Across the Ozarks
Out in rural west Greene County, where I spend a lot of time, I’ve found a little family of foxes. They’re living either in my boyfriend’s barn or under the highway in a fox hole. These little guys are so cute and funny to watch. I’ll crest the hill in the evenings and see five or six little heads pop up, ears alert and intrigued, and eyes watching my car turn onto my boyfriend’s farm road.
Headin’ for the Last Roundup
One day a few days ago, I gave up something I cherished with all my heart and soul.
It was my seat on the board of Ozarks Technical Community College.
It was my seat on the board of Ozarks Technical Community College.
Life is Simple
During the winter, I picked up a new addiction—watching cattle sales broadcast over satellite TV. On those cold, icy afternoons, I’d check my favorite channel and if there was a cattle sale broadcast airing that day, I would simply rationalize that all my cattle had been checked and fed and that I deserved an afternoon at the “sale barn.”
Going Native in Grass
In the heart of the Ozarks, bordering Mark Twain National Forest in Christian County, the 1,100 acres of Bohmont Ranch are often lush and green in the dry months of summer.
The reason, says Terry Bohmont, is the native grasses he grows for pasture, hay and seed. His ranch east of Sparta, Mo., is primarily in pasture and hay. But on 140 acres at the ranch and on other nearby acreage, he raises native grass seeds – switchgrass, eastern gamagrass, Indiangrass, big bluestem, little bluestem and others.
The reason, says Terry Bohmont, is the native grasses he grows for pasture, hay and seed. His ranch east of Sparta, Mo., is primarily in pasture and hay. But on 140 acres at the ranch and on other nearby acreage, he raises native grass seeds – switchgrass, eastern gamagrass, Indiangrass, big bluestem, little bluestem and others.
Horse Dancing
Laura Alms might well be called a “horse dancer.”
In the arena, she is one with the horse she rides. With gentle nudges, infinitesimal shifts of weight and silent direction, she leads her equine partner in graceful choreography. They glide and turn in perfect harmony around their equestrian ballroom.
A Place For All
It was a couple of Percherons that got Kirsten and Al Kosinski into the livestock business. After experiencing draft horses on a Christmas tree farm near their home in southern Michigan, the Kosinskis knew a life without a little livestock was no life for them. Two draft horses, 50 goats, a small herd of sheep, three Scottish Highlander cattle, two geese and a flock of chickens later, Kirsten and Al haven’t looked back.