Delegate Profile

The Gilliland family has roots running deep in the gently rolling hills of eastern Kansas. Five generations of Gillilands have cultivated the sandy loam in Miami County. Here, along the gravel roads bordered by fields of row crops and pasture, the family has proudly farmed the land since 1896. In […]

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. […]

There’s something about digging holes that little boys and girls just can’t resist. Whether it’s in the sandbox, the backyard or at the beach, few children will pass up the opportunity to play with toy bulldozers, backhoes and dump trucks, moving sand and soil to build moats around castles or […]

Atop a hill just off a gravel road in rural Buchanan County, an old, weathered barn stands sentinel over the rolling farm landscape of northwest Missouri. Once a place that bustled with activity, the structure now sits empty, its doors locked—a vestige of a bygone era. This was a tobacco […]

Over the years, Rance Daniels has tried his hand at several cash crops. He’s cultivated corn. He’s grown and baled cotton. But here in southern Dunklin County, Mo., just a stone’s throw from the Arkansas border, one crop excels where others struggle. “This is rice ground,” the third-generation Bootheel farmer […]

In the poultry industry, being “up with the chickens” isn’t an expression reserved exclusively for early mornings. It also means late nights, weekends, holidays and everything in between. Tammy and Richard Hale know this all too well—yet they wouldn’t change a thing. “The chickens are kind of like your kids […]

Milas Mainord has done his fair share of traveling. He’s visited vast oceans and breathtaking mountains, sprawling cities and quaint resorts, towering forests and picturesque prairies. For him, however, none compare to East Prairie, Mo. “My wife, Barbara, and I once took a trip to Monterey, California,” he says. “We […]

Since the day Lester Rufenacht first got his hands in the dirt on his family’s farm in southern Henry County, Mo., he’s found himself drawn to working the land. “I guess it’s in my blood at this point,” Lester says with a laugh. With the exception of a two-year deployment […]

When it came to picking a profession, Joe Kleeman of Braymer couldn’t settle on just one. “I always had a love for veterinary medicine but also for farming in general — from livestock to row crops,” he says. “So, I did both.” A half-century ago, Joe hung out his shingle […]

In October, MFA Oil delegate Mart Thaxton wrapped up his 42nd harvest on his farm in central Arkansas. Not bad for a guy who began his farming career without any agricultural experience. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I got out of school and jumped in without […]

Whether it’s running his 500-acre farm outside Alma, Mo., conducting business as a seedsman or volunteering his time in the service of various farmer-led organizations, agriculture is an ever-present aspect of David Lueck’s life. In late June, the Lafayette County farmer and MFA Oil delegate was busy cutting hay for […]

It’s not uncommon for Jay Collins to put in 13-hour days on his diversified farm in Lentner, Mo. There’s so much to be done—raising row crops, running a cow/calf operation and managing contracted swine facilities—that it takes a full family effort to keep the operation going on a daily basis. […]