Neighbors

Rocky Rush is an expert at growing things. He knows how to grow crops – farming more than 1,000 acres of row crops, and even raises soybean seed for Andrews Farm and Seed. He knows how to grow pigs – he and his father operate for Murphy Family Ventures and over 50,000 pigs pass through their doors every year. He knows how to grow a good family – he and his wife, Karen, have been married 27 years and have two children, Tyler and Shelby, and a business called Karen’s Kutting Korner. He also knows how to grow good cattle.

Jerry and Michelle Sanner’s Hidden Farm, as they call it, in rural Polk County is well-named, tucked in amongst the rolling hills outside Humansville, Mo. “I started with commercial cows,” Jerry explained, “but we’re converting over to registered Angus at this point.  We’re working with Jeff and Shoni Wilson out of Clearwater, Mont. There’s 50 years of research behind the genetics in the herd we have established with top producers here in Missouri. It’s all about raising great-tasting beef. You cook chicken and you have to put  spices on it to make it taste good,” he laughed. “We want to raise beef that when you cook it or put it on the grill, that’s all you need. We want people to eat beef.”

Reed Haynes is a third generation farmer in the Charleston, Ark., area. His grandparents started their farm, and then passed it down to their son Herman Haynes, Reed's father.

Don Richardson purchased a few Boer goats about 10 years ago for the simple task of keeping the underbrush in his pastures cleared. Their land was overgrown, and Don and his wife, Marilyn, quickly realized that by allowing the goats to graze, there was effective control in the growth of weeds.

Five consecutive generations of Hulls have ranched cattle in Eastern Oklahoma near where Chad and Barbette Hull have their Hull Show Cattle operation on the outskirts of Poteau, Okla.

"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.

Howard Phillips has always been involved in agriculture. He began as an AI technician in Kansas in 1959. In 1967 he became the District Manager of American Breeder Service in Missouri. In 1975 he became a distributor for Select Sires in Missouri. Howard retired in 2000, but still does AI for individuals and for breeding programs.

Bryan Robertson is happy with his job. Many people wake up every day and spend the next 8 hours doing something they despise, and then the next day, they do the same thing again. Bryan is definitely not one of those people. He and his father Neil farm about 1,400 acres and care for close to 200 cattle. No two days are ever exactly the same, and that’s how he likes it.

With an eye to a more informed consumer, organic egg producer Michael Cox wants to focus on pastured egg layers.

Mike and Judy Catlin believe that fresh fruits and vegetables should be on anyone's dinner table as much as possible. Since they bought the Mountain Home Berry Farm 7 years ago, they've been working hard to provide seasonal fruits and assorted veggies to homes in the Baxter County, Arkansas area.