Steve Graham
In Town: Steve Graham started Steve Graham Construction five years ago in Springfield, Mo. Steve worked as a plumber for more than 20 years, but the recession that hit in 2008 left him wondering what he would do next. Instead of finding a new line of work, Steve started his own company.
Steve Graham Construction has flourished since it began and has customers across the Southwest Missouri region, and beyond. In Mount City, Mo., the crew refurbished the exterior of a silo, which was turned into a commercial property.
“We do everything from plumbing to doors and windows, to decks and remodels,” Steve said.
In the Country: Just over a year ago, Steve and his wife Chandra, who works in the health-care field, moved from Springfield to a small farm in Christian County.
At their property, they continue to look for their “farm niche.”
“We’ve had up to 65 animals at one time,” Steve said. “That was rabbits, chickens, geese, pigs, mules, goats, sheep, cattle, horses, donkeys … Just a little of everything.”
The Grahams have hand-raised raised most of their livestock, including calves and lambs they acquired as bottle babies.
While the couple admits to not having any farming experience, they are learning – thanks to a little research, some good advice from neighbors and lots of hands-on work.
“You can’t learn it if you don’t get in there and do it,” Steve said. “Farmers have a lot of jobs. I’ve been dad, grandpa, veterinarian, excavator and undertaker. We butchered our first lamb a while back, so now I’m the butcher, too.”
Both Steve and Chandra were raised in rural areas, but country living never appealed to Steve as a young man. Chandra agreed.
“When I turned 40, I really missed it,” Steve recalled. “I wish we would have done it years ago so that all our kids could have been a part of it. I guess it’s just in my blood.”
The couple has a blended family of five children, ranging in age from 11 to 22. While the older children visit the farm, it’s the youngest, Olivia, Chandra said, who will be the “farm girl.”
“She loves it,” Chandra said, adding that the hobby farm is teaching Olivia life lessons. “She has seen the circle of life. It has also shown her if you commit to something it doesn’t stop when you get tired.”
The couple is planning to develop a rotational grazing system that will help them better utilize their pastures.
