• Hometown: Buffalo, Mo.
• Family: Husband, Wesley; daughters, Evangeline (10), Elinor (8), Elaina (6), Edith (4); and sons Warren (2), Walter (4 months)
In Town: Inspired by her grandmother, Megan Young taught herself to knit in 2017. It wasn’t long before Megan fell in love with the world of fiber arts. So much so that she began working and teaching at a yarn shop in Springfield, Mo. Her passion and knowledge quickly grew as she became part of the local fiber arts community. “And then,” Megan said, “God provided us an opportunity to purchase the shop. We decided to focus the shop on building a community of people who love to create. I’m not working to build a yarn empire; I’m working to create a legacy of knowledge passed down to future generations.”
In the Country: Megan spent her early childhood on a small farm in Fredericktown, Mo., before her family moved to Springfield.
“I’ve spent more of my life in the city than in the country, but I always wanted to get back to those farm roots,” she said.
Today, Megan, her husband Wes, and their six children own and operate a small farm in Buffalo, Mo. Focusing primarily on fiber, they run a mixed herd of alpacas and wool sheep, including Border Leicester, Cheviot, Shetland, Friesian and Babydoll Southdown. The wool harvested each year is processed and spun into yarn right on the farm then sold at Megan’s yarn shop, The Village Yarnery.
“Our focus is to raise hardy, easy-care animals with great wool that can also feed our family as needed.”
In addition to fiber, Megan uses her herd to clear their overgrown pastures.
“Each animal has a purpose. We started with just chickens but have quickly expanded to have animals that can work our land and make it livable for us,” she said.
There is a balancing act between her country and city life, but they make it work.
“My husband is the real hero. He is my partner in every way, and we tackle things together. We also have six kids that are a great help. The great thing about our farm is that we make it work for us. There are busy seasons, like shearing, lambing, but for the most part, there’s a simple and pleasurable routine that we follow every day. Wes works at a church in Springfield, we homeschool, and I run the shop, but there’s always time in the day for what is important.”
