october country neighbor

NeighborRural Living Cedar, Dallas and Polk CountiesAgriculture and Rural Living Quarterly

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 • Supplement to the Bolivar Herald-Free Press, Buffalo Reflex, Cedar County Republican, Marshfield Mail and Republic Monitor

More than 100 years on the landCentury Farm recognition began during Bicentennial

The Missouri Century Farm pro-gram has its foundations in theAmerican Revolution Bicentenni-

al celebration of 1976.Initiated in January 1975, state

efforts to ensure agriculture had itsappropriate place in the Bicentennialcelebration resulted in the 1976 Cen-tennial Farm project, which awardedcertificates to people owning farms thathad been in the same family for 100years or more — 2,850 Missouri farm

owners in 105 of Missouri's 114 coun-ties.

Interest in the program continuedafter 1976, so the University of MissouriCollege of Agriculture, Food and Natur-al Resources and University of MissouriExtension planned a 10-year update in1986 called the “Century Farm” pro-gram.

During that update, 1,080 farmswere recognized, and in 1987 began theprogram of annual Century Farm recog-

nitions. Since 1987, an additional 4,190farms have been recognized.

To qualify as a Century Farm, prop-erties must meet the following guide-lines:

• The same family must have ownedthe farm for 100 consecutive years. Theline of ownership from the original set-tler or buyer may be through children,grandchildren, siblings, and nephewsor nieces, including through marriageor adoption.

• The farm must be at least 40 acresof the original land acquisition andmake a financial contribution to theoverall farm income.

In 2008, the Missouri Farm Bureaujoined MU Extension and the MUCAFNR as a program sponsor.

Since Missouri began the program in1976, more than 7,500 Century Farmshave been recognized. Applications andinformation are available through localMU Extension centers.

Guy Nickels, above, was the father of CenturyFarm owner Larry Nickels near Humansville. EdHarman, left, moved his family to a farm nearGoodson in 1912, where he raised mules.

The W.A. Lemmonfamily outside theirfarm home near theSac River in PolkCounty.

• Agricultural heritage issue, recognizing2012 Missouri Century Farms in Cedar,Polk, Dallas and Greene counties.

• Special 10th anniversary feature on Springfield Livestock Marketing Center.

Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • October 17, 2012

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COUNTRY NEIGHBOR isquarterly supplement to theCedar County Republican,Bolivar Herald-Free Press,Marshfield Mail, RepublicMonitor and Buffalo Reflex, publications of NeighborNews/Community Publishers,Inc. Copyright © 2012 NeighborNews/Community Publishers,Inc. All rights reserved.

To advertise in CountryNeighbor, contact the CedarCounty Republican at (417)276-4211, the Bolivar Herald-Free Press at (417) 326-7636,the Marshfield Mail at (417)468-2013, the RepublicMonitor at (417) 732-2525 orthe Buffalo Reflex at (417) 345-2224.

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ASSOCIATE EDITOR:CHARLOTTE MARSCH

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Contributing writers: LindaLindberg, Emily Truscott and

Myron Hartzell.

NeighborRural Living Cedar, Dallas and Polk Counties

Ag in constantstate of evolutionAboy growing up in the rural Ozarks

today would hardly recognize theplace if he were sent back in time a half-century.

Beef cattle — many of them black —dominate the landscape today, but whenI was a boy dairy herds were morecommon than beef, and 10-gallon milkcans were set at the edge of the roadevery morning by hundreds of smalldairy farmers.

The farm census of 1959 countedabout 12,000 milk cows on 1,154 DallasCounty dairy farms. That was the ruralOzarks of my youth and what I stillenvision when I recall growing up on afarm — a little herd of Jersey cowsmilked night and morning in a stanchionbarn and milk carried to the road dailyfor the milk hauler to take to the cheeseplant.

I’m not sure how many dairy farmswe have in Dallas County today —maybe 40. They’re dropping like flieswith milk receipts well below the cost ofproduction. The 2007 farm census putthe number of milk cows at 2,700. Idoubt it’s that many today.

I’ve seen dairy farming almostdisappear as a way of life in the Ozarks.A few grade-A dairies are hanging on. Ifear I may yet see milking cows go theway of breeding mules and become avestige of a bygone era in agriculture. Idon’t know where we’ll get our milk todrink when all the cows are gone.

As dairy farming has ceased tobecome a viable option for youngergenerations, so too have opportunitiesfor growing hogs or poultry, other thanfor a major corporation like Tyson or

Cargill. As recently as the 1980s DallasCounty was home to a number of feederpig producers. The MFA Feeder Pig Tele-auction south of Buffalo was even hostto fat hog contests, and the county hadan active pork producersassociation. All gone, now.

Beef cattle productionmay not be the onlyoption, but it’s the onemost often taken — andarguably the best use formuch of our farmland.Beef production startswith grass, and that’ssomething we can grow onall types of soil. “Cow-calf” best describesmost of our farmers today. Most of ‘emwork off the farm, but don’t call ‘em“hobby farmers.” They don’t farm tosupplement their work income; they holddown jobs to be able to farm.

Despite the demise of grade-C dairies,some of what I see in agriculture today isa return to that of my 1950s childhood.Expanses of corn, wheat and soybeanscover fields dedicated for years togrowing hay and pasture. Minimumtillage and no-till, though, have replacedthe plow.

The farm of my youth bordered alarge, terraced field — maybe 80 acres —regularly planted in wheat andcombined. Other neighbors raised bothsoybeans and corn, though as likely forforage as for grain. They were farmingmuch as the previous generation had —but with bigger equipment.

Agriculture as reflected in the 1930farm census was a world apart fromwhat I grew up with. Dallas County hadmore than 2,000 farms (we have about1,400 today), average value $26 an acre.

Crops were raised on most of them —1,867 — and took in more than 83,000acres. The farm census of 2007 shows400 acres of corn and no wheat for grain

in Dallas County. In 1929 we had30,000 planted in corn and 5,000 inwheat.

In 1929 we had about 19,000 head ofcattle on Dallas County farms, compared

to some 52,000 today. Wealso had 11,500 hogs and6,000 head of sheep, incontrast to nearly none ofeither today.

In an era when horseswere still part of the farmwork force we had 4,468 inDallas County, as well as1,200 mules. Today, withalmost no use for horses

outside recreational riding, we still have3,400 equine pets and farm familymembers.

Farm statistics tell but a small part ofthe story of evolution of our Ozarksfarms. The meat of the story is in thememories and folklore of farm families,particularly those who have perseveredon the same patch of ground longenough to be deemed a Century Farm.

The changes in agriculture experi-enced by these families underscores thatone constant — change. None wouldhave long survived on their respectivefarms had they not adapted to fluideconomies, technology and markets. Theway Grandpa did it was fascinating, butit wouldn’t feed his family today. Acouple dozen Jersey cows grazing on asmall field of lespedeza may present apastoral image, but they would hardlypay the mortgage today. Even the hardytall fescue that helped build our Ozarkscow-calf industry is undergoing anevolution to endophyte friendly varieties.

As foreign as the rural landscape ofthe past might be to our youth, so, too,will that of 50 years hence be unfamiliar.With generations of faithful stewards ofthe land behind them, I’ve no doubt ourkids will make it even better.

Jim Hamilton

When Iwas aboy...


PAGE THREE

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Trevin and Graden Ragland reston a concrete tank that formerlywatered cows on their Great-GreatGrandfather Rose’s dairy.

Brian Ragland and son Trevin dis-play a Daricraft producer sign post-ed by Great-Grandfather Floyd Rosefor more than a half-century on theold farm.

PHOTOS BY JIM HAMILTON

By Jim [email protected]

Brian Ragland is clearly descended fromthe first family on the 80-acre Century

Farm he and wife, Lynetta, own southeastof Long Lane, but the road from 1856 has atwist.

The Ragland’s Century Farm is a portionof government land “cash-entered” byGeorge A. Howerton in 1856. The farmpassed from Howerton to his daughter,Theodocia Patterson, in 1910, whoimmediately sold it to John HubertRagland, who sold it to Floyd Rose, norelation to the Raglands.

That might have been a dead end inestablishing Century Farm lineage, but forFloyd’s wife, Gladys. She was the great-granddaughter of George A. Howerton, aswell as Brian’s great-grandmother throughthe marriage of their daughter, Hilma, toWilliam Ragland, Brian’s grandparents.

Brian’s parents, John W. and DorisRagland, acquired the farm from Floyd andGladys Rose. It passed to Brian andLynetta in 2010, the vital link to establish-ing unbroken family ownership for morethan a century.

From the 1920s until the 1970s the Rosefamily milked cows on the old farm,building one of the first Grade-A dairyparlors in the area. The Raglands run beefcattle and raise forage on the place today,as well as work full time at Regal Beloit inLebanon. Their two sons, Graden, 11, andTrevin, 8, attend Long Lane ElementarySchool. In them is vested the future of theRagland Century Farm.

The Ragland family, from left,Graden, Trevin, Lynetta and Brian.

Ragland Century Farm took a long road from 1856

By Linda Lindberg

Three Cedar County family farmsjoined the Missouri Century Farm

roll this year. The owners will berecognized at the 2013 Cedar CountyExtension banquet on Feb. 4.

Englund Century Farm“I went to inquire (about the Century

Farm process) and it was done,” LesterD. Englund of El Dorado Springs said.Now, his farm on Mo. 32 betweenStockton and El Dorado Springs hasbeen named a 2012 Century Farm.

Englund still lives in the originalfarmhouse on the 139 acres where hisgrandfather and grandmother, Erick andChristina Englund, came to farm in1912. Englund said they traded their

Kansas farm for the Cedar Countyproperty when it was covered with appleorchards and three acres of strawberries.During the next year their son David andhis wife, Leta, moved in to help with thefruit crops and the dairy operation.

Lester, born in 1924, had two oldersisters and two older brothers. “Iremember walking one and three-quarters miles to [elementary] school atLiberty Hall,” he said. “I had to help withthe milking.”

By the time he was school age theorchards were done, Lester said.

After finishing school, he spent sometime in the U.S. Navy. Then, he workedin Kansas City for a short time before hemoved back to Cedar County in 1944and set up a dairy operation across theroad from his parents. He married MaryLou Lines in 1946, and they lived 12years on their own farm. When hisparents moved into town he bought theirfarm and moved across the road. He nowhas a total of 277 acres.

In addition to running the farm,Englund worked for the post office in ElDorado Springs for 40 years. “It was kindof enjoyable both ways,” he said. “Ienjoyed my work.” He and his wife raisedthree sons who helped on the farm asthey were growing up. They went on tocollege and now have successful careers.Larry, also retired from the post office,and his wife, Paula, raise sheep in CedarCounty. Donald and his wife, Joyce, livein Overland Park, Kan., where hepastors a church and teaches at KansasUniversity. Gerald, a physician, lives inJoplin with his wife, Kerrie.

Englund raises beef cattle and a fewhorses today. At the mention of thehorses, his eyes light up. He showed hisBelgians until 2010 and boasts a recordof more than 20 grand champions. Hehas a cabinet full of trophies, ribbonsand newspaper clippings about hishorses. “Oh yeah, I loved my horses,” hesaid. “They were fun.” He still has threehorses and a mule on the farm.

Farming, working full time andshowing horses made a full life. “We putin long days sometimes,” he remem-bered. “It was a good life.”

Masters Century Farm “The first Century Farm sign was

stolen,” Al Hammons said. So, as currentowners, he and his wife Willa, whosegreat-grandfather Charles Masterspurchased the farm in January1895,applied again and the farm was named a2012 Century Farm.

Willa repeated a story heard fromMildred Goss, Charles’ granddaughter,about her great-grandfather first seeing“the prettiest redhead,” WilhelminaIbach, driving a team of oxen. He trackedher down through area church meetings,

courted and eventually took her as hiswife. They lived on the farm until theypassed away in the mid-1980s. Willa’sfather purchased the farm on thecourthouse steps and put her name onthe deed.

