The online journal of the locally-owned, volunteer-driven, education-based and multi-modal annual working tour of family farms across greater Missouri.
From my perspective & experience, one of the best things you can do to support a healthy lifestyle for yourself, your family, and your community is to participate in a local CSA (community supported agriculture program). Typically the way it works is each member / shareholder contributes money at the beginning of the year (e.g. $500-$1000/yr), the farm offers multiple shares (e.g. 50) and then uses money from subscriptions to pay costs of production for upcoming season and subscribers recieve weekly shares (farm production dividends in the form of food) to be picked up at the farm or at local drop off point. Many farms also offer some kind of sweat equity option for subscribers to keep farm labor supply up and costs to subscribers down. And now is the time of year to start looking at what local CSAs are available for next season…
Slow Food STL is a great organization, and they have put together a listing of some of the CSAs available around St Louis. Check them out here: Local STL CSAs (collated by Slow Food STL)
Well, September has been busy – Marvin Newman (patriarch and resident “Old Man” of Three Oaks Farms) designed what has been referred to as an “Octopus” by shop steward at Haslag Steel (Washington, MO) – a custom-designed and built grain passive gravity grain spreader (which minimizes damage and fines to corn kernels during transport from grain elevator into storage bins). Was an eventful week trying to put Marvin’s contraption together (requiring an acetylene torch, Lincoln arc welder, grinders, drill presses… as well as a repurposed ATV hoist to lift to top of grain bin – as well as impromptu scaffolding aka “Leaning Tower of Buda” when it was discovered the hoist cable was 20′ short of reaching the floor from the 70′ high roof!)
Also, had the pleasure of watching my girlfriend’s father (Richard Ohmes) take 1st and 2nd places in antique and stock (respectively) tractor pulls at the Lincoln County Old Threshers Association 45th Annual Festival in Elsberry, MO on Sunday (Sept 21, 2014). Lots of great old tractors, draft horses, steam engines, and old-fashioned Missouri know-how! Check them out at Lincoln County Old Threshers Association!
Doug & Marvin inspect custom designed grain spreader (aka “the Octopus)!
field workshop setup for grain spreader fabrication
Marvin & Jim laying out work plans for the day
assembling hoist / battery setup
ATV hoist & boat battery repurposed to lift “the octopus” grain spreader to top of 54′ (115k bushel) grain bin
hoist / battery weatherproofed for stormy weekend…
Marvin laying down on the job!
“The Leaning Tower of Buda” – had to build this as hoist cable was 20′ too short!!!
two white Percheron draft horses
an old Oliver
an old time grain thresher (circa 1920’s?)
one of many rows of antique and stock farm tractors at Lincoln Co Old Threshers Club Assoc
old steam-powered tractors
a pink John Deere (for the Lil’ Chicks!) (-;
Holly & Rita Ohmes enjoying the shade at Lincoln County Old Threshers HQ
at tractor pulls, even the lil’ guys get a chance to compete
a classic shot of the stock garden tractor pull
Also, check out the Witness Tree Land & Livestock Festival Oct 4 & 5 in Gerald, MO – and if you have time, contact friend of the Tour Gail Cross (tenacity@fidnet.com) to help w/ sorghum harvest and festival prep work – a truly great time for the whole family!
All for now – check back in October for a photojournalistic report on harvest season across greater Missouri!
Well, been awhile since I’ve last posted. I have continued helping Doug & Marvin at Three Oaks Farms in Buda IL and occasionally help out at Dr Chuck Granger’s Boone Hollow Farm in Defiance MO, but have also been spending quite a bit of time developing relationships in the City of St Louis (with Mike & Matt Baumgart, Steven Fitzpatrick Smith, and especially my girlfriend – the other half of my heart, the yin to my yang – Holly Margaret Ohmes of O’Fallon, MO!)
In the process of trying to “put down roots” in St Louis, I’ll be passing the Tour-management / development roles to Tristan & Joe (and anyone else that may be interested!). I will also likely be helping Three Oaks Farms with one final harvest this year – we plan to bring in the corn & bean crop first couple weeks of October. We will be celebrating Dr Chuck’s 75th birthday out at his farm (Boone Hollow Farm, 1237 Hwy F, Defiance MO 63341 – near Chandler Hill Winery) this coming Saturday, August 30th – and all are welcome!
