Agriculture and Rural Living Quarterly

For the love of swans, Page 4

Bolivar couple Mark and Donita Stanek
rescued and raised a pair of cygnets, which
is no easy task.

A step back in time, Page 8

The Zell Century Farm near Billings is
a gold mine for both history buffs and
More than a pet, Page 18 photographers with its rich heritage and
pleasing pastoral scenes.
Ojo and Freckles — along with their human
companion, Selah Paris of Niangua — provide TLC
to a variety of people in need of comfort and relief.

Deep roots, Page 7 An Ozarks Christmas, Page 12 From the shadows of time, Page 14
The Sturdevant ancestors first arrived in the A former urbanite reflects on the differences What might appear as an abandoned and
Dallas County area in the 1850s, and now and similarities between big-city and small- dilapidated farm to some is a wealth of family
the family is honored with Century Farm town holiday celebrations. history for the Sukovatys and Staneks in Polk
recognition. County.
Also featured in this issue: Young chicken farmers start club in Christian County,
and columns by Baxter Black and Jim Hamilton.
Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
Supplement to the Bolivar Herald-Free Press, Buffalo Reflex, Cedar County Republican, Christian County Headliner News and The Marshfield Mail
Entire Contents ©2017 Phillips Media Group, LLC
 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE TWO

Baxter Black Jim Hamilton

On the Edge of Common Sense Ozarks RFD

Keeper of the Key Taming winter with a blue bow saw

There’s a strange group of people who When I was boy on the farm, holding Old Man
speak in sacred tongues. Winter at bay was a daily battle — hand-to-limb
They gather in convention halls and really combat waged with axes, bow saws and elbow
test their lungs. grease.
I’m not exaggerating or making up a word of what
And to those on the outside, they’re god- I write. The first few winters on the farm at Elkland,
like and they’re wise we cut firewood every day — just enough to keep a
As they fire in the stove until the next day.
try to win a Of course, we would liked to have
convert with piled up enough to last several days,
passion in their or even a week; but in the winter of
eyes. 1957 and several thereafter, just get-
ting through one day at a time was
They begin about all we could do.
to speak of Other folks went into winter with
bloodlines, of firewood piled head-high on their
cows their bull porches, in woodsheds or outside
has sired their houses — most of it well-cured
With evange- oak split from large logs. How I
listic reverence, envied them. We had neither the
they truly are time nor the tools to pile in wood
inspired. for weeks or months. That would
come later. We moved from a rented
Recounting her performance and weight farm at Republic to a brushy 39 acres on the Dallas
per day of age and Webster counties line in August, not quite five
They rattle off her record, reciting page on months before my 10th birthday. I never before had
page. had to clear brush or cut firewood. After the move
it became an almost daily routine, as we reclaimed
Her progeny’s outstanding. Their birth pastures from years of
weight’s sure to please. persimmon, sumac, buck-
She’s ranked above the average in rel’tive brush and rose bushes.
calving ease. That first winter — be-
fore Dad quit his day job as
She might be black or Brahmer, Gelbvieh, an A.I. tech — we worked
Maine-Anjou, mostly at night, going out
Simmental or Santa, just to name a few after milking and supper
to work persimmon, elm
Herefords, polled or muley, some foreign and other small trees into
soundin’ name. stove-length firewood. We
It doesn’t make much difference, the had gone in to fall with a
story’s all the same. coal oil heater that barely
heated one room. Dad soon
They breed the purebred cattle and know replaced it with a second-hand wood stove.
their cows by heart. Weeks before winter set in, though, I’d learned to
And they’ll talk yer dang fool leg off, if you use a double-bitted ax and a 30-inch blue bow saw
let ’em start! to clear brush and begin taking out the abundant
persimmon groves. Even before we needed wood for
But I got to give’m credit ’cause resting in our own stove, we were working up trunk loads of
their hand “cookwood” for Grandma’s wood-burning range —
Is the blueprint of the future for cows short lengths, mostly of split persimmon she easily
throughout the land. could feed into the small firebox.
Dad insisted that we cut the small trees off at
So I’ll try to learn the business, call a bull ground level, so he later could mow over the stumps,
by name and that we leave no sharp stobs that might punc-
But I’ve made one observation ’bout ture a tire. The small, straight persimmons cut up
people in this game; quickly and easily — but it takes a bunch of them to
make a load of wood.
Listenin’ to these purebred folks makes As we needed larger chunks of wood for the
me think right now house, we worked up elm, ash, oak, hickory and
New Delhi’s not only place they have a sassafras — depending on where Dad had decided to
sacred cow! work — and we carried or trucked armloads to the
house.
Most of it we cut with blue bow saws. Dad had a
larger one. I had the 30-inch bow. At about the same
time he also came up with an old buck saw, which
proved best for crosscutting larger logs, as well as a
two-man crosscut for felling and cutting up larger
trees.
I was probably 11 or 12 when I
began using the crosscut with Dad
or my younger brother Russell. We
didn’t drop many big trees, but I loved
it when we did. They made a lot more
wood a lot faster. Plus there was some-
thing intoxicating in the heady aroma
of sawdust and rhythm and swoosh
of a crosscut blade tearing though a
green oak log. It was man’s work.
As I grew older, woodcutting be-
came less of a daily chore. On the
farm full time, Dad was able to have
loads of wood ready to haul to the
house after we got home from school.
Sometimes we had a pickup reliable
enough to bring it up. Not always.
After Dad bought his first chain saw — a terrify-
ing old Mono he wouldn’t even let us boys near — we
were able to hang up the crosscut and bow saws for
many chores. But a chain saw didn’t really replace
them until I was out of high
school and Dad bought his
first Homelite.
Still, staving off winter was
almost a daily battle for many
years — or at least Dad made
it so.
At times he had little more
than a few days’ worth of
wood at the house, though he
often had piles in several loca-
tions across the farm. He just
liked to cut wood and burn
brush piles. At other times his
frequent little loads resulted in larger woodpiles off
the corner of the porch.
Well I recall — and miss — going down to the
farm in Dad’s later years to help him “cut up a jag
of wood,” toss it in the truck and head back to the
house for a cup of coffee by the old wood stove.
A cup of instant Maxwell House never tasted
better.
Old Man Winter was no longer the formidable foe
of 50 years ago. In retrospect I can see clearly now,
as hard as he was to get along with, Winter and Dad
were the best of friends.
That peace never would have come to pass,
though, but for our early seasons of skirmishing
with axes and blue bow saws. Maybe we never truly
tamed Winter, but he never beat us, either.
Copyright James E. Hamilton 2017. Jim Hamilton
is a freelance writer in Buffalo. Contact him at jhamil-
ton000@centurytel.net.