As an only child, Willa grew up downthe road from her great-grandparents’home. Her grandparents lived across theroad. “Their youngest daughter, my AuntPeggy, was the closest thing to a sister tome,” Willa said. “She was seven yearsolder than me and everyone thought shewas my sister. She didn’t appreciate meuntil we got older.”

The 200-acre farm has always hadcattle on it. Willa’s memories of the farminclude milking the cows and caring forthe pigs, lambs and chickens. They alsoraised both draft and pleasure horses. “Iwould ride anything that would let meget on,” she said.

Willa also commented on the creationof their rocky farmland. She heard thegood Lord was carrying rocks in anapron, and the apron strings broke rightover their farm, blessing the Mastersfamily with the rocky land.

Willa and Al currently live inDunnegan in his grandmother’s home.Their daughter, Stephanie L. Pepper, isnow part owner of the Masters farm. Sheplans to retire on the land and keep thefarm in the family.

Willa’s marriage to Al took her fromthe farm in 1960, and during theirmarriage, they moved many times, evencoming back to live on the farm a fewtimes. “When I am on that land, I feellike I am home,” Willa said.

Three Missouri Century Farms named in Cedar County for 2012


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Lester Englund, below, still lives in theoriginal Englund farmhouse and still farmshis grandfather's land in El Dorado Springs.


PAGE FIVE

Elliston Century FarmTom and Ruth Elliston own

approximately 260 acres on the SacRiver near Caplinger Mills in CedarCounty. “Today the bottom land isfarmed,” Tom said. “The upland is usedfor running cows.”

The story of this 2012 Century Farmstarted when Tom’s great-grandfather,John T. Elliston, purchased the first ofthe property in 1886 and made a home

for his family. The farm passed throughthe generations to Tom’s grandfatherand father, and in 1979, Tom and Ruthbecame the owners.

Tom has memories of living there as achild, doing chores and helping to takecare of his great-grandfather. “It’s justpart of me,” Tom said. “The farm’s beenin the family for so long, I just had to[apply for it to be named a CenturyFarm].”

By Myron HartzellUSDA NRCS grassland specialist

In our fast-paced world in which so manythings are expendable, it is hard to imag-

ine a Century Farm as it might havelooked 100 years ago.

As I think back to what a typical grass-land farm might havebeen like in another cen-tury, I reflect on my ownchildhood and stories Iheard about “how thingsused to be.”

While today’s changeseems whirlwind as wetry to keep up with thelatest gadgetry, changecame more slowly inthose days. My dad would have been 95this year, and the boyhood stories he relat-ed to me showed a much different time infarming history.

Grasses have always been the mainstayof beef production, but they were notalways as productive as we see today; nei-ther were there some of the species wecommonly see today.

It was a time before the tall fescue thatnow covers a large portion of Ozarks grass-lands. Native warm and cool season grass-es and forbs were the primary diet of free-roaming cattle.

Our more productive methods today, inwhich a 1,200-pound cow can be fed fora year with about four acres of grazingland, would have astounded a farmer graz-ing a 900-pound Jersey crossbreed cow onnearly 20 acres.

A typical herd had one or two dozencows to be milked by hand, and oftenfarmers shared a neighborhood bull.

The farmstead had a variety of livestockspecies as well. Nearby pastures as well as

the front yard were stirred by a flock ofchickens; goats helped utilize brushyareas, and even pigs were pastured whennot kept up for fattening to produce thewonderful tasting winter frying meat theywould provide.

Fences were often used to exclude cat-tle from areas, rather than enclose themin an area. I remember hearing of cattlebrowsing the ridges all day, with the chil-dren of the neighborhood finding theirmembers of the collective herd eachevening through the use of a “bell cow.”

They would then return them to theirbarns to be stripped of golden milk, some-times rich with a variety of native flavorslike wild onion and garlic.

The herd’s browsing included wood-lands, as well as semi-open fields, as longas the fields were not planted to othercrops. Tomatoes and other vegetablescrops were frequently planted between theOzark rocks to help make ends meet.

Timothy, redtop and lespedeza wereintroduced species that might be plantedin protected fields to get a hand-harvest-ed hay crop in for the long winter.

Nights were short, as farmers — includ-ing young children — were up to feed thehorses by 4 a.m, so the teams would havetime to eat and be ready for harnessingand field work right after breakfast.

Tending small grain crops such as oatsproduced higher nutrient feedstuffs forlivestock and the work horses, but theremaining stubble was a lower quality feedfor cattle.

Life was hard on a subsistence farm,but I can’t say I think our forefathers wereworse off than we are today. Family valuessuch as teamwork and the fulfillment of atask completed are hard to replace.

Hard work was the norm. It was nomisfortune if you had to work for a living.

Recollections of an Ozarks farmboy

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It was an overcast Sunday afternoon inSeptember. Steve Hancock has the day

off from his Bolivar business, PrecisionSmall Engines. At the end of a long,muddy lane his grandchildren, J.W., 7,and Emma, 4, dutifully dodge puddles ofstanding water as they play in what wasonce the front drive to an old farmhouse.Mom and Dad are watching.

The old house was razed a year ago.The old barn is gone, too. Remnants of aconcrete walk, a peculiar cement disklies slightly askew at the foot of a treethat has seen better seasons. Nearby anold well casing is bright with new scarsfrom a recent brush hogging. That roundbit of sidewalk, Steve explains later, waspoured in an old, steel buggy wheel rim.

A couple of outbuildings remain, aswell. An old Chevy stares out from theopen door of one. Rusting and sitting onflat tires, it’s seen better seasons, too.

The kids’ dad, Shannon, has driven abright, blue New Holland tractor over tothe old farmstead. After a few minutes ofmilling around the freshly-hoggedhomesite, everyone gathers for a familypicture in front of the tractor, whichShannon moves to the edge of a grassyhayfield, freshly “greened-up” by recentrains after weeks of drought.

