Co-op leaders champion reliable power for Missouri STORY by Sara Schafer | PHOTOS by Sara Schafer and Paul Newton When it comes to Missouri’s energy future, electric cooperative leaders don’t leave the conversation to chance — they brought it directly to the state...
Fourth-generation farmers grow grain, distill whiskey and serve it — right on the family farm STORY by Sara Schafer | PHOTOS by Sara Schafer and Jim McCarty On a warm fall afternoon, Cole Rosier wasn’t thinking about barrels or bottling lines. The head distiller at...
Ozarks man completes 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail STORY by Paul Newton The Ozarkian was never afraid of a good walk in the woods. Dave McVicker spent his youth in south-central Missouri exploring everything nature had to offer all around him. “Growing up here in the...
Hurricane repair no holiday for linemen STORY AND PHOTOS by Jim McCarty On Oct. 28, Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica with an unprecedented fury. Concrete houses had their roofs torn off. Lesser structures made from wood were blown off the map. In the fishing...
by Caleb Jones In February, I welcomed a few hundred electric cooperative friends to Jefferson City for our 2026 State Legislative Conference. They came from every corner of the state with one shared purpose — to make sure rural voices are part of the policy...
Cory Stevens works to breed better bees STORY AND PHOTOS by Jim McCarty At first glance the bees Cory Stevens keeps seem like any others buzzing around hives across Missouri. But look closer — much closer — and you’ll find these bees are different. Their genetics hold...
Rooted in Service: Meet Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ New Officers Missouri Electric Cooperatives, the statewide service organization representing the state’s electric cooperatives, has elected a new slate of executive officers to guide the organization over the...
Zenith Aircraft sells airplane kits that get customers in the sky STORY AND PHOTOS by Paul Newton The factory floor at the Mexico, Missouri, workshop stays busy. The bones of what will eventually become flying machines are precut, predrilled, welded and carefully...
Inspired by Lamar’s golden age of pizza, Mother Tucker’s blends nostalgia, comfort and family fun STORY AND PHOTOS by Sara Schafer Every town has a restaurant that becomes part of its story. In Lamar, that place was Pappa’s Pizza. For decades, families gathered to...
Celebrate Pi Day with recipes from our readers PHOTOS by ANGIE JONES-WHEELER | FOOD PREP and STYLING BY RURAL MISSOURI STAFF Strawberry Pie - Shared by David Wunderlin from Joplin Ingredients 6 cups fresh strawberries, halved, divided 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons...