From Seed to Sip
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...
Smart Risks, Solid Ground
The Kiehls focus on profitability and long-term stewardship STORY AND PHOTOS by Sara Schafer One day, Mason and Hannah Kiehl may have lazy evenings. But for now, after dinner is when the real work begins. With spreadsheets open, receipts spread across the table and...
Saving Stories Set in Stone
Kurt Jordan breathes new life into broken headstones STORY AND PHOTOS by Paul Newton Just after sunrise, the few hundred headstones at Greenwick Cemetery caught the early morning sunlight in a way that grabbed Kurt Jordan’s attention. He was behind the wheel of his...
Toys Through Time
Rediscover the treasures you wish you had at the Remember When Toy Museum by Sara Schafer | sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop The museum is a life-size game of “I Spy.” On one shelf you see rows of colorful train cars. Then you see the beautiful doll your best friend had...
From bar to barn
Dandelion Creek offers artisanal soaps made with milk from their goat herd by Sara Schafer | sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop About 10 years ago, Mathias Nelson carefully wrapped a bar of goat milk soap to present to his sweetheart, Lori, for Christmas. She loved it so...
Crowning Achievement
Meet the 2025 Missouri State Fair queen who will champion agriculture by Sara Schafer | sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop Bailey Schneider couldn’t stop shaking. Cheers echoed across Sedalia’s Mathewson Exhibition Center as retiring queen, Claire Walker, placed a...
More Than a Meal
Kasen McCarty brings fresh flavors to southern Missouri by Ricki Spargo | rspargo@ruralmissouri.org Kasen McCarty has felt a connection to cooking for as long as he can remember. The 20-year-old chef is most in his element when hand-rolling pasta dough or flambeing...
Fore the Kids
Camdenton man raises money with marathon day on the course by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop A lot of people look forward to golfing in their retirement. How much golf is too much golf might be a personal preference. Some might hit the links five times per...
Belle’s Big Bell
6,000-pound cowbell puts Belle on the map by Jim McCarty | jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop Belle is one of those rural Missouri towns you wouldn’t stumble on unless you were headed there. It sits at the corner of Maries and Osage counties and is reached by a long drive...
The Professor
Jon Wilson cultivates the next generation of farmers by Jim McCarty | jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop He ran 100 miles. He’s well on his way to a doctorate. He wrangles cattle in the hills of the Ozarks with his wife, April. He advocates for vocational agriculture. He’s...
The Heart of a Champion
A teenager teams up with a one-eyed, barrel-racing horse by Savanna Kaiser | info@ruralmissouri.coop The first time Libbey Colvin sat in a saddle, she was 3 years old. She learned to ride on a miniature pony named Tucker her parents gave her for Christmas. He was...
Countryside Connections
Jess Ryan creates community for rural gals across Missouri. by Ricki Spargo | rspargo@ruralmissouri.coop Jess Ryan never thought she’d live in rural Missouri. She happily waved goodbye to her small town of 200 when she left for college. Ten years later, she found...
Master of Metal
by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop Brandon Crandall was an intuitive kid. Growing up in rural Adair County, he would stretch his imagination by constructing Legos or building things on the family farm. “I probably made some things that my parents didn’t...
“Pack your bags boys!”
Cape Girardeau veteran honored for his role in Vietnam War by Jason Welch | info@ruralmissouri.coop It was a hug 50 years in the making. Lt. Col. Wayne Wallingford of Cape Girardeau had just been inducted into the Missouri Veteran’s Hall of Fame for his role in...
Man paints pink
Mid-Missourian raises money in unique way The pink shoes are just an occupational hazard for Nick Rackers each October. His white sneakers slowly turn more and more pink with spray paint as he raises money in a unique way for breast cancer awareness throughout...
Grande Dreams
Business student battling cancer chases her dreams This cup of coffee was just a little different. Kiley Lemasters has served customers thousands of cups of coffee as a barista, but in April, the college student and cancer fighter had the red carpet rolled out for her...
Mastering the game
Lebanon boy competes at Augusta National Waiting was the hardest part. Twelve-year-old golfer Brock Jernigan of Lebanon hasn’t had a lot of seven-month stretches in his life, but the seven months ending in April of this year were undoubtedly the longest. In...