Emma and J.W. climb on the tractorwith their dad. Mom — Janieca —stands in front of them. Steve is joinedby his wife, Shelley, and their twindaughters, Veronica and Ashlee, 17 —three younger generations deeply rootedin the fertile soil of the Sterling/HancockMissouri Century Farm north of Bolivar.Not available for the picture is anotherdaughter, Amanda, and her 2-year-olddaughter, Faith.

The place where they gather dates to1907, when James and Susie Sterlingbought the 130-acre Polk County farmand proceeded to raise 13 children.James sold 87 acres before the farmpassed to Wayne Sterling and his wife,Emma.

Wayne died in 1976, Emma in 1990,leaving three children — May Sue,Kenneth and Virginia — and the farmwas divided among them.

May Sue Sterling, wed to JohnnyHancock in 1950, was Steve’s mother,and in 1993 Kenneth sold his acreage toSteve, thus effecting a smooth transitionof the farm from one generation to thenext.

Much of what is now a hayfield wasan old apple and peach orchard whenSteve acquired the 43-acre remnant ofJames Sterling’s original 130 acres. “The

trees were really, really old,” he said.Grandpa Wayne Sterling milked cows

and raised beef cattle, hogs and chickenson the place when it was his. He wasbest remembered, though, for his apples,Steve said, which he sold on the Bolivarsquare.

The old house served youngermembers of the family for about 15 yearsafter Wayne and Emma no longer couldlive there, but finally succumbed to ageand weather.

No house stands on the old farmtoday, but reminders of generations pastabound — like two remaining apple trees— and cattle still graze across the oldyard fence.

“Our intentions are to keep it in thefamily,” Steve said, and the enthusiasmwith which 7-year-old J.W. climbs intothe tractor cab is a clue that may not betoo hard to do.

YYoouunnggeerr ggeenneerraattiioonnss rreemmaaiinn rrooootteedd iinn ssooiill ooff SStteerrlliinngg//HHaannccoocckk CCeennttuurryy FFaarrmm

The Sterling/Hancock Century Farm family today includes, from left,Steve Hancock; twin daughters Veronica and Ashley, 17; Steve’s wife, Shel-ley; daughter-in-law Janieca, and on the tractor, Steve’s son, Shannon andgrandchildren Emma, 4, and J.W., 7.

The former May Sue Sterling isSteve Hancock’s mother.

PHOTO BY JIM HAMILTON


PAGE SEVEN

An aerial photographshows the Sterling/HancockCentury Farm before thehouse and barn weredemolished.

Flanked bynine childrenand his wife,Susie, James

Sterling warmsup his fiddleoutside the

family’sfarmhouse early

in the 20thcentury.

Photographed in 1918, the Sterling family included (with birth years),first row, from left: Wayne Sterling (1908), Maude Sterling Loyd (1896)holding Morris, Carl Sterling (1911), Grandma Susan Sterling (1871),Kenneth Sterling (1912), Ward Sterling (1915), Grandpa James Sterling(1866); second row, Chloe Sterling (1907), Phyllis Sterling (1909), LuraSterling (1905); third row, Ida Sterling (1902), Rodney Sterling (1904),Grace Sterling Swope (1897), Henry Sterling (1899) and Nima Sterling(1900).

Wayne Sterling main-tained a large orchard onthe farm north of Bolivarand sold apples in town.

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By Jim [email protected].

One of two 2012 Missouri Century Farm designees inGreene County, the Steele family farm near thecrossroads of Routes H and CC south of Pleasant Hopeis more than just geographically near Polk County.

It has familial roots in both Greene and Polkcounties.

The original owners of the farm, James and MaryCaroline (Alexander) Laney of Polk County, acquired theproperty on Nov. 11, 1881.

The elder Laneys gave the 80-acre farm to the eldestof their 15 children, Malissa Steele, and her husband,John, as a wedding gift.

With the help of Malissa’s brothers, the young couplehomesteaded another 80 acres just north of the original80. “They had to be tough,” said current owner HomerRay Steele, 92. The brothers walked from the Laneyfamily farm in Polk County before dawn and built firesto cut trees by until daylight. Several rockpiles stillmark where the brothers worked to clear the land forfarming, Homer said.

In about 1897 John and Malissa built a two-storyhouse of sawed lumber to replace the original cabin.That house yet stands on its quarried stone foundationnot far from the modern manufactured home of Homerand his bride of 67 years, Joan.

After the deaths of John in August 1921 and Malissain March 1933 their son, Willard, lived in the old house.When the estate was settled, their daughter, PearlBrown, and subsequently Willard, inherited the north80 acres.

Homer’s parents, George and Elsie Steele, inheritedthe original 80 acres, and Elsie later bought anadjoining 40 acres when it sold for taxes on thecourthouse steps.

Born March 9, 1920, a mile south of the GoodnightMill on the Pomme de Terre River, Homer grew up inSpringfield, where he attended Reed Junior High Schooland Springfield Senior High, graduating in 1939.

George and Elsa moved to the farm with Homer, theironly child, in 1938. Prior to going into the U.S. Army inWorld War II, Homer worked on the family farm and on

construction jobs, including O’Reilly Hospital inSpringfield where he was later hospitalized whilerecovering from a war injury (Homer was among WWIIveterans on an Ozarks Honor Flight to the warmemorial in Washington, D.C., last year).

Wounded in Europe, Homer returned home with hisleft hand permanently disabled. He and Joan weremarried in 1945. Homer and Joan lived near the familyfarm while George and Elsa were still living, and Homerwas active in the farming operation. He and Joan havelived on the farm since 1972.

Homer milked a small herd of Holstein cows, using aSurge milker with a 5-gallon bucket, and he was anearly advocate of artificial insemination of cows. Thefamily eventually converted to raising beef cattle. TheSteeles also raised and showed pleasure horses at localsaddle club events.

