A homesteading family blends old-fashioned practices with a modern twist The fog is still clinging to the pines as the morning sun and Missouri’s infamous humidity begin to rise. Bees are buzzing around the zinnias. There are goats to be milked, tomatoes to can and...
Discover Missouri’s historic covered bridges These days if someone recalls a covered bridge, they’re likely to think of the Roseman Covered Bridge in Iowa romanticized by Clint Eastwood’s and Meryl Streep’s characters, magazine photographer Robert Kincaid and farm...
Co-ops grapple with taking care of business post-pandemic When Co-Mo Connect held its 2020 annual meeting on May 21 things looked a lot different than the previous year’s gathering. Just a handful of people attended, with the meeting limited to directors and key...
The best steak I have ever eaten was a big chunk of rib-eye raised by my friend Jack Baker, a director for Osage Valley Electric Cooperative. Jack raises cattle on his farm near Butler and I can always count on him dropping off a “care package” around Christmas. The...
Gene Bess retires as college basketball’s winningest coach Gene Bess didn’t give much thought to how long he would stay when he was named assistant basketball coach at Poplar Bluff’s Three Rivers Junior College in 1970. He was just glad to have a job. “Everybody was...
Zalma woman’s memories recall life during 1918 pandemic It might be fair to say that if Lottie James Bollinger were with us today, she’d likely see some similarities between the uncertain times of nearly 100 years ago and the present day. Born and raised in Zalma near...
The story of Old Drum, man’s best friend Editor’s note: This story, which is one of the most popular with our readers, is reprinted from the April 2014 edition of Rural Missouri. On the lawn of the Johnson County Courthouse in Warrensburg stands a bronze statue of a...
Richland graduates prepare for their world High school graduates have had to suffer through endless repeats of “Pomp and Circumstance” for generations. A typical graduation ceremony would feature fresh-faced seniors lined up in caps and gowns while a packed auditorium...
Jaret Jensen was excited to dip his toes into the world of delicious barbecue. Living in west-central Missouri, he and his then-girlfriend, Janna, were no strangers to smoked meats. So when he felt it was time to invest in his first smoker, Janna thought another...