Editorial / Opinions

Beef cattle prices are great right now. It seems that each weekly market report establishes a new, all-time record high. My friends in the city kid me about ‘getting rich in the cattle business’ and I have even heard fellow cattleman wonder out loud, “Are they getting too high?”

I debated writing my column about the farming rights amendment passing but by the time this issue will have showed up at your mailbox it will have been two weeks since we went to the polls to vote and I am sure you’ll have been sick of hearing about it. Although, we should never tire of talking about our rights as farmers…

There are good reasons that most men don’t cook – and if I have offended any men with that broad generalization, let me rephrase it; there are good reasons why I don’t cook.

There have been some changes around our Ozarks Farm & Neighbor office, staff changes that is. After seven wonderful years with OFN our production manager, Melissa Fuller, has said goodbye to our family and started a new journey. It is a little bittersweet. Although, we will all miss Melissa there are great things in store for her.

My house is located just rural enough to have several deer munch on some of our perennial flowers. But my wife enjoys the deer and since we don’t garden they really have become part of the neighborhood. Mothers bring their fawns by and since we no longer have a dog we are able to view them on the game camera.

I’m convinced that the education I received at an old-fashioned, general store was as valuable as a college degree. Sitting around the pot-bellied, wood stove on a late, Saturday afternoon meant listening to a bunch of old men telling stories of their past and it allowed me to learn from their failures as well as their successes, for they would eventually tell of both if I sat there long enough.

The Gold Buckle Gala is always the kickoff party to the Ozark Empire Fair. Each year the event recognizes the efforts of southwest Missouri 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors who have qualified for the auction, and to award youth grants and scholarships.

I’m convinced that the education I received at an old-fashioned, general store was as valuable as a college degree. Sitting around the pot-bellied, wood stove on a late, Saturday afternoon meant listening to a bunch of old men telling stories of their past and it allowed me to learn from their failures as well as their successes, for they would eventually tell of both if I sat there long enough.

After our June 16 issue was published in Missouri, I received an anonymous letter in response to one of the articles we ran on raising and marketing naturally raised meat. Typically, we do not publish anonymous or unsigned letters to the editor. However, I’ve been really thinking about this letter and wanted to share parts of it with our readers and provide my response.

I just got back from a very dry California. Our rain has been great for all except folks who have not been able to bale all their hay yet. However, it’s the first of July and I have white clover blooming in my pasture, which means we’ve had a great year so far.