Daughter Linda Hough, who nominated the familyfarm for Century status, said Homer was “always abird man,” too, raising and selling chickens, turkeys,peacocks, pheasants and other fowl. Among his birdswere peafowl sold to William Swinea at Dickerson ZooPark in Springfield.

Homer said he got his first chickens in 1938 from afriend in Springfield who urged him to “come to myplace tonight with a couple of tow sacks.” At the olderfriend’s farm on East Cherry Street they pluckedchickens from their roosts in cedar trees, and thosebecame foundation stock for poultry on the place yettoday.

In addition to Homer’s chickens, the farm now hasmeat goats on some of the pasture and other areas aremanaged for lumber production and harvest. Avidhunters, grandsons have also established wildlife plots.

Linda is the middle child of the Steele’s five children,all but one of which live in the Springfield area.

Additionally, Homer and Joan have a dozengrandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren — fuelingopportunities for younger generations to continue thefarming legacy established by Polk Countians Jamesand Mary Laney 131 years ago on 80 acres in northernGreene County.

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Homer R. Steele still lives on the family farmwith Joan, his wife of 67 years. Homer was bornMarch 9, 1920, about a mile south of Goodnight— site of a mill on the Pomme de Terre River.With the couple is their daughter, Linda Hough,who nominated the farm for recognition.


PAGE NINE

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Linda SteeleHough stands by areminder of daysgone by, a woodengate to a lot out-side the old barn.

Built of native oak and restingon a foundation of native stone,this old barn is where HomerSteele formerly milked his smallherd of dairy cows.

Pictured by the old Steele farmhouse in about 1899 are family mem-bers, from left, Loren, Malissa, John, Willard and Alva. The old house stillstands near Homer and Joan’s newer dwelling.

GrandsonLandon

Hough andHomer

Steele witha trophy

buck from aNovember

2006 hunt.

Homer Steele, 1941. CONTRIBUTED

PHOTOS



PAGE TEN


Tall and straight as the men who onceworked the fields around it, the old

house yet presides over the 200-acrefarm bought by William A. and MinnieLemmon from the Bicknell family in1911.

Of course, it’s not quite the same aswhen William brought his family to theplace on the Sac River little more than100 years ago. Rooms have been addedon the back and it was long ago“modernized” inside.

The massive stone fireplace chimney,the rusty windmill in the front yard andthe hand pump over a dug well, though,bespeak of times captured now only infaded photographs, weathered relics andpersonal memories — times commemo-rated, too, in the old farmstead’sdesignation as one of Polk County’s four2012 Missouri Century Farms.

Nominated by Diana (Fortner) Lower,great-great granddaughter of William A.and Minnie Lemmon, the farmsouthwest of Brighton lies in both PolkCounty and Greene County. It continuesto be farmed today by Diana’s parents,

Dick and Janice (Lemmon) Fortner andher uncle, John W. Lemmon.

Though no one lives in the old housetoday, beef cattle yet graze in the fieldbetween the old farmstead and theFortners’ newer home. The old barn andoutbuildings are still in use, all withinshouting distance of the Fortnerresidence. Someone could still live in theold house, John said, but it’s mostlyused for storage today.

For John and Janice, the place is rifewith childhood memories.

Their father, Lawrence Lemmon, wasabout 4 years old when his middle-agedgrandparents, William and Minnie,moved their family from the WalnutGrove area. Ownership of the farmskipped a generation with the untimelypassing of Lawrence’s dad, John, in1938 and the subsequent move of hismother, Pernie, to live with another ofher six children in California.

Lawrence and his wife, Blanche,continued to work the farm, operating agrade-C dairy until the mid-1970s. Overthe years they also raised hogs, chickensand field crops much the same asWilliam, Minnie, John and Pernie had.They also raised three children — Bob(deceased in 1998), John and Janice.

John and Janice grew up working thefarm the same as generations beforethem.

“I remember the drought of the early1950s,” John said. “It stands out strongin my mind. The corn got about shoulderhigh to me … of course, I wasn’t very tallthen. We cut the stalks with a corn knifeto feed the cows, and we cut down treeswith axes. We didn’t have chain saws.”

Milking the family’s 15-30 cows wasalso a manual chore. “I always milkedcows by hand,” John said.

The farming operation today is similarto many others in the Ozarks —pastured stock cows raising feeder calvesand big, round bales of hay put up forwinter. No milk truck stops by the placethese days, but John did drive one foryears.

The Lemmon family farm of today isnot the same as that of 100 years ago —it’s seen generations of change in bothfamily and agriculture. From the edge ofthe old dirt road past the house, though,it’s not hard to imagine the farmstead ofWilliam A. and Minnie Lemmon — thetall windmill squeaking, the hackberrytree in the yard whispering and the oldtwo-story house echoing the voices ofgenerations past and present.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOLawrence Lemmon, with son Bob, holds a brace of his fox hounds on

their Polk County farm.

Pictured in front of the house bought by William A. and Minnie Lemmonin 1911 are, from left, John W. Lemmon, Janice (Lemmon) Fortner and her

husband, Dick, and their daughter. Diana (Fortner) Lower.

ON THE COVER: Pictured in frontof their two-story farmhouse earlyin the 20th century are Minnie andWilliam A. Lemmon on either side oftheir son, John, and his wife, Pernie,with children Laura and Bill. Thoughmodernized in later years, the oldfarmhouse stands today just as itdid more than a century ago.

W.A. Lemmon family moved to Polk County farm in 1911

John W. Lemmon stands in front of thehouse bought by his great-grandparents in1911. Though no longer in use, the oldwindmill and hand pump over a dug wellprovided water for earlier generations onthe 2012 Missouri Century Farm.


Diana (Fortner) Lower


PAGE ELEVEN


In April 2002 a consortium of eight investors fromcommission firms at the old Springfield Regional

Stockyards opened a new, state-of-the art sales facilityfor area livestock producers on I-44 just north of theRepublic city limits.

In its 10th year, Springfield Livestock MarketingCenter moves more than 180,000 animals through itssale ring annually, hosting buyers from a half-dozenstates and pulling cattle from a 90-mile radius ofSpringfield, according to owner Tom “Tonto” Kissee ofMount Vernon.

