In 1995, Nick and Pam Console gave up city life for farm living in the Missouri Ozarks. These days, spending quality time with their 13-year-old son Casey is priority one, and tending to their herd of Dexter Cattle; It’s clear, the family has found their little slice of heaven, their own piece of the American Dream. Pam, a self-confessed “California Girl” who’s first love was spending summers with her grandparents on the family farm in Lake Ontario, N.Y., just couldn’t get country living out of her blood. Pam earned a bachelors degree in art; then fate stepped in and she met a tall, dark and handsome Cajun gentleman, with a syrupy-sweet southern drawl from Lake Charles, La. Soon, Casey made three, and the rest is history. The Consoles’ knew country life was for them, so they packed up and moved lock, stock and barrel to the Heartland of America-Ash Grove, Mo.
They named their spread, Fix’n to Farm, and built a beautiful brick home, and a barn for their horses. That’s when Casey, the couple’s 13-year-old football, baseball and tenor saxophone playing son comes into the picture. Then in 1996 the Consoles’ attended Ozark’s Farmfest and Pam got her first look at a Dexter. She immediately fell head over heels in love with the sweet, hearty breed. “We’re not in it for the money, we’re in it for the breed,” Nick and Pam agreed.
“The meat is just delicious, you can’t beat it. And they calve very easily, the mama will usually separate herself from the herd and you’ll know it’s about time. We’ve never had much trouble with them, they make great mothers.” That is usually true but Maggie was the exception.
It was a cold day in the Ozarks and Maggie was having a real hard time calving. “It was clear that everything we were doing wasn’t helping her have her calf, so I ran into the house and called Dr. Mozier. ‘She isn’t presenting right, her head and neck is deviated to one side,’ the country doctor said. Then he pushed the calf back inside the momma; turning her with expert hands, just right, so that she could have her calf. Then we got the calf pulled.
“I stooped down and whispered to the tired cow, ‘You’re having such a hard time girl, you’re bound and determined to have this calf no matter what,’” she said.
The Consoles’ life today is centered on family, farm and community. Nick is a substitute teacher at Ash Grove School, and he also coaches football; which makes Casey happy because he loves playing youth football. “I want to be there for my son, Pam said, I want to be at his ball games and just be with him, whatever he’s doing.” When Pam’s not working at the farm, she puts her love of animals to good use at the Ash Grove Veterinary Clinic, where she has worked for 14 years as a veterinary assistant.
Of farm life, Casey seems to say it best: “The thing I love about living in the country is the peacefulness. I always go to the pasture just to be around the cows. The Dexters are quiet, tame and fun to be around. Life on the farm and being around the Dexters have taught me a lot of life lessons that I might not have gotten living in the city.”
