Neighbors

Show winners. Best of Breed. Texas Grand Champion… all right here in this area at Rooster Ridge Farm located in Texas County southeast of Houston, Mo. Dr. David Dale and his wife, Carol, raise Fox Trotter horses, Gaited Mules and Sicilian Miniature Donkeys. They have a medical practice in Houston, but when they come home it is boots and jeans.

What happens if the back part of your farm is covered in blackberries and poison ivy? And yes, you are allergic to poison ivy. One solution might be to buy some pygmy goats. That’s exactly what Hank and Michele Yoos, of Nashville, Mo., did over six years ago.

Most of the time when people say ‘you’re seeing red,’ it’s a bad thing. But at Reinert Family Farm, seeing red (and black and gold) means you are looking at John and Denise Reinert’s fine herd of Gelbvieh and Red Poll cattle near Billings, Mo.

Nancy Edgerly’s 660-acre Silver Hill Farm is located just south of St. Joe, Ark. Nancy and her husband moved here from California about 16 years ago. Over the years she’s learned more than the average goat herder about raising Boer goats. Nancy manages her current herd of a little over 200 does on her own. Although her husband helps out and she has a handyman who lives on the property, Nancy prefers working one-on-one with her herd. She said, “You have to be very observant to be a goat herder.” If it’s a scratched utter or a case of pinkeye, sometimes hired help doesn’t see what’s happening. Personal care makes for a long day, but Nancy enjoys what she does.

Sometimes the history of people is determined by the history of the town in which they live. Such is the case with Bill and Joy Stoner. A major turning point in the history of Miami, Okla., was the closing of the BF Goodrich Tire plant. Until that time Bill worked for Miami Stone which made woodstoves, fireplaces, brick and brick machines for the housing industry. Because Bill was gone so much of the time, the couple lived in town and simply never moved, even when they became full-time ranchers. Joy said, "We decided to go to full-time ranching, and the Lord provided." Joy also developed a church-based preschool and learning center to help women who were forced into the workforce as families adjusted to the closing of the plant.

Nou and Lormung Lo came to Arkansas for a vacation and, at the urging of other family members, moved to Lincoln, Ark., in 2004 to become part of the poultry industry. While her husband ran a tax business, Nou ran six chicken houses for George's with money from their 401K, the sale of their home in Omaha, Neb., and some borrowed and long since paid back to family members.

With swiftness and agility, Heartquest Erin moves effortlessly within the show arena. His well-muscled body appears of mass and strength, but that is just a small part when compared to the ability he possesses due to his training and natural temperament. Hearthquest Erin gained first place in Reining at the World Champion Morgan Horse Show in Oklahoma City, Okla., in October of this year.

Dennis McCulloch of Laclede County is proof that author Thomas Wolfe’s oft quoted ‘you can’t go home again’ isn’t always right. Raised as one of eight siblings in Lebanon, Mo., like many a young man after high school, Dennis went west, looking for his own adventures.

In Wright County, near Norwood, Mo., Eugene Ussery raises Beefalo cattle on his 322-acre farm. At the present time he has 150 head of Beefalo.

Mike and Alicia Ketcher live in Bunch, Okla. Both are lifetime members of the FFA, and Alicia was the Northeast District FFA State Vice President. The couple strongly believe in the importance of 4-H and FFA. Mike said, "Those organizations teach leadership and responsibility and as a result produce excellent citizens."