Some random / related / recent pics …
Holly w/ her dad on old Oliver tractor he restored!
a nice meal of farm-fresh scrambled eggs w/ dill and cherry tomatoes prepared by Holly!
Doug and pex tubing connections
Doug working on in-floor heat system
radiant heat plumbing system installed
interior partition walls up and ready for electric in living quarters of Buda shop
2014 soybean (front) and corn (rear) crops
Tour reps Mike K, Joe, Mike B, and Tristan at Earth Day 2014 at Tower Grove Park
Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got for now – more once harvest comes in!
Well, now that spring planting is complete (400 acres corn + 400 acres soybeans), we got after more mundane work last week – installing a septic system! Coming from a guy that has showered with a garden hose and made a crapper out of two stacked tires, this seems like a ridiculous luxury (particularly the inspection fees & related permits – given that there are hog & cattle farms just down the road…). Anyway, some pics from last week…
sunset over bean field
JD 8130 tractor done side-dressing corn
truck delivers septic tanks
placing first septic tank
leveling septic tank
placing second septic tank
backfilling septic tanks
Doug installing Sched 40 PVC sewer pipe
outflow line from septic tank to horseshoe-profile leachate field
clean-out access
installing septic leachate field lines
Marvin’s truck hooked to camper and ready for de-mobilization back to Missouri!
septic system alongside Shop and West Corn Field
Doug inspecting high boy sprayers at Akron Farm Services
As Father’s Day is soon upon us (June 15th), I want to take this opportunity to thank my own dad, Steve Kelly, for being a good father to me & my sisters. From Vietnam to Corporate America to retirement, he has garnered more great stories / “battle scars” than anyone I know – thanks for all you’ve done for us, Dad – we love you!
Also want to take a minute to appreciate a couple of men that have served in a “fatherly” / mentorship role during the formative years of the Missouri Farm Tour – Marvin Newman (Three Oaks Farms – Labadie, MO) & Dr. Chuck Granger (Boone Hollow Farm – Defiance, MO). Thanks to Marvin & Chuck, the Tour has been exposed to more tractors, engines, soil studies, structural repairs, crop information, and general farming strategies than 10 men half their age could have provided! The State of Missouri owes a debt of gratitude & respect to men like this – thanks Chuck & Marvin!
Marvin Newman (Three Oaks Farms) and Dr. Chuck Granger (UMSL, Boone Hollow Farm)
Finally, more photo galleries for everyone to flip through – one day I hope to find time to write up stories true journalistic format (maybe friends at the Post-Dispatch or Feast Magazine can help me?) – I just haven’t gotten there yet…!
Carron Acres – New Woolam, MO
Joe flame weeding elderberry plants
matting and mulching rows at Carron Acres
Boone Hollow Farm – Defiance, MO
Chuck dragging sunflower & sweet clover bed
Chuck and Kathy at Boone Hollow Farm
Chuck catching-and-releasing raccoon that was bothering his turkeys!
fresh spring radish!
Ohmes Farms – Moscow Mills, MO
Mr. Ohmes on Allis-Chalmers C!
Holly Margaret Ohmes & Mr. Ohmes on old Oliver tractor
Mr. Richard and Rita Ohmes!
Three Oaks Farms – Buda, IL
Soil Scientist from Illinois Dept of Conservation performs soil tests on farm
Well, the Missouri Farm Tour exposes our volunteers (“Missouri Mules”) to a wide spectrum of activities – repairing tractors, planting corn, precision ag software diagnostics, welding, soil health, erosion abatement, honeybees, Boer goats, determinant tomato varieties, seed saving, water well drilling, etc. etc. But the most important thing we strive to develop along the Tour is great human relationships & strong community networks. And the single-most important role in developing healthy, happy people and communities is — our moms! So, let’s hear it for all the women who have undertaken the work & responsibility, joys & rewards of being a good mother – thanks, Mom! We love you!
Along those lines, we have been – and continue to be – very busy this time of year. So, here is a photo gallery from last month offered as a mutually beneficial solution time constraints composing the Journal (mutually beneficial in that I don’t have to write as much, and you don’t have to read much more of my writing!)
Boettcher Family at Carron Acres in New Woolam, MO
Joe with small box turtle!
tree planter (on loan from MO Dept of Conservation)
Joe repairing re-rocking farm roads
Pair of mules seen in Defiance, MO while helping out at Chuck Granger’s Boone Hollow Farm
unloading new 15″ tracks for CAT AGCO 765B tractor
jack stands that collapsed under weight of CAT AGCO tractor as we jacked it up to change tracks!
