A ‘Little’ Horse Therapy
Collecting the Data
Recruiting the Right Breed
Mark Gronniger grew up in Dallas County but went into farming with a plan, as he put it, while he was still serving with the Marines. Kim, originally a city girl from Iowa, stated she met her husband while living on an Iowa farm, when he was working as a Marine recruiter there. “He recruited me, too,” she laughed. Afterwards, Mark and Kim came home to Dallas County where they raised four children on their 420 acres, outside Long Lane, Mo. Today, all but one has left home. Mark and Kim are raising 110 momma cows, calves and Red Angus bulls.
Mad for Mules
What has four legs, a tail, likes to work and has ears almost as long as your arm? Why, a mule, of course. A mule is a hybrid cross between a mare and a jack – with a combination of such diverse traits, you get the best of both worlds: the size of a horse, the stamina of a donkey and who can forget those famous ears? Bill Jackson, of Ozark, Mo., in Christian County knows these hybrid equines inside and out – he has spent more than 50 years of his life with them. “I’d rather work a mule anytime than a horse,” he said.
Backgrounding A Little Differently
"I get three to four pounds of gain this way,” said Ted Dana, of his cattle's ration. Ted, who raises registered Angus and commercial cattle in Newton County, focuses on feeding – from content to technique. He doesn’t need to be in the pen with his steers to feed them. There are concrete feeders by the pipe fence, where he uses a wagon behind his four-wheeler to shovel feed in the trough. Since he is there by himself so much of the time, it makes for better safety, and peace of mind for his wife, Judy.
Engineering the Perfect Flock
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.
Showing Off Seedstock
Bob Redfearn, or “California Bob” as he is known around Polk County was raised on a farm around Ft. Scott, Kan. He enjoyed the farm, but didn’t give it much thought when he left the farm when he was 20 years old to move to California to pursue his career. Bob was a roofing contractor and owned a variety of businesses during the 50 years he was gone.
Charolais for Easy Keeping
Fifteen years later, the hills of his 90-acre farm are dotted not with the equines he first envisioned, but with the white, sturdy bodies of Charolais cattle. The horse project just hadn’t worked out — his mares wouldn’t breed and the market was turning gloomy.