Other owners today are Ed, Josh and Jake Ford ofLouisburg, Kelly Crain of Morrisville, Joe Gammon ofSpringfield, Steve Hawk of Walnut Grove and TomKissee of Billings.

Doug Thomas and Gary Estes are dairy salemanagers.

Kissee said the center employs about 50 people onsale days, but someone is on-site 24 hours a day, everyday, to handle incoming livestock. With four acresunder roof, the facility offers hay and water in pensunder cover.

In addition to regular sales, the center has meetingfacilities for various agricultural meetings, hostscowboy church and leases office spaces.

Amenities of the sprawling complex include a 300-seat arena, the Mingles Cafe, Mac’s Vet veterinarysupply, a ladies lounge and drive-through unloading forlivestock sellers, as well as a catwalk over the pens forbuyers and sellers.

Put together by a group of longtime marketingfriends and associates, Springfield Livestock MarketingCenter is a family operation, Kissee said. “Every ownerhas a son or someone who works here.”

That family feeling extends to sellers and buyers, aswell. “A lot of the customers we have we’ve had forgenerations,” Kissee said. “It’s about customer serviceand relationships.”

Though beef cattle numbers are at historic lowsnationwide, Kissee said the cattle market today is “realgood,” even in a drought year. “Customers have had tosell, but they’ve been rewarded.”

The regular sales schedule includes:• Cow and bull auction, 9 a.m. Mondays.• Dairy sale, 11 a.m. Tuesdays, special dairy sale the

fourth Tuesday of each month.• Feeder auction, 8 a.m., Wednesdays.Kissee said they also have a special cow sale the

second Saturday of each month for “take home” cows,as well as special “wean-vac” sales for feeder calves onthe first and third Wednesdays.

Additionally, Cowboy Church is at 8:30 and 10:30a.m. every Sunday and at 7 p.m. Thursdays.

Springfield Livestock Marketing Center is 3 mileswest of Springfield at I-44 exit 70. The center telephonenumber is (417) 869-9500, and the website iswww.springfieldlivestockcenter.com.

Springfield Livestock Marketing Center 10 years old

The SpringfieldLivestock Market-ing Center officecrew includes, fromleft, GlendaNichols, ShyannaWallace, Lois Crain,Hannah Crain andRita Wallace.

Ed Ford of Louisburg and his sons, Josh at leftand Jake at right, are part-owners of SpringfieldLivestock Marketing Center.

Auctioneer Kelly Crain ofMorrisville is another of theowner-operators at SpringfieldLivestock Marketing Center.

Veteran cattleman Tonto Kissee ofBillings is one of the original owner-operators of Springfield Livestock Mar-keting Center. Below: With four acresunder roof, Springfield Livestock Mar-ket still uses horses to move cattle topens. Located on I-44 west of Springfieldand just north of the Republic city lim-its, Springfield Livestock MarketingCenter moves around 180,000 head ofcattle through the sale ring annually.



PAGE TWELVE


It was a time much like this in Cashion,Okla. The year 1910 would go down on

record as the driest of the century in theSooner State, with less than 19 inches ofrain. The previous year had been littlebetter, lifting the two-year annualaverage to just over 23 inches.

It was in this climate of drought thatKentucky-born Ed Harman and hisJayhawker bride, Deeda, packed up theirfamily of four boys ages 6 to 18 in awagon, hitched their team of mules andbegan their overland trek from centralOklahoma to southwest Missouri.

They first settled near Weaubleau, butwere not destined to put down roots inthat southern Hickory Countycommunity. On Oct. 20, 1912, theybought 40 acres south of Goodson fromC.E. Hart. There they began carving afarm out of the timbered hills and openprairies — the farm that is one of thisyear’s four Polk County Century Farmhonorees.

Living on the same 80 acres today areRenee Harman and her son, Glen, eldestof 11 children she and her late husband,Donald, reared on the family farm.

Corn and soybeans todayAs with most centenarians, the

Harman farm of today little resemblesthat 43-year-old Ed Harman beganworking in 1912. All that remains of theoriginal Harman farmstead is a nativeoak and walnut barn built in 1915. Nodoubt, though, Ed would take pride inseeing the fields he and his boys clearedwith crosscut saws and sweat stillproducing rows of corn and soybeans.He would be dismayed, too, by the recentravages of drought like that he left inOklahoma a century ago.

As hard as times must have been, thefarm and the Harmans’ resourcefullabors enabled them to build a finehouse and even buy a new Model T in1917, at a cost of $400, according toRenee.

In addition to raising hay and rowcrops, Ed operated a saw mill, bred andsold mules as far away as Arizona, raisedhogs during the Depression, had a dairyherd and ran Polled Hereford stock cowsduring his years on the farm.

Ed and Deeda’s four boys were Inzie,

Ivan, Irvan and Jewell. Married in 1930,the second-oldest, Ivan and his wife,Cora, were the parents of Renee’shusband, Donald, the youngest of fourchildren. His siblings were Wesley, Ivanand Gernelia.

Both builders and farmersIn addition to farming, the family

worked inconstruction,Renee said. Ivanwas a millwright,carpenter andbuilder withmany skills.Much of the timeIvan and his sonsworked in the LosAngeles area ofCalifornia, butthey always camehome to harvesttheir oats. Theyalso raised corn,hay and othercrops, as well asmilk cows. Theylater raisedCharolais,Hereford,Limousin and“black baldy”stock cattle atdifferent times.

The samefields the familyfarmed years ago

are raising soybeans today.Donald wed Renee in 1952 in her

native California, and they moved backto the family farm in 1956, where theyreared their 11 children — six girls andfive boys. Donald also continued workingoff the farm. He died at age 71 on Feb.19, 2005.