PUBLISHER: DAVE BERRY

daveb@phillipsmedia.com • (417) 777-9776
EDITOR: ANDREW C. JENKINS
andrewj@buffaloreflex.com • (417) 345-2224

COUNTRY NEIGHBOR is a supplement to the Cedar County Republican, Bolivar

Herald-Free Press, The Marshfield Mail, Christian County Headliner News and
Buffalo Reflex, publications of Phillips Media Group, LLC. Copyright © 2017
Phillips Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
To advertise in Country Neighbor, contact the Cedar County Republican
at (417) 276-4211, the Bolivar Herald-Free Press at (417) 326-7636, The
Christian County Headliner News at (417) 581-3541, The Marshfield Mail at
(417) 468-2013 or the Buffalo Reflex at (417) 345-2224.
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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
Page Three

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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE FOUR

SWANS
For the love of

Polk County couple opens their

farm and hearts to cygnets
By Jessica Franklin Maull
JESSICAM@BOLIVARMONEWS.COM

Visit the farm of Mark and Donita Stanek, a few miles

southwest of Bolivar, and you never know what you might
find. The couple has raised a wide range of creatures
throughout the years. Some varieties, such as cattle and
guineas, are common sights on Polk County farms. Others,
like the young swans that called the Stanek farm home until
recently, are less common.
Mark, a retired lineman, and his wife, an optical assistant,
volunteered to take in five cygnets shortly after they hatched
last spring at Bolivar’s Dunnegan Memorial Park.
After the Bolivar Board of Aldermen voted May 24 to give
the Staneks custody of the birds, the couple kept a watchful
eye on the cygnets for nearly seven months until two were
returned to the park in early December.
The duo was part of a clutch of seven cygnets hatched at
the park May 12. Of the original seven, only five survived the
natural predators, primarily turtles, at the park long enough
to be removed to the Staneks’ care at the end of May.
“They had a lot of turtles out there, and I was out there
when they hatched,” Donita said. “I would go out, and every
day there would be one less. (The turtles) would eat them, or Mark Stanek watches
they would disappear.” as the cygnets enjoy
Predators, however, were not the only threat the cygnets their holiday dinner
faced. Disease, particularly a parasitic illness to which young during the Staneks’
swans are particularly susceptible, was a grave concern. visit to the park on
Continued on Page 5 Christmas Day.

Contributed photo
 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE FIVE
Continued from Page 4
The Staneks said two of the five
cygnets placed in their care died
shortly after arriving. A third, de-
spite treatment, succumbed to the
illness shortly before the surviv-
ing two were returned to the park
Dec. 5.
In spite of disappointment at
the loss of the three cygnets, the
Staneks said the survival of two
young swans is a considerable
success.
“We were pleased to raise two,”
Donita said. “... I consider it a
success. (Swans) are very hard to
raise.”
‘SWAN-SITTING’
When the cygnets fi rst arrived,
they were small enough to be
housed in a small plastic bin in
the Stanek kitchen. As they grew,
they graduated to a metal stock
tank in the garage and eventu-
ally to a custom-built, wood-frame
“swan house,” which the Staneks
built themselves.
The shelter provided the birds
with protection, especially at
night. During the day, however,
the cygnets were free to swim in
a kiddie pool designated just for
them. Photo by Jill Way
“All three would get in there, Mark Stanek releases a swan at Bolivar’s Dunnegan Memorial Park on Dec. 5 after it spent seven months
and they’d just go round and on his Polk County farm.
round and round,” Mark said.
Despite being free to explore the know, or wander off,” Mark said. chair “swan-sitting.” THE RETURN OF THE SWANS
Staneks’ acreage while the couple “They never did.” The cygnets also required con- The Staneks originally expect-
was home, the cygnets rarely Nevertheless, the Staneks said siderable care. The couple hand- ed to have the cygnets for six to
roamed far. they kept a watchful eye, wary picked clover to feed them and eight weeks but decided to delay
“They wanted to be where we of dogs and other predators that changed their water regularly, as rehoming the young swans until
were,” Donita said. “If they heard might threaten the young swans. often as three times a day. they more fully were grown.
us inside, they’d come up and look According to Donita, Mark “Swans are very hard to raise,” “They still aren’t mature,” Mark
in the window.” was especially vigilant, spending Donita said. “... They need lots of said. “But I figured they were big
“They never would leave, you countless hours perched in a lawn care.” Continued on Page 6
466810b
 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE SIX
Continued from Page 5
enough to live on their own and defend themselves.”
One of the primary reasons the couple decided to
return they cygnets in December was concern for
the community’s potential disappointment.
“We told them there were no guarantees, but we
didn’t want to disappoint people,” Mark said. “They
might’ve been expecting five. We didn’t want people
to be disappointed if we lost them all.”
The Staneks said the park’s current swans ini-
tially did not offer a warm welcome but eventually
gave the returning birds some space in the pond.
“We really thought they’d get a better reception
(from the other swans) at the park,” Donita said.
“... It was pitiful the first two weeks. ... I wanted to
load them up and bring them home.”
Mark said it would take time “for everyone to
adjust.”
“I think it will work out all right,” he said.
“They’ll get used to each other.”
‘THE SWAN WHISPERER’
Donita said the couple became “very attached” to
the young swans and still visits the park daily to
check in on them and feed them grain.
Christmas Day was no exception.
“We had to give them their Christmas,” Donita
said. Mark Stanek,
And the attachment might not be one-sided. left, and his son
“They know Mark’s voice,” Donita said. Kenton build the
“They recognize my truck, too. Or the sound of “swan house.”
it,” Mark added. “When they hear my truck, they’ll As they grew,
look up and start walking that way.” the cygnets
His connection with the cygnets has earned graduated from
Mark the nickname “the swan whisperer” among a plastic bin
his family. in the couple’s
Mark said he doesn’t mind the nickname and, kitchen to a
despite retirement, does not foresee a time in his metal stock tank
life when the farm is devoid of animals, swans or in the garage
otherwise. and eventually
“I like critters too much,” he said. “Some kind of
to the custom-
critter. Or a bunch of kinds of critters.”
built, wood-
Swans, specifically, still might be in the cards for
frame shelter.
the Staneks.
“If they hatch next year,” Donita said, “we al-
Contributed photo
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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE SEVEN

