Honing in on Healthy

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“If my cows get out, they’re in the next county before I know it,” joked David Hirschler.

Better Bottom Line with Red

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Some of the best family traditions come from not following the crowd and that is especially true with Tyler Rush. Like his father, Rocky Rush, this 25-year-old farmer maintains a profitable Red Angus herd consisting of 40 head on his 250-acre farm located a few miles east of Jasper, Mo.

Shedding Light on New Ways of Farming

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Two life-long city dwellers decided to make a change, a big change, fueled by the desire to provide natural, healthier food for their two children. Three years ago, Brent and Marci Sonnemaker bid city-life farewell and moved their family to a 20-acre farm in Marshfield, Mo. “Going from not producing any of your own food, to producing quite a bit of it has been fun,” said Brent Sonnemaker. In just a few years, the Sonnemakers transformed their land into a thriving farm abounding with chickens, ducks, sheep, goats and cattle. “I am a cook and food is my life. So to have the best for our family is awesome,” said Marci Sonnemaker. Marci works as chef and kitchen manager at the Sunshine Valley Farm café in Springfield, Mo. Brent helps run his family business. Despite their lack of farming experience, the Sonnemakers were eager to take on this new challenge for their daughter, Annabelle, and son, Benjamin.

Looking for Willingness

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Bobby Avila Jr., of Avila Performance Horses LLC, likes to train reining horses with “good minds.” A good reining horse prospect needs to be trainable, athletic, have good conformation and a good pedigree. These are all qualities that Bobby looks for in his equine counterparts that he trains out of Rogersville, Mo., at the Zimmerman Performance Horses facility. “I want to train a horse that is smooth, willing, happy and pleasing to the eye,” said Bobby. With several reining competition victories under his belt, he is no stranger to the sport, the training, or the outstanding horses involved.

Cattle and Cars

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As the former owner of three different area Laclede County motels and now running Graven Chrysler-Dodge in Lebanon, Mo., for the past four years, Terry Graven has always been a businessman at heart. He smiled when asked why he also has a cattle operation. “There’s always been cows,” he answered. “First, with my grandfather and then my dad. My dad had registered Limousin and that’s where I learned to love the breed and now I work primarily with Lim-Flex, a cross between Angus and Limousin. They have great maternal instincts, docility, growth and muscle development.

Milking for More

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Approaching the 420 acres known as The Milkey Mile, west of Highway 39 between Stockton and Greenfield, Mo., it doesn’t immediately look like a dairy. Several outbuildings, grain bins and a building that could be the milking parlor; but none of the typical black-and-whites were seen right away.

The Way Nature Intended

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Ask Gary Bush about the benefits of raising livestock naturally, and you will get a long list of positive results. At Lampe Farm in Lampe, Mo., Gary uses all natural management practices to keep his animals in good health. Lampe Farm is located on a homestead that was built in 1901; the original house and barn are still standing strong. Today, the historic homestead is home to Gary’s herd of hair sheep, meat and dairy goats, bees, peacocks, and heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys, geese, guineas and ducks – all raised naturally for the good of the animals, and the environment.

Planting for Progress

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Many farmers with all size operations, from small to large, have appreciated the grazing school program conducted by National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) throughout various Ozarks communities but perhaps none more than Kenneth Parsons of Webster County. After attending his first grazing school nearly 10 years ago, he and his wife, Mary Ann have offered their 150-acre farm as a demonstration and classroom site for several grazing schools. Located half way between Marshfield and Northview, Mo., the Parsons have welcomed farmers from all over the Ozarks to come, share and learn how to grow better grass and most of all, make better use of the grass they have.

The Preaching Farmer

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He has been known as the Racin’ Reverend and the pastor with the unforgettable name but in recent years, Reverend Jack Daniel has ‘come home’ to El Dorado Springs, Mo., to his roots as a farmer and to once again pastor the local First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) after a near 30-year leave of absence. Even so, so-called retirement for Jack Daniel does not include slowing down.

Growing Great Genetics

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For the last decade, Robert Brooks has watched his dreams come to fruition on the same soil where his great-grandparents built their dreams years ago. As he glances at a hill near his home, Robert’s smile widens and he said, “I have pictures of my dad when he was 9 years old standing on that hill with his Shetland pony.” That “hill” is part of a 400-acre farm between Rogersville and Fordland, Mo. Robert and his family pieced together the farm as generations of the family passed down the property. “My grandparents bought all this and they worked it. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears in these acres. And I just want to carry on that heritage and have something that I can pass down to my kids too,” reflected Robert.

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