M. Kelly, J. Johnson, M. Baumgart, T. Walker (l to r) working the booth at the St Louis Earth Day Festival in Forest Park!
Linda Chase of Rose Hill House standing with new erosion control native plantings
Mike & Linda Chase installin
unloading side fertilizer tanks
Doug Newman (l) and Michael Musselmann (Ag Spectrum) repairing wire harness
CAT 765B tractor mid-track change!
Joe savoring a Piney River Brew at Wenwood Winery in Owensville, MO
Joe Gillig & Joe Johnson at Wenwood Winery Tasting Room
Doug & Marvin Newman working come-along to release track
Doug loading Pioneer Hybrid seed corn into planter hopper
Mike K atop grain dryer during cleaning effort
loading planter hopper using remote controlled mobile seed tender unit
our home away from home it seems – Casey’s!
pic from front of Greyhound en route from Buda, IL to STL
Anyway, a few photos from the Tour so far this year – hope everyone is doing well, and remember to call your mom on Sunday! (-:
Well, so far April has been pretty nice… Here’s a summary of what we’ve been up to…
Networking
Networked with the Ancient Order of Hibernians (Irish Catholic Men’s group of St Louis – several police / fire / EMT are members)… We enjoyed networking with Irish Tionol (traditional folk music) that performed last weekend at Schlafly Taproom (downtown) & John D McGurks in Soulard in our effort to bring traveling folk minstrels to the Tour!… Mike continues to work with St Peter Men’s ACTS (Adoration, Community, Theology, Service) Retreat group… We got interest in the Tour from the Volunteer Director at St Louis Zoo… And Mike is looking into volunteering once a month (as time allows) at St Alexius Hospital (near Jefferson & Arsenal)…
“One foot in the country, one foot in the city”
Continue to enjoy helping out Mike & Matt Baumgart with Baumgart Properties with renovating the properties they have in the Benton Park, Carondelet, and Dutchtown South neighborhoods (farmers & landlords get exposure to a wide range of useful tools, which we hope to review in upcoming issues of our self-published “Iron Reports” – a type of Consumer Reports for tools & equipment)… Currently focusing on a property on Missouri Ave (just a couple blocks west of Sidney Street Cafe in Benton Park)… Hopefully the hybrid business model works out – though we don’t want to stretch things too thin either.
gutting bathroom at MO Ave
Small Local Farms
Have been running out to Boone Hollow Farm in Defiance with Dr. Chuck Granger (UMSL, Dept of Biology) to work on 2nd floor of future “Farm School” and hooked up a 3-point hitch to his old Lo-Boy Cub Cadet tractor…
1954 Lo-Boy Cub Cadet Tractor (w/ new 3-pt hitch attached!)
farm-fabricated swing (w/ tractor seat!)
We are also looking forward to helping Joe Johnson (Tour Director of Operations) out at his Carron Acres Elderberry Farm in New Woolam, MO on Thursday… Interested in helping transplant several hundred elderberry starts (and stopping by Clancy’s Irish Pub & Market in Rosebud afterward to say hi to friends?) – Just let us know!
Carron Acres fields
Big “Greater MO” Farms
And we’re planning to head back up to Legacy Oaks Farms next week with Doug & Marvin Newman (who donated a used camper/trailer – see below – to be used on the Tour!) to work on preparations for Spring Planting (corn & soybean) up in Buda, IL …
Tour Mobile Office! (see camper mid-field)
Tour Office
In exchange for help remodeling the kitchen, Mike Baumgart has offered a historic 2nd floor apartment in Dutchtown South (on Alberta near Spring) to be used as the Tour’s Main Office for 2014-15! Free of charge!
(We are working on banking, licensing, 501c3 tax status and other admin issues as well…)
Upcoming Events
In addition to finishing up a Master’s program at Webster University and working full-time, Tour Marketing Chair Lyndsey Caldwell has gotten the Tour a booth at the St Louis Earth Day Festival coming up Sunday April 27 from 11-6pm at the MUNY grounds of Forest Park! Agriculture, conservation, ecological issues, transportation, healthy food & clean energy – all have overlapping and/or shared interests with the Missouri Farm Tour! Come visit us in the Farm Section!