Contributed photos
Standing in front of the old fireplace chimney on Elbert and Cora Sturdevant’s homesite, Dallas County’s 2016 Century Farm family includes
these latest three generations, from left, Rick Gruber, Justin Sturdevant, Pamela Sturdevant, Dixie Gruber, Angela (Payne) Sturdevant, Lyndol
Sturdevant, Chris Sturdevant, Cody Gruber and Amy (Sturdevant) Gruber.

Dallas County
Century Farm honors
old Windyville family
Sturdevant ancestors first arrived in area in 1850s
By Jim Hamilton
JHAMILTON000@ CENTURYTEL.NET
Encompassing 120 acres of hills
and hollows west of Windyville,
Dallas County’s sole 2016 Century
Farm honors generations of the
Sturdevant family that first came to
the area in the 1850s.
Acquired by John Elbert and Cora
Sturdevant in 1913, the Century
Farm is owned today by grandson
Lyndol Sturdevant and his wife,
Pamela.
Commonly known as Elbert,
Lyndol’s grandfather was typical of
general farmers of the era, raising
cattle, hogs, a few crops and whatev-
er else the rocky Ozarks hills could
provide. The 1930 census lists him
as a dairy farmer.
The next generation to farm the
place was Charles Everett “Buzzy”
Sturdevant and his wife, Wilma,
with their son and two daughters.
Buzzy worked as a carpenter and
raised beef cattle. Son Lyndol recalls
his youth on the farm: “When I was
growing up, we didn’t have fescue
like we do now. We put out wheat,
corn for silage, or whatever else we
could for feed.”
He also noted, “Dad had it hard
during the Depression, and he lived
in it the rest of his life.”
Like his father, Lyndol became
a carpenter, only recently retiring.
In 1978 he built the house he and
Pamela now live in within sight of
the original homesite. Since mov-
This faded photograph of the Elbert Sturdevant family from early in
the 20th century includes, from left, Dottie (Poindexter) in Cora’s lap,
Lois Ruby (Burtin), Charles Everett, and John Elbert holding Dolly
(Taylor). Behind them is a log barn.
ing there in 1979, they have raised “Amy wouldn’t think of leaving,”
beef cattle — including commercial Pamela said.
calves and registered black An- Chris, too, has talked of moving
gus bulls. Pamela also worked off back to the area, the Sturdevants
the farm for several years. Both of noted.
their children, Chris and Amy, were Just one of a number of Stur-
reared on the Century Farm. devant farms in Dallas County to-
Rick and Amy (Sturdevant) Gru- day, the 2016 University of Missouri
ber live nearby today with their chil- Extension Century Farm founded
dren, Cody, 16, and Dixie, 12. Chris by Elbert Sturdevant in 1913 stands
and his wife, Angela (Payne), live in as a tribute to hardy generations
Republic with their son, Justin, 15. that for more than 150 years have
With the farm in a family trust, scratched their livings from the en-
the future of the farm is safely in virons of Lone Rock, Tilden, Windy-
the hands of Lyndol and Pamela’s ville and Indian Creek in eastern
children and grandchildren. Dallas County.

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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE EIGHT

Continuing their
Zell Century Farm near Billings
is time capsule for memories
heritage
Fred and Diane
Zell are full-time
operators of their
farm outside Billings.
Their family boasts
deep roots in the
area as immigrants.

