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Commissioners Experience Diversity Of Agriculture In Greene County During Annual Tour
Dexter cattle with Vern Pugh
SPRINGFIELD, MO.
Diversity of agriculture was the theme of the fourth annual Greene County Commission Agriculture Tour on Sept. 25. The Greene County MU Extension Council hosts the annual event for the Greene County Commissioners, county departments and delegates, and other local leaders.
“We are pleased that the County Commissioners want to learn more about the current and future state of agriculture in Greene County,” said David Burton, county engagement specialist in community economic development with MU Extension. “Every year, we work to create a tour that provides a well-rounded snapshot of the diversity of agriculture in the county, and that also showcases this important part of our economy.”
The tour this year included stops focused on cattle, agriculture education, row crops, horses and agrotourism and agricultural manufacturing.
“This tour is a great way to learn more about the various aspects of farming and agriculture that are so vital to Greene County,” said Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon. “Much of what we do here at the County, from planning and zoning to environmental, has a connection to agriculture and this annual tour is just one way to view that firsthand.”
IRISH DEXTER CATTLE
The first stop was at Wind Swept Farms near Willard, where participants learned more about the production challenges of registered Irish Dexter Cattle for gourmet beef as well as the importance of genetics.
Owner Vern Pugh says county leaders do support agriculture well but he welcomed the opportunity to explain how small farms benefit the county. Currently, there are more than 1800 farms in Greene County with an average size of about 120 acres.
“We’re a small farm. We don’t have hundreds of head of cattle,” Pugh said. “We have 43 head right now and these are a smaller sized type of cow that have different types of requirements.”
Wind Swept Farms is also hosting some farm to table dinners on site. More information is available online at https://irishdexterbeef.com.
WILLARD FFA PROGRAM
The second tour stop was Willard High School where agriculture instructors J.T. Asher and Dana Kimmons showed off the growing school farm and introduced two students and their animal projects to the group.
“About 85 percent of the students in our agriculture program are non-traditional ag students, meaning they don't currently live on a farm,” said Asher. “So a lot of what we do is designed to teach them those skills and give them hands-on experience with animal husbandry.”
The Willard FFA program is already teaching hydroponics. Agriculture students grow tomatoes and peppers and lettuce that are then used by culinary arts students for events and contests. But the school is preparing to go even bigger with the construction of a high tunnel.
“The parts should arrive on Friday. Students will then help to build it and this should allow us to expand both what we grow and the quantity that we can grow,” said Kimmons.
All of the efforts are designed to get students interested in agricultural careers where the demand for trained employees is growing.
“There are over 300 different careers in agriculture,” said Kimmons. “In many of those career areas, there are three or four jobs available for every available and trained student.”
TUCKER FARM
Jim and Nancy Tucker and their son James welcomed the tour to their farm north of Willard where participants heard about their 120 cattle and the uniqueness of their row crop operation.
The Tuckers have 350 acres in corn, about 350 acres in soybeans, they grow winter wheat, and they manage to bale about 600 to 800 round bays of hay each year.
“Beyond production, sustainability is the most important thing in agriculture,” said Jim. “This farm has been in the family for five generations now. We want that to continue.”
The economic impact of an operation like the Tucker's farm is tremendous when you consider the economic multiplier of how the money spent locally turns over in the community. Estimates are that their farm has an economic impact on the Willard area of about $5 million.
But, not everything in farming is smooth sailing. There are concerns related to climate and pests (and the Tucker farm has been involved in several MU Extension research efforts) but there is also a significant technology divide in the rural areas because of the lack of broadband access.
“A lack of technology is not the issue. We use GPS to auto-steer our tractors and take field and crop measurements and to do things that decades ago were only a dream,” said Jim. “But the lack of available high-speed internet is a real handicap.”
Decades ago, electric cooperatives brought electricity to the farms and it improved operations and families. The need for broadband internet access at affordable prices would do the same thing for this generation.
“Ozark Electric refuses to run fiber internet to us,” Tucker told the Commissioners. “If they sent it to us, we would be able to bounce it around the farm (via Wi-Fi) and we can get the necessary information to ourselves and our equipment in real-time.”
SAC RIVER STABLES
The next tour stop was Sac River Stables, a family-owned and operated business north of Springfield offering equestrian services and horse boarding. The stables are located on the site of a former dairy farm operation.
Owner Dawn O'Connor has over 30 years of experience in the equine industry and is a Certified Horsemanship Association Riding Instructor and a registered AQHA Professional Horseman. She also carries American Red Cross First Aid and CPR Certifications.
“The goals of every riding program at the Sac River Stables are safety while working with and riding horses, to have fun in a Christian family operation, and increase your equine knowledge,” said O’Connor. “Our number one goal is safety. If a child gets hurt around a horse while they are young they will hate horses for the rest of their lives. We never want that to happen.”
Stall and pasture horse boarding is available on site, riding lessons, horse training, birthday parties, Wrangler Worship day camps, and Boy and Girl Scout badge programs. There is also an active 4-H Club that meets at this location.
“We average 45 students a week and are seeing a growing interest in horses and horse riding,” said O'Connor. “We will have 20 a day even during the winter and if someone drops there always seems to be someone else interested.”
HILAND DAIRY
Hiland Dairy is one of the oldest agricultural product businesses still operating in Springfield.
The facility turns milk into ice cream, yogurt, egg-nog, cottage cheese, and of course milk for consumption and home and school.
Tour guide Darrell Washam noted that the facility focuses on sustainability. In fact, at this plant, 60 percent of the waste products from the plant are now recycled in some manner instead of being sent to the landfill.
One fun fact from the ag tour: a large percentage of milk coming to Hiland Dairy – about 100,000 gallons a day – comes from a 100-mile radius of the facility on Kearney Street in Springfield.
NEXT TOUR
The agriculture tour in 2020 will take place in the early fall and will focus in on the northeast section of the county. Those who have unique agriculture operations in the Fair Grove and Strafford areas and are willing to serve as a tour stop should contact David Burton by telephone at (417) 881-8909 or via email at burtond@missouri.edu. ∆
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