Freight Family

February 27, 2023

Written By Adam Buckallew

Since 1950, three generations of the Baughman family of Mora, Mo., have played a role in the transport of agricultural freight across central Missouri and surrounding states. The family business, Baughman Feed Service, Inc., is a regional trucking company that delivers key ingredients to livestock producers, feed mills and more.

Founded by Ray Baughman, the company began by delivering feed to farmers in rural Cole Camp, Florence, and Smithton, Mo.

“This business began with a single truck,” said Duane Baughman, president of Baughman Feed Service. “People learned they could depend on my dad to haul their livestock feed, and we’ve gradually grown from there.”

In 1969, Duane Baughman got his start in the family trucking business by traversing the backroads of Benton, Morgan and Pettis counties. At 19 years old, he navigated the gravel and blacktop roads of the countryside while delivering nourishment to his father’s flock of turkeys and neighboring customers’ livestock.

The Baughmans began hiring drivers to build their fleet in 1970. The father-son duo worked together until Ray’s passing in 1993. By then, they had 12 feed trucks and began to diversify with grain hauling. At its peak, the fleet had 25 trucks, though that number has lessened in recent years due to a shortage of drivers.

Trucks and Cattle

Tractor trailers bearing the Baughman Feed Service insignia can be seen crisscrossing Midwestern highways en route to hog barns, poultry farms, flour mills and grain elevators. The trucks haul a variety of feed ingredients and grain. A big rig visiting Hutchinson, Kan., will pick up livestock feed salt from the local mine and bring it back to central Missouri. Wheat midds—a byproduct of the milling process to make flour—are headed to a Cargill facility to make turkey feed. Other trucks may haul grain to St. Louis or soybean meal to livestock operations in southern Missouri.

A truck shop in eastern Sedalia, Mo., keeps the company fleet up and running. There, two mechanics, along with help from Duane’s son, Garrin, service trucks and make repairs to keep the business humming. Meanwhile, Duane oversees operations from the company’s headquarters in Mora, where his daughter, Rayelyn, handles accounting and bookkeeping. Theresa, Duane’s wife, is the postmaster for nearby Stover and has been with the U.S. Postal Service for nearly 20 years.

In addition to the trucking business, the Baughmans run a cow-calf operation with 175 cows. The cows are raised on fescue pastures and hay grown on the family’s 600 acres of land. Garrin, who is 32, tends to the cattle herd.

Cooperative Involvement

Both Duane and Garrin serve as MFA Oil delegates for the cooperative’s Cole Camp bulk plant. Duane was elected as a delegate in 2008, and Garrin has served since 2021.

“My dad was a delegate for many years, and he and other local farmers recommended that I get involved,” Duane said. “When the local manager asked me if I had any recommendations, I thought of Garrin. Our family has had great experiences with MFA Oil.”

Duane equips his drivers with Petro-Card 24 credit cards for refueling. He likes the wide network of more than 180 Petro-Card 24 sites that cover much of the territory his trucks roam, and he uses the co-op’s contracting program to lock in a set price on his fleet’s fuel gallons to manage volatility.

As a delegate and longtime member of MFA Oil, Duane encourages his fellow farmers to buy fuel with a Petro-Card 24 card.

“You’re getting the best fuel, earning patronage and helping the co-op avoid credit card processing fees if you use your Petro-Card 24 card as we do,” Duane said. “If you’re using a regular credit card, that’s taking money off the bottom line that could be used for patronage dividends or new equipment.”

He also appreciates the quality of fuel the cooperative sells.

“With our business, we’ve got to keep everything running,” Duane said. “If we have a truck go down, the driver isn’t making any money, it costs me money, and we’re not getting the job done. We depend on good products like MFA Oil’s BOSS diesel fuel to keep our trucks on the road.”