Photos by Hanna Smith

By Hanna Smith
HANNAS@CCHEADLINER.COM
The golden glow of morning’s first rays of sun-
light kiss the earth, and the Zell Farm wakes
to greet the dawn. Wander the hills of Billings,
escape the traffic and follow the train tracks
until you find a white farmhouse where dew still
clings to the grass and birds take flight into the
promised warmth of daylight. There, the calves
wait impatiently under the fleeting shadow of
a red barn as Diane Zell arrives in her pickup
truck.
Rose the border collie breaks the silence, wag-
ging her tail and barking as Diane retrieves the
calf feed.
“I usually wake up at about 5:15,” she says
with a shrug, adding that’s just what you do
when you operate a farm with your husband.
Rose seems disappointed when Diane chains
her to the fence to keep her away from the cows.
Very soon Diane’s closest companion arrives
from feeding the other cattle.
After nearly 50 years of marriage, Fred and
Diane Zell’s faces still light up when they see
each other. They met at Billings High School at
band practice, married after three years and
never have left each other’s side since. Together
they return to the farmhouse for breakfast, and
Fred shows off a photo of the original two-story
structure. The current home, he says, was reno-
vated for $7,000 following their wedding.
“It was a beautiful October day like today, and
we literally sawed off the top half of the house,”
Fred says. “It was kind of a family effort from
both sides of the family.”
The couple has deep roots in Billings, tracing
back generations of immigrant families. Diane’s
father was a dairy farmer and built homes later
in life. Her mother was a nurse and helped on
the farm. Fred’s mother’s side moved to America
as cattle farmers from Scotland and Ireland. His
father’s side is Russian, Polish, East Prussian
and German, and moved to Billings to establish
the Zell farm.
Passed down through the generations, the
Zells took their turn cultivating the land while
raising daughters Karen Frazier and Kathy Mur-
ray, whom Fred describes as Laura and Mary
Ingalls. Frazier, a nurse at Mercy Hospital, says
her childhood felt like “Little House on the Prai-
rie,” too.
“As a kid, we kind of had a sheltered life,
which is wonderful,” she says. “It was a great
way to grow up. We got to have all the land, the
space, and I don’t think our parents worried
too much about us if we went off very far living
in the country and small town. We had grand-
parents right down the road. There were a lot of
good things about it.”
Family is important to Billings farmers, Fred
says, gesturing to the collage of family photos on
the kitchen wall. Generations smile back at him.
“It seems to go back to our culture. Farms
seem to keep family together,” he says. “Most
families in Billings are of German origin, and
one thing these families do is stick to the land.”
That sounds like something from “Gone With
the Wind,” Diane says wistfully. She has every
line of the movie memorized.
Diane and Fred are always eager to give tours
of their farm and tell stories of their beloved
land. They climb into the truck, Rose hops in
the back, and Fred drives slowly down the road
to the neighboring farmhouse. A flock of geese
splashes in a pond — the world wakes up beau-
tifully on the Zell Farm.
“Our farm is pretty photogenic,” Fred says.
The ability to keep land was a struggle for
the Zells’ ancestors. Fred’s great-grandfather
Continued on Page 9

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Page Nine

ABOVE LEFT: A photo of the historical farmhouse sits on the home’s

current porch. All the homes on the Zell Farm at least 100 years old.
BELOW LEFT: This home, built in 1911, was ordered from a Sears and
Roebuck catalog and transported to Billings by train and wagon to the
Klopenburg Place on the Zell Farm.
ABOVE RIGHT: Fred and Diane Zell feed a herd of dairy cows behind
one of the many red barns that are scattered throughout the property.
Barns always should be red, Fred says, to ward off evil spirits.
RIGHT: The first rays of morning sunlight touch the roof of a barn on
the Zell Farm where tiny calves are just waking up.

Continued from Page 8

escaped the German kaiser’s draft by immigrating to America and begin-
ning another life in the land of the free.
“That’s the main reason many of our people came to America,” Fred
says. “They wanted to be Americans and own their land and be free.”
Freedom: The word comes to mind as the wind rushes through the
truck cab on the way to the original farmhouse. The home really looks
like something from “Gone With the Wind” with tall pecan trees creating a
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canopy over the driveway.
Fred’s grandparents Fred and Freda purchased the original site and
passed it to Fred’s parents, Edward and Deema. Fred currently is doing
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renovations on the white house, including repainting the deck — blue, of
course. Always paint porches blue and barns red, Fred says, to drive evil Melton Auction Company is a family owned
spirits away. business with over 55 years combined
“It worked well for our family all these years,” Fred shrugs, adding that
he’s a man of faith, but also a little superstitious.
experience in all types of auctions:
The Zell Farm consists of five plots of land totaling 360 acres, each with
a house and well. The second plot is 80 acres with three owners in the
4 Real Estate 4 Furniture
past 100 years. The third 40-acre plot is named the Kukundahl Place. 4 Farm Estate 4 Antiques
The fourth, Klopenburg Place, is special for many reasons. The 1911
farmhouse was built from a Sears and Roebuck catalog order, transported 4 Miscellaneous Items
by train and wagon. Each house on the Zell Farm is at least 100 years old.
The Klopenburg Place also holds the Zells’ growing red Angus herd. The
beef cows are the farm’s future, Fred says as he approaches one of the
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“Everything revolves.” You’ll enjoy our heated, lighted and handicap accessible space.
Continued on Page 10
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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
Page Ten