The original house built by EdHarman burnedon July 4, 1954.In 1960 a secondhouse was buildof hadite blocks(similar toconcrete). Thathouse now standsvacant next toRenee’s modernmobile home.Behind it is thebarn built by Edin 1915. Asurvivor of manybig winds andwinters, it’srough-hewntimbers are areminder of thoseearly days whenthe Harmanfamily carvedtoday’s CenturyFarm out of theprairies andwoodlands southof Goodson.

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Ed Harman raised draft horses, as well as mules, early in the century.Ed and Deeda Harmon boughtthis Model T Ford in 1917 for $400.

Ed and Deeda Harman movedtheir family from Oklahoma to Mis-souri, untimately settling nearGoodson in 1912.

This house built by Ed Harmannearly a century ago was destroyedby fire on July 4, 1954.

Hand-hewn oak timbers still supportthe hayloft of the barn built by Ed Har-man.

Renee Harman sifts through photos of earlier generations inside herhome on the Harman Century Farm.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

PHOTOSBY JIMHAMILTON


PAGE THIRTEEN

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Dominating a grassy knoll in therolling farmlands south of

Humansville, the picturesque new homeof Larry and Karen Nickels offers fewclues to the history of the farm itoverlooks.

The white vinyl fence, new metaloutbuildings and neat plantings ofshrubs and trees are evidence of recentconstruction and landscaping, as if itwere part of a new residential develop-ment. In fact, what stands on the Nickelsfarm today is a reincarnation of a 19thcentury farmstead destroyed by thetornado that ripped across the Ozarkson May 4, 2003.

It is notamong thenewest, but oneof the oldestfarms in PolkCounty, andone of four inthe county toearn a 2012MissouriCentury Farmdesignation.

Today’s farmwas once part ofparcels firstacquired in1838 by Virginianatives LeanderWilson, 40, hiswife Mary, 37,and their sonFleming, whowould havebeen 13.

Genealogicalrecords showFleming latermarried MarthaStratton and thecouple had 11children, five ofwhom died at age 6 and younger — thefirst two on the same day in March 1861.

When Fleming died in 1901, theproperties were divided among five of hischildren, according to the farm abstract,Larry said. One of those was John C.Wilson, whose daughter, Oval, marriedArthur Nickels in 1917 — hence, thesame farm, but new branch of the samefamily and a different name on theproperty.

Born in 1889, Arthur lived until 1970.Larry’s dad, Guy, was an only child,born in 1923. He and his wife, Bonnie,continued to live on the home placewhile Larry was growing up, but latermoved from the farm while continuing torun cattle and raise hay there. Guy diedin 2000, but Bonnie is still living.

Married in 1967, Larry and Karenbought the place in 1978.

A 1967 graduate of Humansville HighSchool, Larry was “born and raised right

where we’re sitting,” he said. He movedinto Humansville after high school.

When his grandparents had the farmthey milked cows, raised hogs and grewcrops like corn and milo, as well as putup hay. “The farm was all they needed atthe time,” he said. “When Dad was herethey even had a sawmill.”

Larry recalled milking cows by handin the old stanchion barn “back whenDad and Granddad milked together.” Asthey made the transition to beefproduction, many of the original cowscame from the dairy herd.

The first house on the Wilsonhomestead was a log cabin not far fromthe more modern house Larry was raisedin. Though an improvement over the

cabin, thatstructurerequired majorremodeling whenLarry and Karenacquired it in1978. When thework wasfinished, ithardly lookedlike the oldfarmhouseearliergenerationswould recognize— just as thefarmstead todayis totallydifferent.

The tornadoof 2003 tookeverything — thehouse, the oldbarn, outbuild-ings, theorchard, andeven almost allthe oldphotographs ofthe farm andfamily.

With the newhouse sitting on the site of the original,though, Larry can look across the rollingfields and woods and recall, “Here when Iwas growing up, if you heard a carcoming you could look at your watchand you’d know who it was, and whenthe train was still running throughCliquot, you could hear its whistle atnoon on train days.”

The past is rich with memories, but thefuture of the farm uncertain. Grandchil-dren may take an interest in the farm.Time will tell.

For now the Nickels just savor the priv-ilege of living the farm life. Recently retired,Karen said she put everything she madeback into the farm — just because shetreasures the lifestyle so dearly.

With five generations and 174 years ofloving the Wilson-Nickels farm behindthem, it hardly seems possible she andLarry could be the last to hold the old farmdear.

HHuummaannssvviillllee ccoouuppllee rreebbuuiillddsshhiissttoorriicc ffaarrmm ffrroomm ttwwiisstteerr rruubbbbllee

A 2003 tornado destroyed thefarmhouse renovated by theNickleses nearly 25 years earlier.Pictured is the house before andafter the twister. The storm alsodestroyed barns and other outbuild-ings, as well as a mobile home usedby Larry’s mother. Also lost weremany family pictures and heirlooms.

Karen and Larry Nickles relax on thefront porch of their new home on thefarm settled by his Wilson family ances-trors in 1838.

The home of Larry and Karen Nickles today commands a view of muchof the historic family farm.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS



PAGE FOURTEEN

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By Emily [email protected]

The story of any MissouriCentury Farm isn’t really a

story of land, of acres or deedtransactions.

It’s a story about a family.The acres and the deeds simplyhelp tell the story.

And for the Trogdon family,that original deed for 40 acresoutside Strafford was the startof a close-knit family communi-ty now referred to as “Trog-donville.”

“You can ask anybody inStrafford where Trogdonville is,and they can tell you,” saidSharlotte McIntosh, grand-daughter of Benjamen Trogdon,who established the originalhomestead in 1904.

The original parcel of land isnow part of an area thatincludes homes for BenjamenTrogdon’s children, grandchil-dren and now great-grandchil-dren, as well as cousins andother relations. As Sharlottedrives through the area, shecan point out the homes of hersiblings and other relatives,identifying one brother’sLonghorns and anotherbrother’s horses.

While family homes dot thearea, Benjamen Trogdon’s firstlog cabin — which he built withwife Clara Scott and where theyraised their five children — islong gone.

