Hometown: Bradleyville, Mo.
Family: Husband Jeremiah, daughter Presli (13) and son Lane (12)
In Town: After her children entered school, Bethany Jussel returned to school and obtained her registered nursing degree.
“I started in the ER, and being in the ER got me into doing Botox,” Bethany said. “I got away from the ER and opened my own business.”’
Bethany started Bethany Jussel Aesthetics (Rural Beauty and Botox) and operates clinics in Forsyth and Ava.
In the Country: The Jussel family owns about 220 acres near Bradleyville and rents an additional 300. Jeremiah is a foreman with White River Electric, so Bethany does most of the day-to-day chores and a custom haying operation.
The cattle herd is about 100 commercial cows. They have a mixed calving season.
“For us, it’s better to have a few calves throughout the year,” she explained. “We are getting ready to transition into a registered herd (either Angus or Black Herefords), but that’s a process of getting it built and everything transitioned over. It took us a long time to build 100 head of cows, so it’s not going to happen overnight.
“We’re doing a lot of research. I also raise Corgis and I know how to do the genetics and dig into what we want, so my husband has put me onto the genetics to try and build what he’s looking for.”
In addition to doing their own haying, the Jussels also have four or five clients they serve each year, as well as harvesting Bethany’s grandparent’s farm near Ozark, Mo.
“That’s mostly my job,” Bethany said with a laugh. “He tells me where to cut and where to bale.”
Bethany said her children, Presli and Lane, are also active on the farm, working where they need to help out.
“They have been pulling trucks and trailers since they were about 5,” Bethany said. “They do the horse thing with us, work cows off their horses and are getting into roping. It’s super handy to have them home and be able to jump on a tractor while I’m baling. They rake for me or do whatever they need to do.”
Bethany and her husband Jeremiah grew up around agriculture, having horses and cows around, but they are not “generational” farmers.
“We had to start from scratch. So many people inherit farms and have people to guide them; we had to figure it out on our own,” she said.
Bethany added she and Jeremiah are true partners.
“He’s been a blessing. He has taught me everything I need to know to maintain the farm, be it feeding, fertilizing, spraying or whatever,” she said. “He sees me as his farming partner and as an equal.”
