SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Members of the Greene County Commission hosted the fifth annual Greene County Commission Ag Tour on Friday, Sept. 13.

The tour was made possible through a partnership with the University of Missouri Extension.

The tour departed from the Commission offices at the Cox North Tower at 8:30 a.m. and visited four sites on the east side of the county that are uniquely impactful to agriculture in the county.

The first stop was Show Me Genetic Services, 8134 E State Hwy C, Strafford, MO 65757. Owned by Steve and Jamie Rogers, the ag business has custom bull studs offering custom semen collection, freezing, storage, and shipping, breeding supplies, and nitrogen tank fills. 

“Getting the right genetics in your cattle herd has become a very important consideration,” said Rogers. “The goal is always to improve the protein being raised on our farms, and in doing so to help the farmer improve his product and profits.”

Bonebrake Herefords was the second stop on the tour. The farm is nearly 100-years old and sits along Pearson Creek. The Bonebrake’s raise high-quality award-winning Herefords and were one of the first farms in the county to begin using rotational grazing systems.

“With this farm being right in Springfield now we go to great lengths to be good neighbors, environmentally aware, and to run a clean operation,” said James Henderson, ranch manager.

The third stop was Victory Garden, a community garden on Hwy 125 that annually raises 50,000 pounds of produce for Ozarks Food Harvest. The operation is a partnership between the land owners, Second Baptist Church, Ozarks Food Harvest, and volunteers that give over 2500 hours of labor.

“Our volunteers work on Mondays and Tuesdays, about four hours each day, but with the average age of our volunteers being 75 we could always use more help,” said Allen Wrather, volunteer.

Historic Turner’s Station and Mercantile (founded 1889) was the final stop for lunch. Jill Stoner runs the deli and mercantile with her daughter Candance Stoner. They also own a nearby Century Farm.

“Our roots go really deep in this area and we plan to keep it that way,” said Jill. “We are just excited to know that the Commissioners are interesting in learning more about agriculture in this county.”

Plans are already underway for the sixth annual tour in 2022 that will feature the west side of the county. The goal is always to showcase the unique variety of agriculture in the county. 

“Several specialists with Greene County and MU Extension are involved in putting together this annual event, and we thank the commission for entrusting us with that responsibility,” said David Burton, county engagement specialist with MU Extension. “Every year, we try to put together a tour that shows the diversity and uniqueness of agriculture in this county.”

For more information visit extension.missouri.edu.
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