Neighbors

Herd health is a primary issue for Claire Whiteside and her husband, Jim, when raising Boer meat goats in the Ozarks. The Whiteside’s raise their goats on 25 acres in Boone County, just south of Harrison.

Raised on a dairy farm just outside of Purdy, Mo., Doug Clifton knows about hard work and cows. He continued to milk with his dad, Loren, for 5 years after he got out of high school. He took a job at Jack Henry, thinking “9 to 5 with weekends off sounds good.” He worked there for 4 1/2 years. "I missed the farm,” Doug said. It was at Jack Henry where he met his wife, Leslea. She had always dreamed of raising a family on a farm and so the dream for the two began.

To quote the FFA Creed, Kenlee and Sarah Calvin 'Believe in the future of agriculture with a faith born not of words, but of deeds.' Both FFA and the agricultural lifestyle are important to the Calvin family. Sarah and Kenlee both earned their American FFA Degrees, and both have put to practice the lessons they learned.

As a kid, Susan Wilcox dreamed of being a farmer, teacher or forest ranger. She loved animals and the outdoors and didn’t mind getting dirty. Thirty years later she’s a middle school librarian in the Willard School District with four children, but she’s also very much a farmer.

When Tom Leatherman says he is the best thing that ever happened to Kathy Bonneson, she smiles that smile all of us men know means, “Yeah, right.” This must be the reason they have a lively relationship.

Native Arkansans Mark and Kathy Thompson of Pope County are new to farming, but raising Boer goats has proven to be a worthwhile endeavor on several accounts, the couple said.

The perfect name for Larry Thornton’s obsession is found at the top of his monthly column in Working Horse magazine, “The Working Lines.” Devoted to the research and documentation of equine pedigree lines in the world of quarter horses since his first column printed in 1984, Thornton is widely considered an expert in his field. 

Paul Crabtree does chores much like many other cattle producers in Southwest Missouri, he also farms, like many other producers, and he is very active in his community. Though many other farmers and ranchers do similar things, Paul does it all on a farm that has been in his family for 115 years.

You want to be a successful farmer?

Ask any livestock producer and most will tell you that they are familiar with Hereford cattle. These red and white faced bovine are a fairly common sight in the Ozarks. Another less known breed of Hereford comes from the swine family; the Hereford hog. Hereford hogs are an attractive red and white heritage breed originally developed in the Show-Me state. Aside from their color pattern, these hogs are also known for their gentle dispositions.