About Lawrence County, MO

Last week, I visited the University of Missouri's Southwest Center Agricultural Experiment Station. That's quite a mouthful, so I'll just call it the Center.

The Center has been around since 1959. Their mission is to perform continuing agricultural and horticultural research on an 898-acre site just south of Mount Vernon, Missouri.

For the last 46 years, they've held an annual public Field Day, and this was my first one. I had a wonderful, educational time.

Various professionals from the Center, other branches of the University, and other universities made short educational presentations and gave tours covering a variety of topics. The general areas of discussion were Beef, Dairy, Forage, Horticulture, and Grapes. Questions were welcomed.

This was a great opportunity for me. My husband and I grow and enjoy a large home garden and are starting a tiny orchard. We definitely wanted to check out the horticultural information. I also try to learn whatever I can about local agricultural production so I can do a better job of presenting local farms to buyers and for sellers.

The very good turnout included students, cattle ranchers, dairy farmers, hobby farmers, vegetable producers and home gardeners. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and learning a lot. We even got a little sunburned after the clouds cleared up.

There was definitely something for everyone. Here's just a sampling of the 20+ wide-ranging farm and garden topics that were addressed:

• Home Fruit Production
• Interseeding Legumes
• Economic Models for Pasture-based Dairies
• Show-Me-Select Heifer Program
• Use of Rootstocks in Grape Production
• Walking Tour of SW Center Horticulture Projects
• Organic Options for Small Fruit and Vegetable Production

I made it through several of the horticulture and dairy tours and sessions. There just wasn't enough time for anything else! The morning horticulture sessions were very well attended. I was very impressed both with the helpful presentations and with the crowd. At the end of each presentation, people asked good questions, others chimed in with helpful answers from their own experience, and the experts did a great job of coordinating it all, giving their own answers and clarifications.

My dairy sessions were as part of the final group, so there weren't that many people in those sessions. That was OK with me since I was just trying to soak up the basic information. I'm not sure I could have processed any additional input!

If you are anywhere near Mount Vernon, consider finding out more about the Center. You'll find them on the web at http://aes.missouri.edu/swcenter/. They offer seminars throughout the year on various topics, plus they're a great source of information. I already have a followup email in my inbox with some solar greenhouse information that I requested.

Another of my favorite Missouri garden and farm information spots on the web is the University of Missouri extension service, http://extension.missouri.edu/. Click on "Programs by Topic" on the left-hand side, and you'll find a wealth of information.

So mark your calendar for early next September. Whether you're a new or long-time Missouri gardener, a hobby farmer, or a full-time farmer, come on out and have a field day at Field Day!

The area of Missouri where I live is full of smaller towns with limited restaurant choices.  There are some real gems hiding in these little towns, but the opening of a new restaurant always makes me very happy!

Mt. Vernon is not so small, with about 5,000 people, and it certainly isn't without restaurants.  But many of them, particularly along the easy-access business loop just off Interstate 44, are the standard fast food outlets.

So I was quite excited when a previously empty restaurant building re-opened as the locally owned Red Barn & Grill.  It's home cooking, but not bland cooking. Nice atmosphere, lots of cheerful sunflowers in the decor. 

Extremely high quality roast beef on the French dip sandwich.  Blackened chicken on a salad, big thumbs up.  Good burgers, hand shaped patties.  Fresh-made sweet tea.  And sweet potato fries, one of my all time favorites.  If they had chili mayo to go with them like BBs in St. Louis used to, I'd be even more thrilled. 

The only complaint I have is that it can be a little slow, because they really are making everything fresh.  I'm willing to wait, though! 

I recommend getting there a little bit before or after standard lunchtime.  I was over there just now at 12:30 my time, to recheck the opening and closing times for this blog and the place was packed!  I can't speak for the breakfast or dinner rush, since I haven't been there at those times.

I haven't yet tried one of their slices of pie or huge sticky rolls.  I'm guessing that if I have one, I'll want another the next day, and so on, and so on until an entire upsized wardrobe is required.  I'll leave it to all of you to take the risk.  Enjoy!

The Red Barn & Grill is easy to get to.  The address is 107 W. Mt Vernon Blvd, but you don't really need that.  Just leave I-44 at the main Mt. Vernon exit, and head west into town on the business loop, which is Mt. Vernon Blvd.  You'll go most of the way through town, which frankly is not that far.   Pass all that fast food, and look for the sign on your right.   Open 7 AM-9 PM every day and now 7-2 on Sunday!

If you're worried that the Red Barn might take more time than you have, continue on down the business loop a few hundred more feet.   Look on your left for the Mt. Vernon Family Restaurant sign in a shopping plaza on a little hill.  Their food is plainer, but good. 

They do great breakfasts, fried chicken, and their specials are reasonably priced.  You can even get frog legs, but I'm not that brave.  Things generally move a little more quickly there, except on Sunday if you find yourself among the large after-church crowd.  This makes a great alternate choice.

Come on over and enjoy some good food in Mt. Vernon!

Yeah, the RE/MAX Balloon will be at the Aurora High School Track on Friday the 30th at the RELAY for LIFE event.

RE/MAX Properties will have a couple different things going on that night.

Balloon rides are a favorite, so if you have not had a ride in a tethered balloon, mark your calendar- here's your chance! I will be there- will you?

Also, our office BROKER, John Mareth has been "growing" his pony tail out for the past year + (I am not even going to offer my usual words of sarcasm here).

AS A FUND RAISER we are selling tickets to CUT the TAIL off the HORSE'S Pa-toot! (Yep, John is the ultimate horses ...... I didn't start it!) I have tickets for sale, you can call me with your order and I will have them filled out and available for the drawing to see 'who' wins the honor-

If you don't have aspirations of scalping my wonderful leader, I will be more than glad to be your stand-in if your name is drawn. Tickets are offered at $5.00 each and I will throw in a additional buck for each one purchased where I am designated as the "SISSOR-GAL of record"

Karlee 15 mo old on a Horse. Not Pictured John's pony-tail.

See ya in Missouri!