Neighbors

Travis Ballard lives a little north of Charleston, Ark., just across from his son, T.K. Ballard. Father and son raise broiler chickens and Red Angus cattle, and share heavy equipment, fences and ideas about farming.

For 22 years, David and Cherri Middleton ran a pretty traditional registered black Angus operation on their Lawrence County farm near Mt. Vernon, Mo.

In Christian County, near Oldfield, Mo., David and Connie Krider are raising a different breed of cattle. On their 220-acre farm, they are crossing South Poll and Tuli cattle. David said, “There are so few Tuli cattle in the United States. This is the only South Poll/Tuli cross that I’m aware of.”

Married 39 years, Stanley and Connie Bryan have lived on their 96-acre farm in Webster County near Seymour, Mo., for 37 years. They named it Post Oak Flats Farm. Stanley and Connie raise Scottish Highland cattle.

It doesn’t take Terry Davis long to answer the question, “What is unique about your farm?” He immediately answers, “We do 100 percent artificial breeding. We don’t even use a bull. Mainly what we sell are virgin bulls, breeding and show heifers.”

Jim Bray tries to get back to the old days with his herd of Charolais cattle just south of Greenwood, Ark.

The Sugg family has a long history in Carroll County, arriving in the 1800s. The Hereford breed arrived when Jeff Sugg’s grandfather first introduced them onto their farm near Berryville, Ark., in the 1950s. Since then, Herefords have been their cattle of choice. The family has seen the breed improve over the years and by using good breeding and genetics, they continue to improve their herd.

For Ed and Stephen Darnell country and farm life is all they’ve really known from growing up in Willow Springs, Mo. “Mom and dad bought this farm in 1972,” explained Ed. “So this farm is where I grew up and what I know best.”

Roger Kathka started life in northwest Kansas. “I think I’ve always had cows since I was about five years old,” he stated with a grin while feeding his 40 cow-calf pairs in rural southern Dallas County. His family moved to a farm outside Collins, Mo., when he was a teen and he finished school at Weaubleau. He went on to earn a degree in industrial technology at what was then Southwest Missouri State, now Missouri State University. Today, he resides just north of Springfield, Mo., with his wife, Karen. Both are retired teachers from the Fair Grove school system where Roger taught industrial arts and Karen was an art teacher.

Starting over now, from where he was 17 years ago would probably not work for Rick Scott of Purdy, Mo. He said with expenses being double or triple what they were then, it just wouldn’t work. The freedom he has as his own boss makes him glad that he did start then. Rick bought an old dairy farm and started with 20 head of beef cows. Today, he has 200 Brangus and crossbred cows.