Young author
Teenager Anna Prater delivers with her debut novel Writing the great American novel is on the bucket list for many people. Few get it done. That’s what makes Anna Prater’s achievement so remarkable. The Poplar Bluff teenager started writing her first novel when she...
Massive Murals
New Haven painter brings big-scale art to walls across Missouri When artist Ray Harvey sees a blank wall in a small town, he has a big goal. He wants to paint a mural so memorable it becomes as iconic as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. “Every small town needs an Arch,”...
Tailgate Talk
Meet three teenagers sharing farm life on YouTube The farm boy gets the call — his dad needs help hooking up the gooseneck trailer to the pickup. He grabs his brother and cousin and they’re off to help. Minutes later the three are corralling one of their beef cows to...
Blue Jacket Journey
Grant Norfleet earns a spot on the National FFA stage In 24 hours, Grant Norfleet made his inaugural trip to Washington, D.C., witnessed two turkeys be pardoned and took a selfie with President Joe Biden. That epic trip was just the beginning of a life-changing year...
100,000-mile man
Runner Rod Williams pounds the pavement around Warrensburg On July 22, Rod Williams toed the starting line on the University of Central Missouri track, a place he knew well from his time as one of the Mules’ distance runners. Then he backed up 30 feet to ensure he was...
Handmade with a higher cause
New Florence shop offers decor and more There’s just a little bit of everything going on inside the country craft store. A couple passing by stopped to check out some of the fall decorations and homemade candles that are making way for the upcoming Christmas displays....
The patient photographer
Persistence pays off for wildlife photographer Danny Brown You might walk right past Danny Brown and never know it if you spend any time outdoors in Missouri. He’s likely perched in a chair covered with camouflage netting, patiently waiting for his prey to show up in...
Larry’s line art
Laclede Electric lineman makes art from cast-off poles With a wide sweep of his hand, Larry Taylor gestures toward the pile of raw materials in his shop near Hartville. “All of this was headed to the trash,” Larry says. He’s talking about the stack of wood cut from...
Big league portraits
Jackson man uses artistic skill to paint for the pros Listening to the baritone voices of John Rooney and Ricky Horton smoothly dictate the action inside Busch Stadium on the radio, the artist is in his happy place. The baseball radio announcer’s job is to paint a...
The Many Mediums of Jimmie Marler
by Paul Cecchini | info@ruralmissouri.coop Hartville artist’s hands never rest The world record for most prolific painter is held by Pablo Picasso, with over 13,000 paintings and designs to his name. Hartville native Jimmie Marler has produced around 11,500 at this...
Going For Gold
Powerlifter Charlie Phillips gears up for Medal Run Amid the roar of the crowd and the music, Charlie Phillips takes the stage. Grasping almost a quarter-ton of weight between his hands, the 26-year-old straightens his legs and rises on the cheers as if carried on a...
Porcelain Perfection
Julia Allspach passes down the art of china painting Looking back on a lifetime of drawing and painting, Julia Allspach can’t estimate how many different artworks she’s made. While her home is adorned with tiles, vases, plates, Christmas ornaments, lampshapes and tea...
A lady on the line
Kimberly Bradshaw makes history as State Tech’s first woman lineworker Kimberly Bradshaw had no idea she was breaking new ground the day she toured State Technical College of Missouri. “I came here and I toured after I got accepted,” she says. “The guide at the end...
Community, Creativity and Culture
Columbia rapper NicDanger plans a better future, one track at a time Growing up in Columbia, Nicholas Rodriguez, or NicDanger, as he’s better known around town, felt like the odd kid out around his peers. The 32-year-old’s rise from being a frustrated grade schooler...
The Goat of Many Colors
Gerti the goat brings joy to people of all ages by Heather Berry Like most every 4-year-old kid, Gertrude, or Gerti, is a bundle of energy. She hops up on everything. She likes playing dress up and meeting people. She loves snacking on chips, cereal and, well, even...
Ready to hoop
Dennis Gates leads Mizzou Men’s Basketball as team’s 20th coach Dennis Gates is chomping at the bit for the ball to be tipped against Southern Indiana on Nov. 7. Mizzou’s first-year head men’s basketball coach hopes to revive the Tigers’ program on the court and in...
Treasuring the West
Crane author uses Missouri history to keep adventure alive by Jessica Jainchill | info@ruralmissouri.coopphoto by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop The Western book genre has been popular for almost as long as cowboys have existed. Starting as dime novels in...