Finally and last minute, we will be having a SpringBoard Meetingtonight (!) from 7-9pm at the Civil Life Brewery (3714 Holt Ave) – come visit us upstairs and share in the creative process!
Patrick Ferguson & Mike Kelly at Civil Life Brewery
Well, earlier this month we attended Friend of the Tour Mark Brown’s “Small Farm & Microfarm Conference” at Al Smith’s Feasting Fox Guest House – great event (finally met Kelly Child’s!) – even got a chance to plug the Tour for a minute (need to work on impromptu public speaking / 30 sec pitch practice)… making headway alternating weeks between Legacy Oaks Farm in Buda, IL and a few historic STL properties owned by friend of the Tour, Mike B in Benton Park & Dutchtown South Neighborhoods…
Our March 15th Winter Open House was… um… “under-attended”! – we couldn’t have picked a better facility at Centennial Malt House Cellar (thanks again, Eileen!) – the slideshow & microphone worked well, and the guest accomodations were beautiful (and free provided by the Tour) – but only a handful of curious folks showed up (thanks Dave & Linden! great to meet you!)… but it was a beautiful day and St Pat’s Parade was downtown, so no worries, we understand… we will still aim to host Open Houses around the State of Missouri periodically throughout the year… hopefully people show up the next time! (-;
nice sign!
Last weekend was the best though… Tristan & I made it out to the MO Draft Horse & Mule Association Annual Conference in Columbia, MO – saw Tour Friend Gail Cross (Witness Tree Land & Livestock) and met President(s) Neil DeVasher > Billy Meyer; Vice Pres Hope Redeker; Sec/Treasure Tan Davenport > Cassie McKerlie and others … a great event (and great food!)…
Tristan & I also made it to the Grape Friends spring pruning event at Edg-Clif Farm & Vineyard in Potosi, MO… Steve & Steffie Littlefield and Cindy & Girard made it a great experience (complete w/ Winery Tour and tasting!) Thanks Edg-Clif – we will be back soon!
Tristan (holding cat) and Steffie Knapp Littlefield at Edg-Clif Farm & Vineyard
Ol’ Steve Littlefield of Edg-Clif Farm & Vineyard after a hard day pruning!
Anyway, we plan to include posts by Joe, Tristan, Lyndsey & John up here as often as possible (as Mike’s ramblings get old fast! (-; )… In the meantime, enjoy the spring daffodils!
Well, February has been a very cold, but fairly productive month. We made it down to Springfield, MO for the Missouri Organic Association’s Annual conference – thanks to Mark “Carondelet Garlic” Brown and Brian DeSmet for helping out with transportation to the event! (And special thanks to Mark for coming back to Springfield from the pig farm he was visiting to get me!) We saw old friends Curtis Millsap and Adam & Melissa Millsap, as well as Sue Baird (MOA Exec Director), Charlie Hopper (U-M), Tom Flood (Schlafly Bottleworks), Marina Backes (Circle B Ranch), Debi Kelly (Missouri Beginner Farmers), Roger Lendhart (Elderberry Life), Chris Boeckmann (Lincoln University), Bob Long (Flintrock Bison Ranch), Ken & Jen Muno (Goatsbeard Farms), Liz Graznak (Happy Hollow Farm), Ken & Katie Barber (Green Gate Family Farm), and even made inroads towards participating in the C Street Market with market coordinator (and Cusco Peruvian Café owner) Joe Gidman!
We continue to help out with Three Oaks Farms (dba Legacy Oaks Farms) with their shop build-out in Buda, IL – even got some experience with electrical wiring last week (in addition to wall building & floor installation)!
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In line with our “one foot in the country, one foot in the city” hybrid organizational model, we’ve been helping out Tour Friend (and St Louis Landlord) Mike Baumgart with the restoration / renovation of some of his historic rental properties in St Louis. see video clip–>
Earlier this month we attended a fundraiser for Local Harvest Grocery at 4 Hands Brewing Company – a great (and successful!) event for a great cause!
Recently, we attended Gateway Greening’s Community Garden Summit at St Louis University High School (Mike’s alma mater – or at least one of them!) – another event and organization with Missouri’s best interests at heart.
Mike and Joe Johnson (Tour Operations Director) attended a StartStLouis meetup in the Railway Exchange Building – a sort of entrepreneur’s incubator group. Met Marc Bowers (The Grun Co) and Ben Siders (Lewis Rice Fingersh) and received help on our marketing pitch and will be meeting up with Marc and other pros to help refine our organizational model.