ABOVE FROM LEFT: The Zells’ beef herd steadily is growing and soon will be the sole income for the farm. The farm at one time was primar-
ily dairy but is changing with the times to beef; A kitten nestles in the autumn leaves at the historical farmhouse. The Zells’ daughter Kathy
Frazier said some of her earliest memories on the farm are caring for the many kittens that always have lived for generations on the Zell Farm;
Farm dog Rose the border collie never stops moving but briefly smiles for the camera; Two curious calves wait for their morning meal from Di-
ane Zell. BELOW: Farming has been a way of life for Fred Zell’s immigrant family for many generations, and it is something he proudly contin-
ues to this day.
Continued from Page 9 And though he says he believes farming will by the stories we heard from that,” Fred says.
Although the nostalgia of the Zell Farm is continue, perhaps many will be rented to “more “We have that, and I hate to be selfish, but why
timeless, Fred and Diane know their farm will progressive” farmers or used for recreational would we give that up? It’s kind of put in your
change — perhaps drastically. They are the last hunting and fishing. Change can be difficult, but head as a young person that what right do we
family in the area that works a farm full time the Zells rely on the strength of their ancestors. have to sell this heritage?”
with no supplemental income aside from renting “They left the continent of Europe, they left Their daughters are heiresses of the property,
a few of the historical farmhouses. behind everything. So we can, too,” Fred says. and Fred says he has faith they will keep por-
“It will change in the next 20 years, it has to Regardless, the farm will go on in some capac- tions of it. They enjoy running and biking the
change,” Fred says. “We know we’ll have to give ity. Their ancestors went to great lengths to at- perimeter of the property, and their husbands
up some of the farm. We know that.” tain the land, and the Zells will keep it. hunt and fish. Frazier says the farm has great
Tax laws and reassessment values make “We heard stories from our grandparents of value to her and her children.
maintenance harder for many farms, Fred says. immigration, and we were greatly influenced Continued on Page 11

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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE ELEVEN

Diane Zell returns to

the farmhouse with
constant companion
Rose after feeding
the calves.

Continued from Page 10

“Going to visit the farm is always a time to
decompress,” she says. “Just getting in that
space, everything slows down, and we can re-
lax, and I think the kids appreciate that, too.”
Growing up on a farm affords vital princi-
ples, Frazier says, and she values the lessons
she learned during childhood.
“Seeing your parents first hand working to-
gether, I’d say my sister and I gained a strong
work ethic. Day in and day out, that was part
of their life. I think we really picked up on
that,” she says. “The work ethic and I think
appreciation for animals and just kind of that
you respect the land.”
Murray agrees. A cardiac nurse at Mercy
Hospital for 22 years, she attributes her suc-
cess to her parents and the family farm.
“It was great growing up on the farm. I
learned a great work ethic,” she says. “I feel so
lucky to have the life I did and still do.”
A train chugs by across the street — the
only indication the modern world still exists
— as Fred and Diane return to their farm-
house. The sun warms the earth and evapo-
rates the morning dew, and, side by side as
always, Fred and Diane walk up the driveway
to their home where tradition secures the time
warp that is the Zell Farm.
Thank you for visiting with us, they say, Fred Zell proudly stands by the sign that signifies his farm as a Century Farm by the University
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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE TWELVE

An
Ozarks from an urban
point of view
Christmas
By Robert Jackson
ROBERTJ@CEDARREPUBLICAN.COM

I spent my second Christmas in the Ozarks last month, and it is still a

bit different than expected.
When I first heard about the Ozarks, I pictured rural mountain living
with plenty of log cabins, music and the warmth of rocky, open land. It was
the traditional scenery one finds in books, pictures and films. However, the
Ozarks of Cedar County is not like that; rather it is more of an overlooked
portrait of modern small-town life one finds across middle America and in
all 50 states.
I grew up in the big city of New Orleans, and after college I spent many
year-end holidays in Atlanta either as a working resident or later as a
visitor for holidays with the family.
Big-city holidays, especially the Christmas and
New Year’s Day holidays, are filled with plenty of
activities. You also tend to remember memories of
the past more fondly than perhaps they actually
were in reality. It is kind of like Irving Berlin’s
crafting of his song “White Christmas.” There
he was sitting in Southern California and
remembering what it was like for him as a
child in New York and the Northeast.
I remember spending many a holiday
night in Stone Mountain Park outside At-
lanta in the cold, crisp air. The mountain
was lit up, and music played while colorful
animation danced on the front face of the
giant rocky outcropping. You could see and
Continued on Page 13

