Missouri Neighbors

Just over five years ago, Carey Portell, like many of her neighbors, was a busy working mom and farm wife, trying to get her four children to school, sports events and other appointments and praying for a way to literally, slow her life down a bit. And then just days after Christmas in 2010, she and two of her daughters were in their family’s Ford when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver.

“Management is the key,” explained Hal Ryan, ranch manager for Organic Cattle Exchange located in rural Texas County. “We just have to watch what we’re doing and make sure we follow the organic guidelines and regulations. But the basic principles of livestock production are the same.”

John Love is a thinker, and he’s always thinking of things to improve his family’s farm in St. Clair County, Mo.

Curtis Millsap calls what he does for a living “a calling.”

Horsewoman Judi Carlson once said, “When riding a horse, we leave our fear, troubles and sadness behind on the ground.”

Nothing gives one more hope for the future then sitting down to visit with a young person who displays a wealth of common sense, work ethic and a vision for the future, important qualities for owning an egg business.

The Ice family of Texas County, Mo., approached a turning point by the mid-1990s.

Will James owns and operates Double J Ranch, located in Mindenmines, Mo.

“We have been selling bulls for three generations,” explained Will, who is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Merl, and father, Ronald.

Lucas Cattle Company cattle manager Jeff Reed said there are both purebred and commercial cattle operations with the Lucas name in Hickory County, Mo.

Taressa Rankin of rural Lebanon, Mo., is a young wife and mother, who refers to herself as an aspiring horsewoman.