Jason Osborn, born and raised on a Howell County, Mo., dairy farm, outside Pomona has continued his family’s tradition of a life in agriculture. And like so many in the Ozarks today, that included work in a local factory for 10 years to sustain that way of life.
“I’ve been around cows all my life and showed them when I was a kid,” Jason explained recently while feeding some of his 60 mixed breed cattle, which are primarily Angus. “My parents, Donnie and Jeannie Osborn, have the dairy farm nearby. My brother, Justin, still milks cows. Now, I work as the farm manager for David Montgomery over by Willow Springs (Mo). He has registered Angus and here at home, I raise and sell calves on 125 acres.”
Jason’s wife, Amanda, works for the Willow Springs School District and together, they have a son, Tyler, 17, and a daughter, Lindsey, 15.
“Both of them have shown crossbred market hogs at fairs over the years,” Jason continued.
Tyler, a senior in high school, is president of the Willow Springs FFA Chapter and is an area FFA officer, serving as treasurer.
His interest in agriculture continues to develop, but that includes having some fun along the way. Tyler is the proud owner of four Watusi, an African breed of exotic cattle, one of which he rode in this year’s homecoming parade at his school.
“They are really just for fun. It’s all Angus around here and nobody else has anything like them,” Tyler admitted with a chuckle. “I’ve broken one, a steer named Redman, to ride but I guess you could say they are really big pets at the moment.”
Still, Tyler is quite familiar with some of the more serious sides of his family’s chosen profession.
“In FFA state contests on ag issues, I participated along with five others in 10-minute presentations on PETA, an animal rights group, and why they don’t see the positive side of agriculture. They just view what we do as cruelty to animals. On this topic, our team came in first in our area and district and we were in the top six teams in the state competition.
“I’m hoping to go to College of the Ozarks next year, filling out the forms for that now. I want to study to be an ag teacher because there is a real shortage in that area right now. Last year, there were 75 agricultural education teacher positions open, and six of them were filled with uncertified ag teachers and two were not filled at all for the 2016-2017 school year. As an ag teacher, I think it’s important to help students understand where their food really comes from. And I imagine that one day, too, I’ll be raising cattle on the side.”
Jason and Amanda’s daughter, Lindsey, also has aspirations to be a teacher, but farming is the only career path Jason ever wanted to take.
“This is the only life that ever interested me,” he said. “I started helping some neighbors when I was 14. They actually lived in Kansas City and were here every weekend and I helped out with their cattle in between. They moved here, eventually, and I worked with them and still help out the widow, now and then, when needed. Farm work, working with cattle, whether yours or someone else’s, makes for long days, but it’s the life I love.”
For the Osborn family, that’s an agriculture tradition that seems destined to continue with the next generation.
