Daily challenges on the farm
OWENSVILLE, MO. – Laura Hardecke grew up on her family’s 600 acre farm in rural Gasconade County where they raised hogs, Angus cross cattle and row crops, alternating corn and soybeans each year.
“I loved growing up on the farm, surrounded by agriculture, other farmers and of course, helping with the piglets and the newborn calves. I left home to attend College of the Ozarks where I majored in ag business. I was always interested in politics and during college, I had the opportunity to intern in Jefferson City for Representative Jack Jackson and Governor Matt Blunt. From 2009 through 2019, I worked for US Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer in Washington D.C. After hip replacement surgery in January 2025 and knee replacement surgery in December 2025, I ended up back here on the farm with my parents.”
Ron and Krista Hardecke still work on the farm where Laura grew up outside Owensville, Mo., the youngest of four children. They now maintain an Angus-cross cattle operation with approximately 130 cow-calf pairs, marketing their cattle through the Interstate Regional Stockyard at Cuba, Mo. and continuing with their row crop production.
Meanwhile, in 2022, due to a variety of difficult symptoms, Laura saw a specialist who diagnosed her with Lyme disease. After three treatments prescribed by the late Dr. Charles Crist in Ashland, Mo. her symptoms lessened but they did not afford her a complete cure. She was informed that Lyme disease, the result of a tick bite and the most common tick-borne illness in the country, can imitate an auto-immune disease in that while it may go into remission, it also sometimes returns when the body suffers another trauma, like surgery.
In 2024, she quit eating red meat due to struggles with gastro-intestinal issues. These also included the return of extreme fatigue, headaches, and lingering flu symptoms but also terrible stomach pains, serious GI issues as well as aversion to red meat, including beef, pork and venison, and an aversion to dairy and gluten products. All of these symptoms belong to another tick-borne syndrome, an extreme allergy known as Alpha-gal. This syndrome includes sensitivity to various animal products, even the gelatin exterior of some capsules, which may be used for various prescription, over-the-counter and supplement medications. Those struggling with Alpha-gal need to be aware of this sort of cross contamination as it affects their health. Additionally, it may be months before an individual notices or begins to make the connection between a tick bite and their symptoms of either Lyme disease or Alpha-gal.
According to the American Lyme Disease Foundation, Lyme disease is an actual disease caused by a bacteria carried by one to five percent of ticks and transmitted to a human being after the tick is attached for at least 36 to 48 hours. Alpha-gal also caused by a tick bite is a severe allergy and in extreme cases can even result in anaphylaxis and a trip to the emergency room. Both can cause a variety of confusing and conflicting symptoms including low energy, chronic fatigue, headaches, brain fog, anxiety, depression, joint pain, and lingering flu symptoms.
Laura discovered a specialized treatment for Alpha-gal syndrome known as SAAT (Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment), offered by Dr. Samantha Anderson of Salem, Mo. SAAT involves the use of very tiny needles used as an acupuncture treatment in the ear.
“The needles are so tiny you hardly notice,” Laura explained. “There is approximately three to four weeks between treatments. There are not a lot of doctors who do this and it is not covered by insurance at this time. It has been successful for me, for both the Lyme disease and Alpha-gal symptoms.”
Laura had knee replacement surgery late last year so she may need to return to Dr. Anderson after that, if like the Lyme disease symptoms, her Alpha-gal problems resurface after this new trauma to her body caused by the surgery.
Happily, she has been able to return to part-time work with the Missouri Farm Bureau Black Vulture program, providing depredation permits to farmers and ranchers across Missouri. Laura is the Black Vulture Permit Coordinator and sends out depredation permits, allowing a farmer or rancher to take up to 10 vultures, which are federally protected.
“We’ve had problems with them here, too, on our farm,” Laura added. “We had a new calf killed by black vultures last year. They can sweep in on a new-born calf at a time when the mother is vulnerable and not able to defend her new offspring as she might otherwise.”
“I’ve been involved with the Missouri Farm Bureau and their work for many years and this is a real blessing,” she concluded.
Laura also added that there are currently proposed bills in the Missouri legislature to track the prevalence and provide more research for Alpha-gal syndrome in the state.