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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
Continued from Page 12
hear a small train riding through the park, mak-
ing plenty of clickety-clack noises, and you stood
there with hot apple cider and roasted marshmal-
lows while a very large bonfire was surrounded by
hundreds of equally cold urbanites, both young and
old. Everyone dreaming of a Christmas with snow,
carols and peace on earth.
Then there were the shopping trips to the mega-
malls and their parking lots, which were filled with
autos and pickup trucks. The lots were filled to
capacity, which made the trek to the stores one long
haul, but that was part of the holiday season. Mall
owners knew if you made it to them, you were going
to stay for a long time and visit every store and shop
because you did not want to walk back to your car
empty handed. A food court made your trip to the
mall worthwhile and kept you well nourished dur-
ing your shopping experience.
It seemed like a Santa was everywhere in town
ringing his holiday bell with a pot filled with cash
and coins.
Growing up in New Orleans, the family always
shopped downtown. There were major depart-
ment stores with storefronts decorated with holiday
delights to entice shoppers of all ages and income
levels.
Maison Blanche was a major department store in
the Crescent City, and it had a little dancing snow-
man called Mr. Bingle. Do you get it? Marketplace
geniuses got us to think MB, even if we were just
toddlers or in our formative years.
The music and the voice coming from the Mr.
Bingle character made sure children ran directly
to the Maison Blanche storefront window with
a simple cry to our parents, “Can we go inside?”
Of course, once inside, the retailer offered many
magical treats, which consumers could not pass by
without buying.
The major downtown hotels in Atlanta and
New Orleans would gussy up, and families either
would take the bus or inner-city rail (MARTA) in
order to simply walk and look at their exteriors and
interiors.
Even as an adult, when I worked at the Marietta
Daily Journal or the Neighbor newspaper chain,
taking a quick trip to Peachtree Street to look at the
Wyndham or the Ritz-Carlton Hotel was a holiday
treat. Growing up it was the Roosevelt, Royal Son-
esta and Royal Orleans in the French Quarter.
When you are in the downtown district of a
major city, the lights, the sights and the very tall
buildings with the wind whipping through the al-
leys brings a special feel to the holidays.
Restaurants look to draw customers to Christ-
mas Eve meals, special Christmas dinners and, of
course, New Year’s Eve parties.
On the other side of the coin was the annual
story featured on TV and in newspapers of the local
downtown churches or civic arenas opening doors
for a Christmas dinner, which served those who
were too poor to have a big meal or were simply liv-
ing on the street. When I was a newspaper reporter
in Marietta, I had the assignment to cover a local
restaurant that opened its doors every Christmas to
the homeless or those who needed a special Christ-
mas place. The restaurant also provided a toy to
each youngster who came with their family to eat a
meal of turkey and dressing.
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Page Thirteen
Photos by Robert Jackson
Christmas decorations adorn a residence in El Dorado Springs.
In Atlanta, members of the city’s professional
sports teams participated in the Rev. Hosea Wil-
liams and King Center Christmas Day meal pro-
gram to help those families or individuals needing
a holiday meal and a gift for their children. Similar
events went on in New Orleans.
In the big cities, stores stayed open late on
Christmas Eve and opened on Christmas Day for
late shopping and those seeking returns or gift
exchanges. Christmas was a busy day, and in New
Orleans and Atlanta, stores, shops, restaurants —
including fast-food eateries — and newspapers were
open for business.
In my two years in the Ozarks, I have found the
holiday season to be much quieter. There are no
cabins with music, but in Cedar County the activ-
ity is not much different from what I have found in ABOVE: The gazebo at the downtown park in
many small communities across the country. El Dorado Springs glistens with Christmas
The county shut down for Christmas Eve and lights.
Christmas Day. Stores, what few of them there are,
were closed. I have learned you travel to the cities of OPPOSITE: The Wayside Inn Museum in El
Springfield and Bolivar to do most of the shopping, Dorado Springs festively was decorated for
so Cedar County’s few retail businesses and places Christmas.
to eat were closed to let their employees spend the INSET: The Cedar County Courthouse staff
holiday weekend with family. displays plenty of Christmas spirit for a holi-
Santa comes to Stockton just one day a year, and day contest.
he always makes it the second Saturday in Decem-
ber at Simmons Bank. His presence always draws The early December parade and lighting of the
one of the largest crowds of the year for the Stock- park followed by one week a late November ceremo-
ton community. ny that brought out the community to an evening
In El Dorado Springs, the Christmas parade is of music, free food, holiday treats and the much
a classic small-town parade with the local high anticipated announcement of this year’s Miss Merry
school band, local businesses, city officials, the fire Christmas. Still, I wondered, why late November?
and police departments, and Miss Merry Christmas Why not closer to Christmas?
participating, along with other hometown organiza- I learned the reason why the holiday celebration
tions and clubs. The crowds in attendance might be in Cedar County is held early is because Christ-
counted in the hundreds as opposed to thousands, mas is a family celebration and a serious religious
but the sprit is still there. holiday. The focus is not on toys, shopping, glitz or
Yet, if a town’s spirit can be measured by its glamour, but on the more simple things. The feeling
dedication to lights, El Dorado Springs has plenty is let’s get the commercial out of the way and spend
of holiday joy to spread. Its downtown park, Spring the last week with family and friends.
City Park, had enough lights and holiday decora- Yes, I miss the lights, action and electricity of
tions this holiday season to reach the astronauts in a big-city Christmas, but a small town Ozarks
the International Space Station. Christmas also has its special identity.
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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
Sukovaty Century Farm commemorates Bohemian heritage
ABOVE: Sandra and Jerry Sukovaty display their Century Farm sign outside the
Staneks’ old granary.
BELOW: Built to house poultry and one of the few old structures still standing, this
venerable building has served many purposes through generations of Staneks.
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Page Fourteen
Farm, family
history
emerge
from the
shadows of
By Jim Hamilton
t im e
jhamilton 000@ centurytel .net
Joseph and Mary Stanek’s old farmstead on a hill
southwest of Bolivar needs no sign on the gate to remind
visitors of its age.
Like the bent and brittle frames of many a centenarian
farmer, its once-proud pine barn has tumbled in on itself.
The old smokehouse yet stands straight, but unused. The
heavy timbers of its corrals are warped and speckled gray
with age spots like the hands of an old farmer after many
years of labor in the dead of winter and under a blistering
sun.
At every turn the scars and decay of the decades pile
one upon the other, former glories revealed only by ran-
dom foundation stones, concrete footings and vagrant
strands of rusty fencing. A maze of small trees and brush
sprout from its unkempt face like the whiskers of an old
man too worn or weary to care.
But, like the glint in the old man’s eyes, sunbeams
through the canopy reveal an ageless vitality, as if the
weathered smokehouse, the sunken stone walls of the an-
cient cellar and the barren cement that was once a porch
still speak in whispers of the generations they’ve known.
Photos by Jim Hamilton Yes, at first glance, it’s just another dilapidated, over-
grown, old farm. The house that sheltered generations of
the Stanek family is gone, many outbuildings beyond re-
pair, and much of the homesite cluttered with castoff junk
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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE FIFTEEN
In 1917, Joseph and Mary Stanek
were pictured with their children
and house on the farm they had
bought just eight years earlier.
The children were, from left, Joe,
Charles, Sophia, Mayme and Rose.
The couple ultimately reared 11 chil-
dren on Polk County’s 2016 Century
Farm. No longer used as a residence,
the house was destroyed by fire in
the 1980s. All that remains are rem-
nants of the foundation, porch and
cellar.
Contributed photo

