Harold Trump is recognized as both an outstanding farm and livestock producer. He has lived his entire life in Clark County and was born on his Grandpa Neumann’s farm just west of Kahoka. Trump will be honored at the 2012 Missouri Livestock Symposium on December 7 when he is inducted into the Missouri Livestock Symposium’s Hall of Fame.
He began his career with four free pet lambs from Clell Gutting. He had a flock of registered Corriedale sheep, was driving his first tractor (C-Allis Chalmers), and baling hay by the age of nine. He could hardly wait to get home from school and get to the fields, on a horse or caring for livestock.
In 1950 he purchased two registered bred Angus heifers from his Step-grandfather. One got hit by lightning the first summer and the second one had bull calves the next four years. By the age of twenty he began to build his registered Angus female herd with 20 to 25 cows and sold the calves as fat cattle.
In 1952 he bought ten steers and fifty feeder lambs from Delbert Gutting. He signed a note with Delbert and continued to do this each year through high school. He also fed out thirty feeder lambs of his own.
When he was a freshman he custom hay baled with a new New Holland 66 square baler purchased from Delbert Gutting with no money down and four years to pay off the note. Harold did Delbert’s baling and others and was able to pay off the baler in two years. Delbert thought he needed a new baler, which he purchased and ran for about 12 years. The first baler cost $850 and he charged five cents per bale.
From 1970 to the present he raised and sold commercial bulls. In the 80’s he and Gerald Brunk raised show steers. They received recognition at the State Fair, Louisville and the American Royal. They had the grand champion pen of five at the American Royal two years and Reserve Champion in Louisville one year. He quit raising show steers in the early 90’s to breed more heifers to sell at area sales and privately.
Harold is an early participant of the Missouri Show-Me Select heifer program. He had his first sale in 2000 and has continued to have his own annual bred heifer sale each year on the Friday following Thanksgiving.
Harold is currently serving as an MFA Agri Service board member, University of Missouri Greenley Research Farm Advisory Board member, and Industrial Opportunities, Inc. board member. He has been a member and former consistory member of the Saint Paul United Church of Christ, a Missouri Cattlemen’s Director, ASCS county committee member, and board member on the Northeast Missouri Rural Telephone Board. He has also served on the Clark County University of Missouri Extension Council and is a long time member of the Missouri Livestock Symposium committee.
Harold has been honored with many awards and recognitions. Some of these include the State FFA Farmer Award and District FFA Foundation Farm Mechanics Award in 1957, the Goodyear Conservation Award, the University of Missouri Farm Management Award, and the NEMO Outstanding Commercial Beef Cattle Producer Award in 1989. Always one to assist, Harold was one of the hosts for the Missouri State Beef Tour in 2001 and has hosted numerous area, state and foreign group farm tours over the years.
Harold has been quoted or featured in several agricultural magazine articles including an article in the Missouri Ruralist on “Managing Employees” and in the High Plains Journal in an article about the development of quality replacement heifers.
Like most excellent producers, Harold is blessed with an outstanding farm wife, Marvis. They have two children: Marla and Mark. Mark is deceased. They have one granddaughter, Karlee and one step-granddaughter, Kristel.
The Missouri Livestock Symposium is proud to add Harold Trump to the Missouri Livestock Symposium’s Hall of Fame and recognize him as the 2012 Missouri Livestock Person of the Year.
The Missouri Livestock Symposium will be held Friday, December 7 from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, December 8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Symposium features nationally known speakers on beef cattle, forages, sheep, meat goats, stock dogs, around the farm and home topics, and more. It also features a free beef dinner on Friday evening, December 7 and a free Governor’s Style Luncheon on Saturday, December 8 at noon. No registration is required to attend and there is no cost to attend. For additional information on the Symposium program or trade show, go to www.missourilivestock.com or call the Adair County Extension Center at 660-665-9866.
University of Missouri Extension provides equal opportunity to all participants in extension programs and activities, and for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without discrimination on the basis of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
