Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an agricultural tour of the seventh congressional district with Congressman Billy Long. The tour was very educational and believe it or not, I had never been to any of the operations that were on the tour. So not only did I get to meet Congressman Long and other people from the Ozarks, I also got a chance to learn something.
The first stop was to Primatara Farms, just north of Springfield, Mo. Primatara is owned by Robert Low, who also owns Prime Trucking, in Springfield. I’ve got to admit, this farm was very impressive. The Lows breed thoroughbred racehorses. That was the first time this small town girl had ever seen barns of that quality but when you’ve got horses that win races, they need the best care.
Our second stop of the day was to Reckitt-Benckiser, home of French’s mustard. It’s hard to believe that every bottle of French’s mustard consumed throughout the world originated in Springfield.
I must say thanks to the College of the Ozarks for hosting lunch. Everything they prepared for us was grown and prepared by their students. Following lunch we toured the campus. If you haven’t been to Hard Work U before, you should go tour the campus and be sure to check out the tractor museum.
Congressman Long’s staff then took us to Highlandville, Mo, home of the biggest house and smallest chapel in the U.S. or at least that’s what I was told. Rumor has it Christian County will be home to a nearly 73,000 square foot high rise, but that really has nothing to do with the tour.
Getting back on track. Tucked away in Highlandville, is the home of Mountain Springs Trout Park owned by Charlie and Melody Krause.
The strangest thing happened at Mountain Springs – believe it or not, I saw a Rottweiler herding trout. He jumped into the spring and had a school of trout pinned to one side. They were swimming in circles as if they were just waiting for the dog to let them go. Sounds odd, right? I guess you will just have to drive out to Highlandville and see it for yourself.
Last stop was Greenworks Wholesale Nursery also located in Highlandville. We were able to tour the many greenhouses and enjoy some of the finest watermelon.
I want to thank Congressman Long and his staff for hosting the agricultural tour along with each place we stopped. Last but not least, a thank you to Farm Bureau for feeding us after the tour and to the Missouri State University Agricultural Department for inviting us to the new Christopher S. Bond Learning Center.
Larry Purdom, Missouri Dairy Association president and a dairy farmer from Purdy, Mo., expressed this, “we are extremely happy and thankful that Congressman Billy Long is concerned about the future of agriculture.”