Continued from Page 14

and automobiles.
But for the latest generation of
Stanek descendants, it remains a
living, breathing repository of his-
tory. Every relic has a story.
In the shadows of time they har-
bor more than meets the eye.
Polk County’s 2016 Century Farm
commemorates both a century of one
family’s ties to the land and a chap-
ter of Polk County’s Bohemian com-
munity southwest of Bolivar.
Owned by Jerry and Sandra Su-
kovaty today, the 100-acre parcel
became part of the family’s heritage
in 1909 when it was bought by Jo-
seph Thomas Stanek and his wife,
Mary (Ruzicka) Stanek, Sandra’s
grandparents.
Typical of early 20th century
farming operations, the Staneks had
dairy cows and sold cream, raised
beef animals, and had hogs and
chickens, as well as some crops —
and bees.
Mary Stanek was well known for
her honey, Jerry said. “In spring she
had Spanish nettle honey. People
loved that Spanish nettle honey.”
Prior to the arrival of rural elec-
tricity in 1945, the Staneks pro-
duced power for their radio with a
wind generator — often entertaining
hosts of neighbors — but they shut it
down every year when the honeybees
became active. Jerry also noted that
Mary received a special sugar allot-
ment from the government to feed
her bees during World War II.
Just south of Bear Creek on to-
day’s Route T T, the farm was bought
by one of Joseph and Mary’s sons,
Charles and his wife, Maria, in
1946 and ultimately passed to his
children.
Sandra Sukovaty, daughter of
Charles’ brother, Emil, bought the
property with husband Jerry last
year, after renting it for several
years, adding it to their adjacent
farm on T T. Descendants continuing the farming traditions of Joseph and Mary Stanek today include the Suko-
Also of Bohemian heritage, the vaty family, from left, John Samek, Shelia Samek, Ellie Samek, Jerry Sukovaty, Lacey Hobbs Suko-
Continued on Page 17 vaty, Matt Sukovaty, Garrett Samek, Sandra Sukovaty and Michelle West.

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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE SIXTEEN

Long abandoned
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Chevrolet pickup
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filling the engine
compartment is
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on the Sukovaty
Century Farm.

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 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
Sandra Sukovaty
stands at one of two
entrances to the root
cellar that served
generations of the
Stanek family.
Continued from Page 15
Sukovaty family moved to Polk
County from Nebraska in 1958 and
became acquainted with the Stanek
family at the Catholic church in
Bolivar. Jerry and Sandra were
wed in 1972 and bought their farm
in 1977, where they had a dairy
operation until November 2015.
“That’s when I bought my first gal-
lon of milk in the store I’d had in 40
years,” Jerry said. He didn’t much
like it.
Since 2015 the Sukovatys have
converted to raising beef cattle, and
continue raising corn for silage and
grain.
PAGE SEVENTEEN
The family farming tradition
continues with Sandra and Jerry’s
children — Michelle West, Spring-
field; Matt, a farmer and fieldman
for Joplin Regional Stockyards who
is wed to Dr. Lacey Hobbs Sukovaty,
DVM, a professor of agriculture at
Missouri State University; and Shelia
Samek, a zookeeper in Springfield
and a Bolivar area dairy farmer with
husband John. The Sameks have two
children, Ellie and Garrett.
With the original Stanek Century
Farm acreage added to the Sukovaty
operations, roots put down into Polk
County soil 107 years ago continue to
bind Stanek generations to the farm.
ABOVE: Jerry Sukovaty
opens the door to the
smokehouse used by
the Stanek family to
preserve meat years
before electricity and
home refrigeration
came into common use
in rural Polk County.
RIGHT: Weathered oak
corral boards, hedge
gate posts and the
collapsed roof of a once-
proud pine barn offer
mute testimony to the
heyday of Joseph and
Mary Stanek’s farm.
487241s
 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE EIGHTEEN

Niangua
offer
therapeutic

Therapy
dogs comfort
those with
many sorts of
difficulties

Selah Paris, Niangua, and her trusty collies, Ojo and

Freckles, travel to various places in Webster County
and beyond.
Marshfield Mail file photos

