Missy Evans
In Town: Missy Evans is the Secretary/Treasurer of NRO Canoe Rental and Campground near Bennett Spring on the Niangua River. “I work in the front office,” said Missy. “I do all of the payroll, quarterly’s, bill paying, inventory, ordering and scheduling. I even clean cabins if they need the help or run the ziplines if they need me. My life is literally on an itinerary in the summers. Each day is on a schedule.”
Missy’s parents, Bob and Barbara Burns, started NRO in 1977 with 14 canoes and 20 tubes. Today they have about 700 canoes, 225 rafts, 50 kayaks and 50 tubes plus 14 cabins for rental and house between 2,500-3,000 guests each weekend. In April 2012 they opened NRO Zipline.
In the Country: Missy and husband, Brad Evans, own and operate a beef cattle herd on their farm outside Buffalo, Mo. “I help build fence, drive post, feed or even brush hog. I do whatever is needed. With my husband and I both working off the farm there has to be a lot of give and take. Our daughter, Taylor, helps me out when Brad isn’t able to.”
The Evans’ utilize rotational grazing to help stretch their pastures. “Rotational grazing is a true chore and a challenge in the summers with balancing my time between the farm and NRO. I have a lot more time to devote to the farm in the winter.”
Making It All Work: “It takes a lot of dedication. But for me personally, I find peace in caring for the cattle and working on the farm.”
Advice For Others: “Have patience. It’s all in how you want it to work. There is no sense in having cattle or livestock if you can’t keep them in good shape, healthy and eating good feed. If you can’t make it work then you don’t need them.”
Story and Photo by Lynzee Glass