We have also had a few Tour Board meetings and had some great conversations and feedback regarding how to best structure and develop the Tour for the greatest public benefit. We shared the gmail account (mofarmtour12) among all Directors so we act as one team and stay on the same page. We have set up Lyndsey as the Marketing Director, Tristan as the Education Director, Joe as Operations Director, while Mike will continue to develop relationships with farms, run the Tour Office, and act as a “swing man” between various roles. We have been trying to hold Board Meetings every week (rotating locations each week) – my favorite location has so far been upstairs at Civil Life Brewing Company (if you haven’t checked this space out, I highly recommend it!) *(though as Lyndsey – a grad student at Webster U – wisely advocated, we will likely be meeting in study rooms at Webster University library more often than at local craft breweries!)
Mike is also on a faith-based journey as well as a life-long education journey – as such he will be participating in St Peter Church’s Men’s ACTS Retreat this weekend at the Mercy Center in St Louis (and looking forward to seeing his old soccer coach Herb Bernsen and Boy Scout buddy Dennis Perry at the event!)
We are also happy to announce that early advocates and longtime Friends of the Tour, Kevin & Christi Reinlein, are planning to move back home to St Louis, Missouri this Spring! A big win for St. Louis, indeed! (and hopefully the Tour as well, as we hope to excite them about Missouri agricultural opportunities as soon as they’re settled!)
In the meantime, don’t forget to put March 15th (from 3-5pm) on your calendar! The Tour Board will be hosting another Tour Open House (with slideshow and storytime!) at Centennial Malt House Cellar (formerly Schnaider Brewing Co, now home to Vin de Set, Moulin Events, PW Pizza… and soon the 21st Ammendment Taproom!) Hope to see everybody there!
Well, the first Tour Open House was a success – thanks to my Aunt Beth (McGovern), Aunt Amy (Morris), Dr. Chuck Granger (UMSL), Phil & Terry Winklemann (STL Sustainable Backyard Tour), Tristan Walker (Simply Sustainable Landscaping), Lyndsey Caldwell (STL Earth Day Foundation), and others for actually showing up! Tour Co-Director Joe Johnson started off the event with a presentation on elderberries grown on his Carron Acres (in New Woolam, MO). Then, with help from Dr. Chuck & Phil(!), we got the projector running and had storytime with a slideshow of photos from the 2012 & 2013 Tours. Went pretty well (though forgot to take pictures of Open House as I was nervously preparing for the presentation!) – we even convinced Tristan & Lyndsey to join the Tour Board of Directors for 2014! Welcome Tristan & Lyndsey!!!
Tristan Walker – 2014 Tour Board (Housing & Transportation Committees)
Lyndsey Caldwell – 2014 Tour Board (Marketing & Recruiting Committees)
Itinerary for Inaugural Open House (at Kirkwood Community) Center
Earlier in the month, we attended a presentation on eco-villages by Alyson Ewald of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage (at Schlafly Bottleworks), and the annual Winter Social and Seed Swap hosted by Jack Petrovic (of Schlafly Gardenworks!) Both were great events.
Most recently, I teamed up again with Doug & Jeff Newman to work on Shop Build-Out at Legacy Oaks Farms in Buda, IL. It was VERY cold up in north central Illinois, but we (okay, mostly Doug & Jeff!) got a lot of work done. Here are some photos:
Framing out Legacy Oaks Farm Shop Bldg (Buda, IL – Winter ’14)
Doug Newman – owner, Legacy Oaks Farms
Jeff Newman, owner, Newman Construction & Energy Corp.
And last but not least, we even garnered some positive feedback / interest in “The Adventures of Lil’ Chick” – one of the more popular “Barnstorms” (brainstorms) from the Tour’s creative department – coming soon to local establishments across Missouri!
“The Adventures of Lil’ Chick” – OPEN CASTING CALL
Anyway, we hope to make progress on all these fronts as the year progresses, and again we would like to invite anyone interested to check us out at the next Open House:
Sat., Feb 15th from 3-5pm
Jefferson Barracks Visitor’s Center (enter via S. Broadway entrance)
![IMG_0278[1]](https://mofarmtour.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/img_02781.jpg)
The MO Farm Tour Journal 