By Sarah Bicknell They even have attended funeral services at “The elderly just love them,” Selah said. “A lot
SARAHB @ MARSHFIELDMAIL.COM
the request of the family. In April 2016, Ojo of them had connections with collies when they
and Freckles made an appearance during the were growing up, and they are so calm. I have
As a retired postal worker of 31 years, Selah Senior Resource Fair at Holy Trinity Catholic seen people with Parkinson’s disease shake
Paris, Niangua, utilizes her free time by serving Church in Marshfield, where participants had to pieces. Once a dog comes up and they start
others in the community, with the help of her an opportunity to meet them. According to Se- petting them, they stop shaking. People who did
canine companions, Ojo and Freckles. lah, her goal is to give back to the community not talk before start to open up. You get to meet
These full-blooded rough collies are trained and serve the elderly, people with disabilities, people that way.”
therapy dogs that provide comfort and relief to and young children. Continued on Page 19
those in nursing homes, day cares and hos-
pitals. Selah’s journey as an animal therapy
trainer began in 2012 when she started taking
Ojo to training classes at PetSmart in Spring-
field. A year later, she got her second collie,
Freckles, which she named after a dog her fam-
ily owned when she was a little girl. While at-
tending the classes, Selah met Valarie Hewett, a
certified dog trainer, behavior specialist, certi-
fied AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator, and
co-founder and trainer for Alliance of Therapy
Pets Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in
Springfield connecting highly trained domes-
ticated therapy animals with people in need of
healing, companionship and growth, regardless
of a person’s age or abilities.
“It was about three years ago when Valarie
stopped me and asked me if I wanted to join
a group,” Selah said. “I asked her what kind
of group, and she said therapy dogs. I told her
that I would love to do that. I love visiting the
nursing homes and getting to interact with
people. They enjoy seeing the dogs.”
Selah has visited many places with her col-
lies, such as Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Ojo and Freckles attend
Orscheln Farm and Home in Marshfield, Webco the Bark in the Park
Manor Nursing Home, Marshfield Care Center event in June 2015.
and the Springfield-Branson National Airport.
 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
Page Nineteen

The dogs visit Santa Claus at Bass Pro Shop in Springfield.

Continued from Page 18
Selah takes her dogs to training
classes about three or four times a
week at PetSmart, which offers a vari-
ety of individual classes and bundled
packages. Ojo and Freckles graduated
from advanced training classes in Oc-
tober 2012 and passed the therapy dog
examination in 2013. Selah currently is
training another dog, Mr. T, a Bernese
mountain dog mix that she found in
April 2016.
A list of training classes can be
found on petsmart.com, including
puppy training, an introductory course
that teaches simple cues; beginner
training, a course that helps train
impulse controls for animals, espe-
cially with distractions; intermediate
training, a course for dogs that already
know simple cues but need to practice
behaviors with added distractions;
and advanced training, a class that
strengthens a dog’s behaviors to pro-
vide faster responses. At the end of the
class, a graduation diploma is present-
ed to all participants.
The experience has been rewarding,
said Selah, who added that she hopes
to bring her collies to the schools as
well. For more information, contact Se-
lah at (417) 473-6149. This woman enjoys some time with Freckles.

According to the Mayo Clinic, animal-assisted
therapy significantly can reduce pain, anxiety, depres-
sion and fatigue in people facing a wide range of chal-
lenges, including:
473978s
• Children having dental procedures. • Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress
• People receiving cancer treatments. disorder.
• People in long-term care facilities. • In nonmedical settings to help people deal with
• People hospitalized with chronic heart failure. anxiety, grieving and stress.
 Country Neighbor Agriculture & Rural Living Quarterly • January 18, 2017
PAGE TWENTY

ChCheckers
icken
Photo by Hanna Smith
From left are Farm Bureau Local Membership President Alan Berry with Chicken Checkers founders Tucker Starnes and Codey Powell. Berry
presented the Ozark students with a check that fully paid for their trip to compete nationally.

Christian County 4-H Club provides community for young chicken farmers
By Hanna Smith
HANNAS@CCHEADLINER.COM
What’s so great about chickens? The real
questions is, what isn’t great about chickens?
For five Christian County 4-H Club members,
raising and showing chickens is their life.
“They’re the best thing ever, I love them,” said
17-year-old Marina Gomez of Ozark. “They are
like my kids.”
This is the general consensus for the five
students who make up the 4-H Chicken Check-
ers Club. Ozark 17-year-old Tucker Starnes has
raised chickens his entire life with a current
flock of more than 100. He influenced his friend,
17-year-old Codey Powell, to start raising chick-
ens, too.
“Tucker had chickens his whole life, and I
finally brought one home and dealt with it, and
from then on it’s been a large adventure of show-
ing, competing and talking about chickens,”
Powell of Ozark said.
The friends wanted to create a club with other
like-minded, young chicken farmers and got in
touch with Christian County 4-H youth educa-
tor Jennifer Hancock about creating Chicken
Checkers.
The two young chicken farmers took their love
of poultry to the big stage, where they com-
peted nationally Nov. 16-17. Powell and Starnes
showed live birds, eggs, ready-to-cook birds and
gave presentations. They competed alongside a
team of other students from Missouri.
Starnes said, despite some nerves, he enjoys
competing and being part of Chicken Checkers.
“The people, they’re all pretty fun here,” he
said. “My favorite part for chickens is watching
them perform.”
Thanks to a Christian County Farm Bureau
donation, Powell and Starnes had their trip paid
for to attend nationals in Louisville, Ky. Local
membership president with the Farm Bureau
Alan Berry said the organization was proud to
support the two students in their agriculture
endeavors.
“We decided this was a good thing and want
to do more projects like this for the county for
the youth,” Berry said. “We know that parents
have limited resources. We know that schools
have limited resources ... 4-H needs help to fill
the gap. We just were pleased to be able to help
them.”
Chicken Checkers adult leader Emily Renner
said her nephew, Powell, contacted her at the
inception of the club and asked if she’d super-
vise. Renner said that although she hadn’t been
around chickens much prior to the club, she has
enjoyed the adventure.
“My role is more helping the club get started
or making sure they stay on track at meetings,”
she said. “I get them started in projects.”
Renner said the $1,025 donation from the
Farm Bureau enabled the club to pay for food
expenses during the trip to nationals, thanks to
previous fundraising.
“I’m excited for Codey and Tucker,” she said.
“They are a great group of kids, and I’ve enjoyed
working with them so far and look forward to
much longer in the future.”

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