Former urban dwellers now operate a farm in Pulaski County, Mo.
DIXON, MO. – Wendy Monsalvo may have grown up in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant, Mo., but the Pulaski County homesteader and her husband, Rick, originally from the state of Nevada, have moved quite a long way from her original home base, a distance not to be measured strictly in miles.
Wendy worked as a nurse for 18 years, but changes in the real estate market prompted the move in 2021.
“We were living in a development with a homeowners’ association where we couldn’t even keep a few chickens,” she recalled. “We decided it was time to make a change. My parents never even kept a garden, but my grandparents lived about an hour from Dixon, along the Gasconade River. I have great memories growing up, spending summer days on their farm, so we began looking for land in this area. We found the farm but had to sell our home quickly to make the whole thing work.”
Rick, a former Army infantryman who volunteered after 9/11, served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. A former diesel mechanic, he is now a full-time farmer.
“Missouri has several programs for veterans like Armed to Farm with the University of Missouri Extension Service and the nonprofit Homegrown by Heroes,” Wendy said. “They make financing available as well as providing a week-long course for veterans who are beginning farmers and their spouses. We both spent a week learning about finances, documenting farm expenses, information about loans, grants, seeding hayfields, all kinds of things.”
Today, the couple lives on their 80-acre farm on Cave Road, outside Dixon, where they own six Jersey dairy cows and eight Nubian dairy goats. They also raise Gloucestershire Old Spot hogs, a vintage European breed, as well as chickens, ducks and a few peacocks.
“We milk Jerseys because their milk has a higher butter fat and cream line so it makes for better butter and ice cream. We sell raw cow’s and goat’s milk from our self-serve farm stand. People message me or follow me on Facebook, and we keep a box there for them to drop the money in when they pick up their order. I only use glass jars because I don’t want to use plastic with raw milk, but that’s just me. We also sell chicken and duck eggs, seasonal produce, baked goods, and other handmade items. We keep peacocks, too, but those are just for fun.”
There was a bit of a learning curve for the couple when they began milking their Jersey cows.
“I couldn’t find anyone to teach me how to hand milk a cow,” Wendy said with a chuckle. “I watched how-to videos on YouTube and the internet, and finally found a book called Keeping the Family Milk Cow by Joann S. Grohman that was very helpful.”
To breed their herd, the couple began with AI but did not find it convenient, and have turned to using a herd bull.
They hope to continue to build the dairy herd, eventually offering dairy cattle to other homesteaders.
“You need so much help from others when you are just trying to get started,” Wendy added.
Gloucestershire Old Spot hogs are an uncommon breed in the Ozarks.
“They’re known as pasture pigs or orchard pigs because, in Europe, they were kept in orchards where they kept the ground loosened while fertilizing the fruit trees as well,” Wendy said.
“They are really docile, and their meat is quite good. The boars can easily grow to 600 pounds or more but are so gentle. I’ve raised some of the pigs for different individuals and then delivered them to be butchered, but I really prefer to sell the piglets.”
The Monsalvos have taken a regenerative approach to their farming operation, which includes rotational grazing of their larger animals and pastured chickens.
“In this way, both the animals and the land benefit,” Wendy said.
Wendy has four children, making Clemens Creek Farm a real family operation.
While they have only been in production agriculture for a short time, they are seeing tremendous growth.
“The most exciting new development is that we have outgrown our farm stand, and –are in the process of building a farm store here on our land by converting an existing pavilion. It is a unique sort of old country store style, and we hope to have it completed before the summer is over.”
