Family: Three adult children, Zach, Zane and Alexis.
Hometown: Willow Springs, Mo.
In Town: Steven Privette is an attorney and has ran his law office in downtown Willow Springs, in the that building was originally the town’s post office, for 31 years.
He has served the people of Willow Springs and the surrounding areas as a general practice attorney for 34 years. He employs two other attorneys, including his son, Zane.
“We do general practice – just about everything except federal cases,” he said, “Most of our practice is civil litigation.”
In the Country: Steven got started raising beef cattle in 1987 when a client paid him with four black Angus heifers and a bull, and he has continued since that time.
“I like raising livestock. It’s a good way to raise kids. It teaches a good work ethic. Farm kids do well.,” Steven said.
His children – Zach, who is a firefighter in Columbia, Mo.; Zane, who is an attorney at the law firm; and Alexis, who is a student – grew up helping with farm chores, cutting hay and taking care of bottle calves.
Steven still keeps a single Holstein cow that belongs to Alexis.
When the cow calves, the proceeds of the sale of that calf go to Alexis’s college fund.
Steven focuses his operation on producing Angus and Angus-cross cattle for the Show-Me Select Program.
“It’s a University of Missouri-Extension program,” Steven explained. “They are sold at certain sales around the state. They have vet checks for certain standards. The cattle are not registered, but they are top-quality commercial cattle. They bring premium prices.”
He runs his closed herd of about 85 head on two different farms. He keeps his brood stock on 162 acres around his home and Willow Springs, and the balance he runs on about 400 acres near Pomona, Mo.
Future plans: “My goal is to have a lot of top-quality cattle. We have topped the market several times, and I think that’s a reflection of using those Show-Me heifers.”
