Missouri Neighbors

From commercial herds to show-driven breeding programs, Josh Stephans of Elkland, Mo., has experienced a lot for a young farmer. “I’ve seen many different management practices,” shared Josh. “I now know how I want to develop my herd and management program.”

According to Jim Vavruska, “Yes dear. That’s the key to staying married for 50 years.” Jim and his wife, Pat, own a 142-acre dairy farm 4 miles west of Rader, Mo. The couple has been married for over 50 years and they’ve milked cows just as long. If you do the math, the Vavruskas have made over 36,500 trips to the milk barn, and it’s all coming to an end when spring arrives. Four years ago, the couple sold their Holstein bull and bought a registered Angus bull. The result, a very slow transition to a stock-cow operation that has narrowed their herd of Holsteins down to 14 milking cows and 6 dry, in preparation for their retirement. In addition to their dairy cows, the pair has built up a herd of about 50 stock cows through their method of transition.

Bryan Nelson believes operating a farm takes a lot of heart and he exudes plenty of passion when it comes to caring for his flock of sheep. But this shepherd also utilizes his off-the-farm knowledge to guide his farming decisions. “I am a ceramic engineer from the University of Missouri-Rolla. I have spent a lot of my career in research and science. So the genetics fascinate me,” Bryan explained. Bryan, his wife Debra, along with daughters, Sarah and Abbie, raise Fullblood, Purebred and Percentage Dorper sheep on their 27-acre farm in Bolivar, Mo. In 2005, the family moved to Bolivar from Portland, Ore., to fulfill Bryan’s childhood dream of returning to the Show-Me state and owning a farm.

You can get just about anything you want at Millsap Farms, including an education about market farming.

When Rick and Rita Cameron got tired of paying premium prices for local, grass-fed and antibiotic-free meats, they decided to take on the task themselves. Now, they work to offer high-quality, natural and antibiotic-free, beef, pork, eggs and produce on their farm in Shell Knob, Mo.

Timbers Edge Farm is a beautiful place – it is peaceful, secluded, and overlooks the western side of Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Refuge. It is also where JR Combs and his granddaughter, Sophia, raise and train their champion Missouri Foxtrotters in Spokane, Mo.

The small settlement of Ben Davis, Mo., in the western part of, Texas County, is home to a very diversified farming operation, Spring Hill Farms. Duncan and Tara Smith now own this farm that has been in the Smith family since 1970. It does, indeed, have many springs and a live creek flowing through the property. They have two Grade A dairy barns, a cheese plant, a beef cattle herd and a commercial Pumpkin Patch. Even though they’ve had the dairy for several years, they were recently licensed as a cheese plant in 2012.

“If my cows get out, they’re in the next county before I know it,” joked David Hirschler.

Some of the best family traditions come from not following the crowd and that is especially true with Tyler Rush. Like his father, Rocky Rush, this 25-year-old farmer maintains a profitable Red Angus herd consisting of 40 head on his 250-acre farm located a few miles east of Jasper, Mo.