As a boy, Darrell W. Hamlet was nicknamed "Tuff" by his uncle. The name stuck, and through the past 80 or so years, he's lived up to that name. Tuff owns 500 acres near Louisburg, Mo. He grew up working on his dad's dairy farm just west of Louisburg. "My dad made a living milkin' cows by hand," said Tuff, who spent much of his time as a youngster milking cows. He worked on a farm all throughout high school and joined the U.S. Army shortly thereafter. "They sent me to Germany for two years during the Vietnam War. I don't know why I didn't go to Vietnam but I still really enjoyed my time in the army," Tuff added.
Even during his time in the army, the name Tuff stuck. "The standard procedure is to always refer to people in the army by their last names, but no matter what, everyone called me Tuff," he said with a smile.
Shortly after returning home from Germany, Tuff bought the 500 acres with a beautiful spring that runs right through the land. He lives on the same farm, in the same place, that he bought 55 years ago – though the original house burnt down and was rebuilt. "I named this road Hamlet Road years back," Tuff said. He started out as a dairyman, for 12 years. He also grew corn, oats, wheat and alfalfa at times during his younger years. But as soon as he got into the cow/calf operation in 1969, he never went back to the dairy or row crops. He turned all of his fields into fescue/alfalfa pastures to run cattle on and to bale hay. His brother still milks cows just up the road from him, but Tuff spends his time running about 130 mama cows and 500 acres worth of fields on which to bale hay or graze cattle. "I've always baled all of my own hay – or pretty much all of it," he added.
Tuff buys his cows at a local public auction, and buys as many or as few as he needs or wants at the time. He sells feeder calves every few months at the Monday sales at Urbana, Mo.
At over 80 years old, Tuff is still running a one-man operation, except for a part-time hand who works for him on special projects here and there.
"In the past couple of years I finally gave in and bought a new John Deere covered tractor so I don't have to eat dust all summer," he smiled.
Tuff works every day just as long and hard as he ever has. "But it's been a lot harder for me the past few years after I lost my wife," Tuff said, soberly. But, still, Tuff says he never wants to retire.
If Tuff isn't out working, he might just be found at the local coffee shop, having breakfast with his fellow farmers and friends. And on the farm, in town or abroad, everyone who meets Tuff would agree, he does live up to his name. A tough old farmer, still doing things right at the farm.
