Higher Yields in Stocker Calves
On the north and east slopes of the tenth highest hill in Missouri's Douglas County is a sea of fescue and clover dotted with Angus cattle hugging the shade of the trees.
Raising Hay for His Steers
Jerry Floyd is a man who knows what he likes. Living on his 120-acre Webster County farm, near Marshfield, Mo., with his wife, Doris, Jerry was a dairy farmer until about 12 years ago. Since then he has been raising steers.
Cattle & Goats: A Good Mix
"A happy goat has its tail up,” Donna Allen of Rose Hill Farm east of Lebanon, Mo., shared on a recent walk through her pasture, which includes 18 registered Boer goats. Donna and her husband, Cecil, a former truck driver have Allen & Allen Limousins, and for the past six years, have also raised Boer goats, the meat goat breed originally developed in South Africa.
Good Advice Is Good Forever
In 50 years as an Angus breeder, Kenneth Elbert has found that the middle of the road isn’t all that bad a place to be.
Producing for the Customer
Double J Ranch is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Operators Ronald and Will James of rural Mindenmines, Mo., recalled many family dinners put on hold to show bulls to customers, and the father and son duo laughed about a time when they were stopped one Easter Sunday, mid-egg hunt, to show a bull to an interested customer. The bottom line is, Double J Ranch tries hard to give their customers what they want.
Ride, Show and Win
For his parents, it was a babysitter. But now it’s become a profession.
A Hard Cull to Keep Them Tame
Raised on a farm near Urbana, Mo., Larry Glor said, “I never could quite get it out of my blood.” Although he milked before he was married, almost 42 years ago, he has been in the beef business since.
It’s Not Junk
"It’s all born of laziness,” said Larry Marah in reference to his farm equipment inventions. “I got old and tired of doing everything by hand. Maybe if I was easier to get along with, I wouldn’t have to build so many one-man machines,” he chuckled.
The Elite Meat
In 2008 Rebecca DeLong decided that it was time for a change after 14 years in the medical industry. She wanted to get back to the farm life, be her own boss and keep her own hours. Although Becky was raised on a dairy farm, she was quick to say it did not fully prepare her for her new career.
Life in the Land of Opportunity
A black and white photo hangs on the wall of the Edmundo Quiñonez home in western Dallas County that shows a 13-year-old boy and other family members riding in a horse-drawn buckboard wagon across the dry desolate countryside of Durango, Mexico. The scene could easily belong to the mid-19th century instead of the mid-20th century when it was actually taken. Edmundo Quiñonez, owner of 220 acres, 100 Black Angus cows and three horned Hereford bulls, smiled as he pointed out that he is the young teen in the photo.
