Neighbors

Given the high price of cattle these days, a veterinarian can be one of a producer’s most valued business partners.

Dennis Lynch steps out of his truck on this sunny, 20-degree day in Douglas County, with lightness in his gait. The 60-year-old cowboy, as he refers to himself, effortlessly lifts a bag of feed and starts pouring the cubes in a long row on the frozen ground. His audience in this field is a herd of commercial Angus cows and calves. They line up on both sides of the cubes, greeting Dennis with a symphony of moos. After a few minutes pass, Dennis spots a lone solid black cow walking down the hill to join the others for breakfast. “You’re late,” Dennis calls to her with a chuckle. Dennis is on his third hour of feeding cows and breaking ice and he has several more hours to go. Yet, his mood is lighthearted and peaceful. “If it is something that you love, you keep at it,” explained Dennis with a grin.

Where Bill and Linda Yarberry live might be similar to a small village. Their mailing address says Milo, but Milo has only about 90 people and takes up a whopping 52 acres of land just east of I-49 in Vernon County, between Lamar and Nevada, Mo.

Roy Griffith and sons, Kyle and Shane Griffith, own over 2,000 acres outside of Talihina, Okla., where they raise commercial cattle in addition to Shane’s registered Black Angus bull herd and Kyle’s F1 Tigerstripe herd. Kyle works full time on the ranch while Roy’s day job is as an administrator for a veterans’ hospital and Shane is a tree marker for the Forest Service. Both sons served in the Army and in Iraq therefore not really ranching until 2006.

Winter forage quality can effect the health of a herd by limiting the source of feeding, especially if the mineral content of the forage is unknown. Supplementation is required when tested forage lack in essential macrominerals. Lacking in the required macrominerals can cause a metabolic disorder in cattle known as grass tetany or grass staggers. With the cold season already in full force, ranchers and farmers alike do not expect winter tetany, which can pose a problem for them if they are not aware. The low-yielding cows or negative energy cows that milk entirely off of grass are prone to tetany. The metabolic disorder also occurs from lush forages, alfalfa or annual cereal forages.

Don Crawley’s mother and father got married and settled land in 1922 outside of Maysville, Ark. Don said, “In the 1930s when I was a boy, life was milking a few cows and raising a few laying hens. Now we just do it on a bigger scale.” Don’s earliest agricultural memory is milking when he was in grade school and remembering the lack of milking machines which he believes was one of the best improvements in the industry over the years. Don also served in the military during World War II as a tail gunner and completed 47 missions over Germany. His work ethic and dedication greatly influenced his sons.

One glance across the beautiful golden green rolling hills that make up the 2,500 acre Rambling River Ranch owned by Jerry and Gisela Hiland in rural Camden County explains why the former California residents bought this land and traveled back and forth for years, beginning in 1978. “I’m a pilot and I’d fly back every few weeks,” the now retired, full-time Missouri resident and cattle rancher explained recently while sitting in his home with his own panoramic view of the Ozarks. “I was in the retail business back then, working for IBM and then operating a chain of retail cigar stores. My son still has a cigar store in Scottsdale, Ariz., and does a big mail order business but I always had a love for the cattle business. I did my research before buying and although it varies a bit, Missouri is always one of the top states for cattle and cow-calf operations.

John and Joy Dees own 300 acres and lease an additional 2,000 acres in Powersite, Mo., not far from Branson. The land has been in the family since the early 1900s when John’s grandfather bought the first 80 acres. John said, “This land has been as important as a location for raising our families as for raising cattle. A lot of people have grown up here. In fact, we now have three households on the land.” John and Joy have three children and one granddaughter who lives in town but loves riding in the Kubota, being around cattle and enjoying the country. Family is the center of everything and John readily admits that he couldn’t farm without extended family members helping work cattle, build fence or whatever else needs to be done.

Farming in the 21st century takes hard work, direction and goals. Spencer Rawlins, who farms near Pierce City, Mo., is a farmer for the new century. Spencer has wanted to farm since helping his father on the farm when he was a boy. But, with his aim set at farming with intent, he knew that would take perspective beyond the farm he had grown up on. “It’s important to work for someone else and learn what other farmers are doing. Otherwise, we don’t improve.” At a young age, Spencer started working with large dairy farms nearby.

Jack and Tammy Simmons own and lease over 1,000 acres outside of Stilwell, Okla., on which they run a cow/calf operation and a brand new four-house Tyson chicken farm.