Missouri Neighbors

A small herd of Highlander cattle grazing on a farm in the midst of the rolling Ozark hills can, for a moment, transport you to the Scottish Highlands. These small gentle beasts known for their ability to adapt and survive in rugged terrain have found a place in the heart of Jerry Delcour, wife, Janet, and daughter, Jerica, in Hurley, Mo.

Most people have seen uprooted trees; whether the result of a bulldozer or a spring storm, it is not an uncommon sight. When a tree is uprooted, we miss the shade or the scenery, but we also soon learn that the missing tree leaves a hole. No matter how a landowner tries to fill in the hole, it is always noticeable for years afterward. The same is true when a member of the community passes away.

Why do Jerrod and Julie Ball of Exeter, Mo., raise Boer Meat Goats? “Because someone fell in love with the babies,” said Jerrod as he glanced over to his wife, Julie. But it is evident that the sweet kids are just one reason for using goats in farm diversification. The goats have also become an important 4-H project for their son, Jason, 11, who enjoys training and showing both doelings and meat wethers. Last year Jason and his older sister, Jessica, showed three doelings in several area shows.

Hope comes in many different forms for many different people but probably four-hoofed is not most folks’ first notion when the word is mentioned. Horses of Hope, a therapeutic riding program, located just south of Buffalo, Mo., is working hard to change that perception.

Ricky Jenkins believes that you have to sell quality if you are going to sell anything. He won’t sell any of his livestock that he wouldn’t keep for himself. He is quick to cull out of his herds anything that doesn’t quite meet his standards, and they are pretty high for good reasons.

A beautiful herd of Brangus cattle can be seen north of Monett, Mo., at the Vaughn homeplace.  Their home and farmland are positioned next to the original Vaughn homestead and the family business, Vaughn Trucking Company.

A trade 76 years ago laid the foundation for Steve Greene’s new career. In 1936, Bonebrake Herefords was established in Salem, Mo., after Mr. Bonebrake traded his herd of sheep and a shotgun for Herefords from a man in Illinois. Since then, the farm has expanded from it’s original location to include 400-acres in Greene County.

When Fred and Gay Mason opened their Gay Parita gas station in 1930, the highway it served was the great thoroughfare of the nation.

Jim McDonald has been farming long enough to know pretty much what it will cost to raise a calf to a desired weight.

The Brooks family owns a farm in Webster County near Marshfield, Mo. They also own and operate Brooks Gas Company.