Today we travel to Missouri and meet Nicole Markway, beef producer, student and agvocate for agriculture!
Hello from Eugene, Missouri - population so small, we don’t even have a population sign! But population doesn’t matter in the place that I call home. My name is Nicole Markway and I am one of the many different faces of agriculture.
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| Our Family - My sister (Bethany), Dad, Mom & Me. |
I am currently majoring in Agricultural Business at Missouri State University, where my older sister also graduated from and will return to in the fall to get her Master's in Agricultural Education. My life revolves around agriculture and our small 200 acre beef farm that my family owns and operates 30 miles south of Missouri's state capital, Jefferson City. I also own four horses which allows me to do one of my favorite hobbies - rodeo.
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| My horse, Chex, during pole bending. |
Our beef farm strays away from the typical life of beef farmers. After weaning the calves, we keep them near the house allow for daily supplements of grain while also still having access to grass pastures.
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| Some of the calves after being weaned. |
When the calves reach about 1,000 pounds, we return the heifers to our cow herd and keep the steers in a smaller feed lot typesetting with twice daily grain rations and hay. We then sell the steers at live weight price to consumers around the area who are looking for farm raised beef. We haul the steers to the USDA approved processing plant and the consumer is then in charge of specifying what cuts they want and picking the beef up. We are in the process of selling USDA approved beef at local farmers markets.
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| Working some of the calves before weaning. |
A typical summer day on our farm will consist of Dad feeding the calves before heading off to work. Working for the National Guard allows him to get off work at three and get home at three thirty in the afternoon. He then feeds and checks the calves and cow herd. After feeding, Dad will do other work around the farm, such as brush hogging, moving cows to different pastures, or working on farm equipment. I get home at five thirty from my summer job to help with the cows or ride my horses.
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| Hauling hay. |
As beef farmers, our family takes educating the public about our food very seriously. We are constantly striving to inform the consumers about what happens to their beef, both before and after processing. We encourage our customers to ask the questions that are on their minds. If you have any questions yourself, go visit my blog and get those questions answered!
Thanks Nicole for the great feature! You can learn more about this country girl and her passion for agriculture on her blog Where the Blacktop Begins.
If you would like to be a featured farmer or know someone who should be, leave a comment below - or check out our contact page. To learn more about the Faces of Agriculture Project click here.
