Ralph Koehler took a chance on a new cattle operation and a new farm
COMPETITION, MO. – When Ralph Koehler, who was born and raised in the Competition, Mo., area, went looking for pastureland to rent, he had no idea what he would find.
Looking over nearby land, he stopped at a house, not that far from his home, just down the road from the Competition store and knocked on the door. He explained his situation to the owner of 80 acres across the road from his parents, Ralph and Mary Koehler, in eastern Laclede County. He was looking to lease more land and increase his cattle operation. He currently has a 40-head cow/calf operation with commercial cows, but he wants to gradually expand that to a registered Red Angus operation.
The woman who answered the door, looked at him with tears in her eyes as she said, “I’ve been praying to God that He would send us someone to help us with this farm. And now here you are….”
Ralph was more than a little taken aback but he has learned over the years, not to be surprised at God’s touch in an ordinary life. The landowner explained a relative had originally bought the farm as an escape from the city but now they were trying to figure out exactly what to do with the acreage since they had no farming equipment and were not farmers, but city dwellers.
In looking over the farm, Ralph, who worked as a flooring installer for many years and now is in the logging business as Ozark Mountain Logging, explained a great deal of work would be needed in terms of fencing to keep cattle out of the woods and brush hogging of fields that had not been worked in several years. While he was willing to do that work, there would need to be a contract, detailing the length of a lease, the terms and the lease amount.
The landowner countered if Ralph was willing to do the work and put in the fencing, it would be enough payment.
“I can’t really say, I bought this farm. The truth is I acquired it through God’s grace from the first day I knocked on that lady’s door.”
— Ralph Koehler
Ralph and his wife Stacie suddenly found themselves in business on land that may not have been theirs, but Ralph and his sons worked it as if it was. Their efforts did not go unnoticed and ultimately, not unrewarded.
Three years into a 10-year lease on the new farm — and after much work and expense in fencing and cross fencing to establish paddocks for rotational grazing in conjunction with assistance from USDA and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and their grazing school — the landowners decided to move back to the city.
Ralph’s heart sank as he realized all his hard work might be for naught. The owners surprised him when they told him how much they wanted for the land and that they really wanted him to have it. He was astounded but grateful as he calculated the needed down payment after a couple of weeks of extra hard logging. And then it rained – for days. As the deadline drew near, Ralph had less than half of what he needed.
“And then I was surprised by a call from my accountant,” he announced with a grin. “She told me for the first time in years, I had received a tax refund. Now I was more than halfway to where I needed to be, but still short a couple of thousand.”
That was on his mind as he pulled up to his mailbox and was sharing his predicament with one of his loggers that day.
“Wouldn’t it be great if one of those stimulus checks they keep talking about on the news would show up about now? And there it was, in that day’s mail,” Ralph recalled with a wide smile. “There is no doubt in my mind that God was in this from the beginning.”
As a final result, a way of giving back, Ralph and his sons and some friends plan to build a large log cabin they can use to host area church youth groups to come and learn about God’s amazing grace and enjoy life on the farm.
“I can’t really say, I bought this farm. The truth is I acquired it through God’s grace from the first day I knocked on that lady’s door.”
And today, fields that were once in neglect are glowing green with warm and cool season grasses as spring comes once again to the Ozarks and Ralph Koehler prepares to expand his cattle business.
