It feels good to have my feet back in the Ozarks and introduce myself to you – our loyal readers.
I grew up in the Ozarks in what folks call “Booger County” – don’t laugh, it’s true. For those of you scratching your heads – that’s Douglas County, around Gentryville. My folks have ranched there for more than 30 years now, running a beef cattle operation. I grew up riding horseback, showing cattle, swimming in Brush Creek and hunting in the hills as a child with my brothers and dad. Many summers were spent on the farm preparing our cattle for fairs and there were many lessons learned through FFA, the showring and on the farm.
But, a new path called and led me away from our beautiful Ozarks to attend college. I still remember when my parent’s dropped me off at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and the feelings of excitement and sadness that overwhelmed me. All I knew that was pure and good laid on our family farm – now it was time for me to grow and walk along a new patch that had many bumps and bruises along the way. I longed for the farm, the smell of cattle, clear creeks, mom’s cooking and the voices of my family everyday while away at college.
After 4 years of school I graduated with a degree in Agricultural Education and Communications. I remember one of my brothers asking me, “What are you going to do with a degree like that?” I smiled and said, “Simple – I’m going to tell the story of agriculture.”
For the past 6 years I’ve worked in agricultural marketing, while my husband and I lived in Jefferson City, Mo. Both myself and my husband are from the Ozarks, he from Mt. Vernon and I from Mountain Grove. During our years in Central Missouri we looked for many ways to move back south to be near family and the farm, but the stars were never quite aligned perfectly.
Last November, my husband and I begun a new path as we welcomed our first son, Caston Ray! It’s amazing how life changes when a baby comes. We wanted our son to be close to the farm and his roots. Plus, both sets of grandparents had been waiting on this bundle of joy for quite some time, and it didn’t take long before we knew it was time to come home to the Ozarks.
For the past year I have written for various publications and worked as a marketing consultant helping small farmers find new ways to market farm products. My son has had quite the year himself, traveling with me on farm trips to places like berry and livestock farms, pumpkin patches, farmers’ markets and orchards. I feel blessed to be able to spread the positive word of agriculture and share local recipes of all flavors with you in the future!
Until next time friends…
