moved daily, never being on the took Sam out to his farm and asked him if same piece of ground twice in one year. The cattle are almost 100 percent grass fed he had any interest in running it. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was a but get a pound of cubes that are 18 perkid,” Sam said. “So of course I jumped on it.” cent protein and non-GMO, mainly just No one had done anything with the house to get them accustomed to people more or the farm for more than 10 years. Ted had than a feed source. Their pasture for the hogs and cattle conoriginally bought the farm 30 years ago for his brother who started a dairy farm, but when his tains fescue, clover, field peas, oats and a cover crop mix. brother died the farm was left vacant. They look for healthy cattle in their In August 2017, Stormy Farms in Carthage, Mo., became an unexpected oppor- breeding stock to provide a quality meat tunity for Sam and Joanie. Sam decided for their customers. The cattle are not to name the farm after his late sister Ju- vaccinated, nor do they have added horlia (Stormy) Storm Cooper-Watkins who mones. Antibiotics are only given as a last passed away at the age of 26 while Sam was resort. Their chickens, hogs and cattle are all butchered and sold at the farmers marstationed in Korea. With this grand opportunity, Sam and kets in Webb City, Mo, and Springfield, Joanie started working on the farm right Mo. They also sell organic eggs. Sam takes care of the animals while Joanie away by remodeling the house, cleaning tends to the garden. Joanie’s son Justin Yancout the trees and putting up fence. “It was a blessing in disguise,” Sam said. ey also helps with the farm chores. Joanie A former deputy sheriff, Sam continued to maintains the farm’s website, Facebook page work as a truck mechanic in Springfield, and all phone orders. They hope to start onMo., until March 2019 when he was able line orders in the next couple years. Collecting rainwater for the animals is just to come to the farm full time. one way they have taken advantage of evStormy Farms is 260 acres, ery opportunity natures provides. with the main 73 acres where “Chickens put nitrogen back in the they live and raise their anisoil, cows put manure in the soil, mals and vegetables. The other and we want to use everything as two farms are used for hay proeffectively as possible rather than duction. The Coopers have been Carthage, Mo. depleting the ground,” Sam said. trading their hay for cattle in They want to get the microhopes of one day running animals biome in the ground back up on all their farm ground.
Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
AUGUST 31, 2020
