Ozarks Farm & Neighbor Newspaper – written for, by & about farmers

The summer has not been what any of us would have expected with rain, rain and more rain to quench our thirsty soil. We’ve probably forgotten what a drought even is at this point. But I haven’t forgotten. I’ll take my friends and family dodging rain days to get hay put up over brown, brittle pastures and the pain of feeding hay in August any day.

Rain woke me up the other morning.  Thunder rolled me out of bed. I was thinking about an Ace Reed Feed Store calendar cartoon of two cowboys in slickers and in a downpour sitting on their wet horses hock deep in rushing water.  One said to the other “I seen a bad drought start just like this.”

Billy is a good, hard-working, country kid who loves to show cattle.  He’s smart as a whip, too, which made me just want to sit back and enjoy the debate five years ago when he was stalled across the aisle from us at the local fair.

Name: Jera Pipkin
Parents: Jim and Joann Pipkin
4-H Group: Lucky Eleven 4-H in Republic, Mo.
4-H Leader: Jennie Owen

Name:  Todd Ball

S&H Farm Supply – Joplin, Mo.
 
President: Eric Schnelle (pictured below)
Store Manager: Kevin Brown
Service Manager: Larry Maphies