COLUMBIA, Mo. – Doug Butler of Boone County will welcome visitors to his Missouri Century Farm to see a mature bottomland stand of walnut as part of the Oct. 11-12 Woodland Owners Conference.

During the two-day event, participants will learn how to work with foresters to manage sites for income today while retaining trees that will produce quality wood and income in the future, says Brian Schweiss, University of Missouri Extension sustainable forestry specialist.

The Forest & Woodland Association of Missouri, the Missouri Tree Farm Program and the Missouri chapters of the Society of American Foresters and Walnut Council sponsor the event.

The event kicks off Friday, Oct. 11, with a tour of a sawmill in Fayette or a cooperage at Higbee followed by a social and dinner. During the dinner, U.S. Forest Service research wildlife biologist Frank Thompson will speak on “Our Songbirds Need Managed Forests,” and the Missouri Tree Farmer of the Year will be recognized.

Register at www.forestandwoodland.org/events.

The upland sites of Butler Family Farms are mostly oak and hickory forests. The Saturday tour will focus on why upland oaks need special attention to ensure the future of oak for wildlife and wood products. Butler has numerous plantings of walnut, including improved varieties for timber and nut production. He is also a wildlife enthusiast and values the benefits of good management for deer, turkey and quail, says Schweiss.

Butler takes pride in owning a Missouri Century Farm, a designation awarded by MU Extension to farms that have been in the same family for more than 100 years.

“Great-great Grandfather Jacob and Uncle William Botner purchased the property in 1866 after being discharged from the Union Army after four years of service,” says Butler. The initial purchase was for 220 acres. The two brothers came from Kentucky and settled on the property with their wives, the Scott sisters.

Both couples started housekeeping in a single house, which was part of the land purchase. Lunch on the Saturday field day will be served between the two chimneys from this original home.

Butler’s grandfather Stanley Botner and his wife Ada built up the farm, at one point owning more than 1,000 acres. The property passed to Ada when Stanley died in 1963. She kept the property going well into her 90s, assisted by one hired hand. Upon her death, half the estate passed to Doug’s mother, Grace Botner Butler. Doug and three brothers then inherited it from her, purchased the balance from Ada’s estate and formed Butler Family Farms, LLC. Today, 800 acres are in the partnership, which includes the original 220 acres purchased in 1866.

Today, the farm has more than 200 acres in cropland, 300 acres in native forest and 38 acres enrolled in the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program planted to walnut and pecan. The bulk of the remainder is in hay ground. Income from the diverse operation has helped maintain the land and provide revenue to the family partnership.

Butler has worked with local consulting forester Fred Crouse, who assisted in developing a management plan and setting up timber sales. “I think many landowners hesitate to harvest trees, not trusting the forester and loggers, and maybe not realizing the benefits in harvesting and the downside of not harvesting,” says Butler.

“This field day will help landowners understand the importance of harvesting and other practices to ensure the long-term sustainability of the forest resource and how wildlife will benefit from proper management,” says Schweiss.

Butler says Crouse has been an invaluable resource. He marked trees to be sold, secured good prices for his trees, monitored the sale to ensure damage was minimized and developed a basis in the timber to help save on taxes. Fred will share his knowledge of walnut management at one of the tour stops. He will discuss the value of harvesting some trees now and retaining some trees for future harvests.

In 2023, Doug dedicated several acres for a 10-year program sponsored by the MU Center for Agroforestry, planting 72 black walnut seedlings for improved nut production. The goal is to determine which variety performs the best by soil type and geographic location within Missouri.

Another business venture has been the purchase of a Wood-Mizer sawmill. The plan is to mill low-value trees to create some high-value live edge slabs for local woodworkers. “I am most proud of the posts and beams cut from harvested white oak trees that were used on the front porch of our home,” says Butler. He says he gets great satisfaction from using logs that otherwise would be left to rot in the woods. Doug will demonstrate the use of his mill at the field tour.

Some income is critical to the farm’s success, but the Butlers also value what they term “family benefits.” They have fond memories of camping on the property with their kids when they came for visits while his mother was running the farm. Today, they enjoy hunting and fishing on the property. Deer, turkeys and squirrels are plentiful. He has been active in developing food plots and habitat for quail.

Butler’s plans include timber sales and thinning practices to maintain healthy woods, but mostly he wants to be a good steward of the land. “If I can spend more time managing the property and improving it so the next generation can more easily care for it and generate revenue from it, then they will be more likely to keep it in the family for a few more generations.”

Photo

https://extension.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_media/wysiwyg/News/photos/20240822-butler-field-day.jpgFred Crouse and other resource professionals will speak at a fall field day at the Boone County woodlands property of Doug Butler. During the two-day October event, participants will learn how to work with a forester to manage a site for income today while retaining trees that will produce quality wood and income in the future. Photo courtesy of Brian Schweiss, University of Missouri Extension sustainable forestry specialist.