Getting the farm: How an innovative effort is supporting artisanal agriculture in central Missouri
For 13 years, Steve Landers of Centralia has been perfecting 72 acres of grass. Now, at age 74, hes preparing to give it away.
Were not talking lawns, or the kind of grass at the center of the debate over cannabis legalization. Landers masterpiece is a piece of land perfect for raising cattle. Raising grass-fed beef is a complex process, with precise ratios of acres of land to heads of cattle. It took Landers about a decade to get the right proportion.
Because Landers land has gone unplowed for over a decade, he considers it too good not to leave someone. Thats where Noah Earle comes in.
The pair has an arrangement they call farm succession. Its a solution to a pervasive, two-way problem threatening small farms.
https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/getting-the-farm-how-an-innovative-effort-is-supporting-artisanal/article_1aa15c98-986c-11e9-b692-f7ad75dd90fc.html