“They’re the ones thatpurchased the farm in 1904,”Sharlotte said of her grandpar-ents. “I’m not sure when hebought the second 40 (acres).

A second home, built in1915, is still there, and is whereSharlotte’s father was born andlater died.

Sharlotte’s father, HarryWilliam Trogdon, was theyoungest of the five children,and he and wife, Marie, had 10children of their own in thathouse, losing one girl as a baby.With Harry adding rooms to thehouse, the nine children —Shirley, Jerry, Sharon, HarryLee, Sharlotte, Garry, Sheryl,

Larry and Terry — grew up in ahouse filled with their mother’shome cooking and their ownchores to keep the family’s dairyoperation running.

Benjamen died beforeSharlotte was born, and Clara,known as Fronnie, died whenSharlotte was a small child.

“Both of them passed in thathouse,” Sharlotte said of thefamily home.

Harry Trogdon died in 1994,and Marie five years ago. Since

then, the family home has beenempty, though Sharlotte hopesanother Trogdon family will fillit soon. In the meantime, thegrandchildren work together tokeep an eye on the property andmaintain it.

“It’s hard,” she said.“Everybody works andeverybody’s got their ownhouses.”

In spite of the work needed,it’s home.

“It’s our family home,”

Sharlotte said. “I still have tocome back to feel at home.”

Childhood home“We didn’t think anything of

walking a mile to play with ourfriends,” Sharlotte said of herchildhood in the country.

Growing up on the familyfarm, Sharlotte and her siblingshelped do chores, as their fathersaw to the daily milking of 50 to60 Holsteins. The family alsohad pigs, chickens, an orchardand a garden.

Dirt roads led through thearea, and the kids hauled hayand cut wood.

“I really don’t rememberthinking of it as work,”Sharlotte said. “We just all wentout and did it.”

Then, even families thatdidn’t operate farms grew a lotof their food in gardens and hadchickens. Sharlotte said shewishes today’s generation couldgo back to their roots, to learnthat fading way of life, with theplums and pears from the fruittrees near the house, thepotatoes and corn from thegarden, or collecting walnutsand gooseberries.

“Mom and Dad used to growcorn and make silage for thecows,” Sharlotte remembered.

After the kids got off theschool bus in the afternoon,their mother would have anafter-school snack fixed —homecooked foods likecornbread and beans or friedpotatoes. For fun, they racedhorses bareback across thefield, from the corner of theproperty to the farm.

TROGDONVILLE: Story of a family and a farm

Sharlotte McIntosh, a granddaughter of Benjamen Trogdon, worked to have the origi-nal 40-acre farm declared a Missouri Century Farm. It was recognized at the Ozark EmpireFair this past summer.


PAGE FIFTEEN

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“They didn’t want to be ridden, so they’d tryto brush us off,” Sharlotte said of the horses.“We used to roam over everywhere you can see.”

The kids swam in the nearby pond, “whichDaddy didn’t like, but we did anyway,” Sharlottesaid with a laugh. Or they’d climb on the roof ofthe washhouse, the small building that heldtheir mother’s ringer washing machine, andjump down. Mother did laundry every Monday,and Tuesday was ironing day.

Today, the ringer washer is still in the quietwashhouse, and Sharlotte’s grandchildrenfrighten her when they jump from its roof justas she used to do. Most of the fruit trees havebeen lost to storms over the years, and thedairy cows are all gone.

“Today it’s used for raising beef cattle andhayfields,” Sharlotte said.

“We just had a wonderful childhood growingup there.”

Century FarmIn getting the Trogdon farm recognized as a

Century Farm, Sharlotte initially didn’t knowwhat was required. In the early 1990s, she wentto the county courthouse to get more informa-tion, wanting to do something for her father.

“I didn’t really know what I needed,” shesaid.

She eventually let the matter drop, but foundan article on Century Farms last year anddecided to try again. She was too late to havethe farm recognized last year, but not for 2012.

In the end, her part was simple to prove theinitial purchase. Because Benjamen bought theland from the Frisco Railroad, that historicaldocumentation was easily accessible from therailroad.

“That’s all I needed to do,” Sharlotte said. Other land transactions can be harder to

trace, even in the Trogdon family, in part due tothe family’s numerous dealings, selling acres toeach other to establish homes of their own.

While the family knows some of theirgrandfather’s history, there are details nowunavailable.

“We didn’t ask enough questions whenDaddy was alive,” Sharlotte said. “We know he(Benjamen Trogdon) came here from Bois D’Arc,but we don’t know why.”

With few exceptions, Benjamen Trogdon’sgreat-grandchildren are still in the area,spreading a little outside Trogdonville but stillnear Strafford and Springfield. Shirley, theoldest of Harry William and Marie Trogdon’schildren, lives in Dallas, Texas, and Sharonlives in Springfield. Terry died six years ago,and the rest of the family still lives in Trog-donville.

“We have the next generation that’s comingup to take care of it,” Sharlotte said.

When asked if the family would ever sell herparents’ home, the answer was simple.

“No.” While Sharlotte wants her grandchildren and

family to learn of their past, she doesn’t know ifit’d be possible for a new Century Farm to starttoday and still exist 100 years later.

“It would be so hard and so expensive tostart farming these days, to buy the equipmentand land ... I don’t know,” she said.

Times have changed, she knows.“It was just a way of life.”

Benjamen and Fronnie Trogdon

Harry William and MarieTrogdon

Still owned by the Trogdon fam-ily, the home has been empty sinceMarie Trogdon died five years ago.When asked if the family would eversell the property, Sharlotte McIn-tosh answered with a firm “No.”

Shown are SharlotteMcIntosh with her parentsand siblings in a family por-trait. In front, from left, areparents Marie and HarryWilliam Trogdon (in center)with children Jerry, thesecond oldest, and Shirley,the oldest. In back, fromleft are Terry, Larry, Shar-lotte, Sharon, Sheryl, Garryand Harry Lee

ORIGIINAL PHOTOS BY EMILYTRUSCOTT; HISTORICAL PHOTOS

CONTRIBUTED.

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