Missouri Neighbors

Limousin cattle are the focus of Pinegar Limousin. Make no mistake about that. But when it comes to improving the breed, Ty Heavin, ranch manager at Pinegar is quick to point out the advantages and benefits of the increasingly popular LimFlex. LimFlex can be a cross between anywhere from a 75 percent Limousin and a 25 percent Angus to 25 percent Limousin and 75 percent Angus.

Ted Anderson grew up around cattle on a farm in Osage County, Kansas but was unfamiliar with the obscure Dexter breed. Even through his studies at Kansas State University and upon graduation with a degree in Zoology, Ted never encountered the small breed. It wasn’t until his retirement from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), after 30 years of inspecting overseas pharmaceutical manufacturers that he discovered a charming variety of miniature cattle and knew it was just right for his small farm in Strafford, Mo.

"Longhorn cattle are more than horns and hides,” stated Greg Brown of Lucky Falling Star Ranch in southern Howell County. “People used to think of Longhorns and think of crazy rodeo cattle raised for horns. There are many other options for Texas Longhorns these days,” he explained.

Michelle Wilson's passion for horses began at age 13. Until then, she had been a city girl before her mother bought her riding lessons for her birthday. Michelle recalled, “I spent every day riding,” after her first ride.

North of Lebanon, Mo., on a tract of land bordered by the rich Niangua River, and adjacent to regal bluffs and hillsides lies an 800-acre farm with a long, rich history.

When Earnest Smith, 78, of Summersville, Mo., steps up into his climate controlled cab tractor, his thoughts must often go back to a different time and a different way of doing things.  After all, his farming experience spans eight decades and a lifetime of change.

Seth Cooper never planned on being a full time farmer, even though his parent's commercial herd was home to over 400 cows. But time does have a way of changing things. He went to college on a football scholarship and got a degree in biology. Seth's dad, Randy, owned the general store, Longview Grocery and Lumber Supply, in the small town of Rocky Comfort, Mo., for about 20 years before Seth came home from college and became his dad's partner in both the farm and the store.

Dr. McDonald Bonebrake has had a long relationship with Hereford cattle. His early days were spent at the family farm in Salem, Mo., working with the Herefords his dad traded for sheep in the 30s. Even after “Mac” left home for medical school he still had a desire to settle at a place in the country, with a few cows of his own. Mac began practicing medicine as an obstetrician and gynecologist in Springfield, Mo., in 1952. He bought a farm east of town, and his dad got him started with a few Hereford cows. That was in 1953.

What does a retired mail carrier and a busy teenager have in common? Other than being a grandfather and granddaughter and wanting to stay busy, Polled Herefords seem to be the perfect answer. Over the years Lendell Voris and his kin have developed a high quality Hereford herd through dedication and hard work.

It was the landscape that captured Jerry Peck as he drove through southern Missouri in 1996.  Originally from Michigan, Jerry was living in Georgia and was delivering a load of calves to the West Plains, Mo., area.  “I went home and told Judy, ‘I’m movin’.  Pack up if you’re comin’ with me!’”  Soon the couple was back in Howell County looking for the perfect property to buy.