Hometown: Elkland, Mo.
Family: Wife, Twyla
In Town: Kyle Jones works at Webster County Road and Bridge. He has been working there for four and a half years, and operates a road-grader.
“I like big machines. I don’t get tired of it. You’re out there on your own; nobody bugging you. It isn’t too bad,” he said.
The biggest problem he has is “people driving too fast. People come over a hill and you can’t get out of the way fast enough.”
In the winter he pushes snow, cleans out ditches and still grades roads.
In the Country: Kyle has a farm near Elkland, Mo., where he raises Hereford cattle. On his 93 acres, he has 20 cows and their calves, plus a Red Angus bull.
He likes the Hereford breed because “they’re gentle, easy, calm, and easy to handle.”
Kyle got his start with cattle from his grandpa, Vernon Jones.
“He gave me a calf and I had to do chores to pay for it. No money exchanged; just labor,” Kyle explained.
He has been farming all his life, but has been doing it “pretty regular for the last 20 years,” he said. While he was in school, his family milked, but Kyle has only had beef cattle since he has been on his own.
He takes vacation to put up his hay. He puts up around 300 big round bales, and Kyle still puts up around 300 small square bales. Working off and on the farm, there are never enough hours in the day.
“Working and doing that is hard,” he commented. But he loves the “satisfaction in seeing what you’ve accomplished.”
The best advice he ever received is, “You never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. Every day is different. It’s unpredictable,” Kyle said.
“If you really enjoy it, give it your all because it will come back to you.”
Future Plans: “Hopefully my kids or grandkids will keep it going. I have a 9-year-old grandson who really enjoys it and helps about every weekend, if he hasn’t got ballgames,” Kyle stated.
