Missouri Neighbors

At age 18, Diana Gerdes completed her Trainer B license in Germany, her native land, as a riding instructor and horse trainer, equivalent to an FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) III level instructor in this country. Little did she know that training would serve her all of her life through a series of adventures and travel to various countries. Today, she and her husband, Wayne reside in Pulaski County, outside Crocker, Mo., where she operates Germania Stables and has for the past 10 years. Previously, her Germania Stables was located wherever Wayne, a retired military man now working privately for the U.S. government, was stationed. Her daughter, Caroline was married earlier this year and her son, 14-year-old Christopher still lives at home.

It is one of those days. The rain pounds the top of his truck, the sky looms dark and dreary and water gushes over the cement bridge he must cross to get to his cattle. Still Beau Davis’ spirits beam bright. People who know Beau will tell you that’s just the way he is, always moving forward with upbeat determination.

At the ripe old age of 9, Scott Bass already had the heart of a cattleman. He mowed yards and earned enough money to buy his first two calves from his grandpa for $100 each. Scott said, “The best thing you can do is teach a kid the value of a dollar.”

For most people the annual Route 66 Days in Strafford, Mo., conjures thoughts of antique cars and fried food. But for 17-year-old Shelby Burns, the festival reminds her of the genesis of her cattle business. Shelby remembers laying eyes on a Dexter calf named Danny Boy at the festival. “I just fell head over heels for him,” said Shelby. There was no turning back. Shelby, then 12-years-old, convinced her mother to buy a Dexter heifer named Rosie. Thus, Wild Rose Ranch in Strafford, Mo., bloomed.

After 27 years, Sharps Antique Tractor Works, Inc., has built an honest and dependable business manufacturing and selling thousands of John Deere 2-Cylinder parts.

Jerry and Barb White of Purdy, Mo., have converged the conventional with the uncommon, in both breed and technology. Though a full-time insurance business owner, Jerry has always taken time to maintain a herd of commercial Angus cattle. Three years ago, Jerry became intrigued with a little known breed, Wagyu, and decided to try something new.

Nestled in the Southwestern corner of Texas County lives a family of more than one generation that is much like all the rest of us in some aspects, but is also different in some very important ways. Bob and Sherry Reed and their daughters along with Bob’s father, Lyle Reed, all work together with many other people to make a living from the land.

“When we first got started in the meat business we could buy a hog at 6 or 7 cents a pound and that first year I hauled 23 head up to the stockyards. They averaged 256 pounds and they didn’t bring $25 a head,” explained Steve Madewell of Madewell Meats. Steve explained that the idea behind his pork business started when that same year he and his wife, Jane, “sold a few Christmas hams for $30 apiece. It just made sense,” recalled Steve.

Randy and Jane Miller of Miller Bison in Bruner, Mo., have had a longtime love of the once prominent symbol of the American West. Growing up in the Kansas cattle business, Randy had some exposure to bison and was interested in the huge, majestic animals. In 1995 the Millers purchased their first bison – 20 head of heifers from the annual Custer State Park Buffalo Sale in South Dakota. And so a learning journey began. “The more we had them, the more they grew on us,” Randy said. At the time Randy and Jane entered the bison industry, there was a limited amount of information available to bison breeders – so nearly everything was an experiment. The Millers stuck with the ups and downs of the market and eventually found a niche selling bison meat to chefs in Colorado. “We brought a quality and consistent product,” said Randy. Consistency proved to be the key in the bison meat business and today, Miller Bison sells an estimate of 1,000 head of processed bison annually.

Linda Collins, now Linda Faber, grew up in Rolla, Mo., along with her 11 brothers and sisters and moved to Australia, on her own at age 17. “We were a yours, mine and ours sort of family,” she laughed. “I always liked horses but it simply wasn’t something we could afford in such a big family. It wasn’t until I was at the Discipleship Center during my two years in Australia that I got to ride. I quickly figured out, oh, this could be addicting. Back in America, in the years that followed, I worked at a lady’s ranch and at another stable in St. James, Mo., as a volunteer. I wanted to be sure I had what it took to do the work involved with horses every day. I listened to everyone. I also worked at a family camp in Arkansas and then later, while going to college in Moberly, Mo., at Central Christian College getting a degree in Christian education, I worked at an AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) barns with one of their top trainers and judges. Three months turned into three years as I also went to shows with them.