Neighbors

It is all about teamwork for Dennis Schwerin’s family.  Whether it is doing chores, rounding up cattle on horseback or showing in the ring, the family relies on each other to be successful as a whole.

The original 153 acres, where Sam Massey runs part of his cattle, once belonged to his grandfather. That farm in the Campbell community was homesteaded in 1875 and stayed in the Massey family. That’s where Sam grew up, and farmed, as far back as he remembers. “Back then,” he said, “all we had was horse-drawn equipment and we raised most everything we ate. We had apple and peach trees, part of that was a cash crop. Dad raised sweet potatoes, another cash crop. We had chickens and eggs, and milk cows. Until I got big enough to go to the field, I’d help Mother in the garden. She dried fruit and canned fruit and garden vegetables for winter.”

Jerry Fancher has spent the better part of her 81 years on her family’s farm north of Berryville, Ark., in Carroll County. She shared her father’s love for raising cattle and taking care of the land. “I was a cowpoke, I never wanted to go to school,” she said about her life after high school. “I’d rather go to the cow pasture.” She did venture out to California for a couple of years to work in the Kwikset Lock factory in Anaheim, Cali., but left to come home and help on the farm after her father had a stroke. “I came back,” she remembered, “and I’ve been here ever since.”

We’ve been married for 40 years but we don’t want to be old people,” laughed Mary Dakis of Happy Tails Farm near West Plains, Mo.
“The goats are helping to keep us young,” added Don. “They are a lot of work for us retired folks, but we love it.”

Value Added.
It is an overused term in business. When you sell what many others sell, what sets your product apart will be the “value added.”

A future in the agricultural field has been a life long dream, or better stated, a desire for Ted Koontz. Upon retirement from a career in the banking business, Ted, along with his wife Becky, now is enjoying the good life of farming. Entrepreneurs are the best way to describe the couple's diversified cattle and haying operation and the way the Koontz's approach their livelihood.

Cattle are a good savings account” for Steve Peterson of Mtn. Grove.  Although there arecosts involved with production, the lifelong cattleman said that unlike with other investments, he can go to the sale barn and sell cattle once a week if need be.  “I know that’s worth something,” he said.

Warren Hoffman won an election without making any promises or even launching a campaign.  Warren was elected to the board of the Farm Service Agency.  The FSA in Lebanon, Mo., in Laclede County, also represents Camden and Pulaski Counties, and the board has one representative from each county.  Living near Sleeper, Mo., Warren is the Laclede County representative. All members of the board are farmers and elected to three year terms.

In American society today a rising concern for farmers is the increasing numbers of agriculture illiterate youth. Young people don’t know where their food comes from. Many don’t know the first thing about production agriculture and unfortunately these kids miss out on the lessons of responsibility, patience and hard work learned on the farm.

Southwest area rodeos have something to spike all five senses, but the main announcer usually gets most attention. And if you've been to many rodeos around these parts, it's likely that voice has once been Jody Lawson.  “No one gets to see me much.  I’m usually up in the skybox,” said Jody.  Over the past several years, Jody has announced at 70 to 80 percent of the family rodeos in southwest Missouri.