The Daredevil Drafts of Catawissa
Michaela Redeker and her Clydesdales ride with style They sound like muffled thunder as they round the bend. Dust clouds follow as their rider guides them with her reins. The Clydesdales continue galloping within inches of one another and in sync so the rider can...
Truth & Exaggeration
Jefferson City artist Jim Dyke colors the world as he sees it If you’ve been to the Missouri State Fair, chances are you’ve seen him in action under an awning near the concert grandstand. Marker in hand, caricature artist Jim Dyke quickly sketches likenesses on paper,...
Just for the record
Wayne Glenn collects, recollects and more Wayne Glenn is one of the rare few who can say he’s loved his career from start to finish. He took a hobby from his youth and spun it into a 43-year career on Ozarks radio airwaves. Last May, the Nixa man known as “The Old...
A leatherworking legacy
Eric Van Alstine puts old tools to work making historical leatherwork Looking back on the craft he practices, historical leatherworker Eric Van Alstine realizes he’s come a long way. “I knew nothing about leatherwork,” he says of his entry into the craft. “All I knew...
An eye for beauty
Benton photographer captures small towns, landscapes It’s no surprise that Larry Braun was drawn to photography. He got it from his dad, who purchased his camera in Japan just after World War II. Likewise, Larry picked up his first camera — a Canon F-1 — in Hong Kong...
Cake boss
Jackson baker creates over-the-top cakes Katie Goodpasture had a problem. Her soon-to-be 4-year-old daughter Grace had a birthday coming up and she had a specific request. “She wanted a My Little Pony-themed birthday,” Katie explains. “It wasn’t popular in 2009 and...
For He’s a Jolly Red Fellow
One man's journey to become Santa Claus Even an unseasonably warm day in the Ozarks doesn’t deter Greg Winters from donning his characteristic colors. The red overalls, green T-shirt and white beard let you know there’s more to this man than wearing Yule colors all...
Flour, water, salt, time and love
Baker finds peace making bread the old-fashioned way It’s a quiet and still morning on the farm. Cell service is spotty at best and not many cars pass by on the gravel road. Chris Foley is alternating his time between chopping wood and hurling a Frisbee for his dog,...
Pastvina pork
David Borrowman returns to the farm From his kitchen just outside Smithville, David Borrowman can see the long rows of corn he planted stretching to the horizon. The corn he can see out the window is the hybrid variety typical of most Midwest farms. When it’s...
Taking the time
A traffic stop that ended with more than a ticket It was after 10 p.m. one hot Sunday night in August 2020. Missouri Highway Patrol Cpl. Jeffrey W. Huff was westbound on Interstate 70 when the headlights of a speeding car quickly came up behind him. “I clocked the car...
The Eli era
Mizzou's Eli Drinkwitz is hungry for more wins in 2021 At the time the Mizzou football team notched its first win of the 2020 season, head coach Eli Drinkwitz probably thought he had seen it all. On March 16 he had to cut his team loose due to COVID-19 fears, without...
The little town that could
Neighbors come together to fight hunger Tonie Lott will tell you the idea of a mobile food pantry came from her daughter, Jaydin. The then-8-year-old came home from school one day, grabbed a bag and headed straight to the food-lined shelves in their kitchen.“I asked...
Woolen Wonders
Missouri artist gives life to wool through needle felting Her slim fingers deftly work, punching the barbed needle quickly into the wool fibers. One hand feeds a cloud of the natural fiber in front of the darting tool. Magically, the gentle curve of a lady’s face...
A New Light
Life is good at the end of the line John Murphy says his family has always been blessed with a good memory. He remembers as a 9-year-old boy, watching an electric cooperative truck laden with poles being winched out of a ditch. The “most brilliant” memory of the same...
Hats with Attitude
Millinery isn’t old hat with Rose Monzyk Dainty hands smooth the damp fabric over the domed wooden form. The seemingly unforgiving material finally begins to give after numerous tugs, relaxing around the shape. As it gives way to the designer, pins are strategically...
Flower Power
Fresh bouquets keep business blooming in Clarence Inherited objects are wonderful keepsakes. Pam Stenger inherited a shared appreciation of something from her grandmother decades ago. Today she shares that passion with others in a beautiful way. “As a child, I used to...