Neighbors

Bob Geneva is proof that when one door closes, there is always a window opened. Nineteen years ago, Bob and his wife, Sandra, were at a Beefmaster show in Tulsa, Okla., when they walked by a booth for Postive Feed, Ltd., out of Sealy, Texas. After learning about the advantages and technologies used in Postive Feed, Bob and Sandra decided that they wanted to try some of the feed on their own herd of Beefmaster cattle, but there was one small problem. Postive Feed tubs were only available for sale in Amarillo and Sealy, Texas. Of course, neither town was an easy trip from the Geneva’s then-home of Coweta, Okla. So, Postive Feed, Ltd. founder Bob Inglish, often called “Crazy” Bob, convinced them to become dealers for Postive Feed, and Bob and Sandra agreed and came home with $5,000 worth of Postive's feed. Their hopes were that they could make enough from their sales of Inglish's product to make it worth their while to feed their own herd. Thankfully, Bob said, it did not take long for the feed to prove itself. The partnership definitely became worth their while.

From a Clydesdale named Captain to miniature horses and ponies, and just about everything equine in between, Lisa Leek's equestrian center has it all. Hayburner Ranch came into being this past summer, not quite two miles east of Decaturville, Mo., half way between Camdenton and Lebanon.

"I’ll never forget it,” said Ron O’Neal. “My grandpa and I were sitting on the tailgate of a truck, I was eating an apple, and he said to me, ‘This would be a great place to build a house.’ And years later, that’s just what I did.”

Paul Wimsatt grew up on a dairy farm southwest of Monett, Mo. He went to Monett High School and was involved in the FFA. Janet Wimsatt grew up in Purdy, nearby. “I was a city girl, I guess you could say,” she said with a smile. The two met in Monett in 1988, and were married early in 1990.

Dwight Hoyle is what you might call a jack-of-all-trades kind of man.  He and his wife, Robin, started out in Zwolle, La., with a forestry business, along with a saw shop.

Spend a few minutes with Sharon Baggett, and it’s easy to see why her enthusiasm for the Missouri Fox Trotter and the Northwest Arkansas Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association is infectious.

Four generations of Rick Haegele’s family have lived near Prairie Grove, Ark., with the first generation of seven families moving by covered wagon to Arkansas from Tennessee. Rick is surrounded by family. His parents bought the turkey farm in 1976. They have been raising turkeys and cattle ever since. Rick’s parents live just a stone's throw away. “We have six turkey houses and 27,000 turkeys,” Rick said. Rick and his wife, Paula, just moved their turkeys from the brood houses to the range houses. In just a matter of weeks, they will have another 27,000 chicks to start the 14-week process of raising turkeys. “It is a rotation with 27,000 (maturing turkeys) with 27,000 babies behind them,” Rick said. “You’re never out of turkey,” Paula said.

Toua Yang knew long before most American citizens about the United States' "Secret War" in Laos. He lived through it.

Quarter horses, some Appaloosas, Long Horn cows, polled Charolais bulls, chickens, dogs and grandkids: You’ll find them all on Leroy and Sharon Uber’s farm in Stone County. They were honored in August at the Missouri State Fair as the 2009 Stone County Farm Family.

Most people are a little wary when approaching a large group of cattle, as  they should be. But that fear is unwarranted at the Crockett Rose Branch Farm near Lamar, Mo. The Crocketts fullblood Limousin cattle make people feel like part of the herd. It is no surprise that docility is one of the traits that Danny and Connie Crockett select for.