Missouri Neighbors

Richard and Melissa Nevills happily admit they are “horse people.” The two fell head over “hooves” in love the day Richard, who was working as a farrier, arrived at Melissa’s family farm to shoe her horses.

When Gary Baker and Louie Parker join forces, the fun can take all kinds of turns from riding in a parade on their antique John Deere tractors to nearly setting the barn on fire.

While most high school students are focused on athletics or extracurricular activities, Clayton Locke, a senior at Stockton High School, is spending his time becoming a successful entrepreneur.

While Shelby Mitchell might appear quite and even a little shy at times, the 16-year-old has the heart of a fierce competitor when it comes to the rodeo arena.

The adage, ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover,’ applies to this year’s Missouri State Fair Queen, Lani Ogle.

On his 170-acre farm, near Seymour, Mo., Randy Jenkins is growing hay in a different way – USDA certified hay.

There has always been something about mules that has drawn Les Clancy to the animal.

The goal of Aschermann Charolais in Carthage, Mo., is to help beef producers raise better feeder cattle. Larry and Peggy Aschermann’s method is to provide purebred Charolais and Charolais hybrids at their semi-annual sales in October and March.

A self-proclaimed Wisconsin “Cheesehead” has found a new home away-from-home in the Missouri Ozarks, complete with rolling hills and plenty of room for cattle to graze, as well as a new agritourism venture.

“I grew up on a dairy farm outside Norwood, Mo., but since I was 6 years old, I’ve known this is what I wanted to do,” Dalene Schober, a petite blonde with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, said as she began explaining the horse training business she operates from her home in rural Douglas County, outside of Mountain Grove, Mo.