Lucas Farms is located in the Ozark Highlands of central Missouri, an area of rolling, heavily wooded hills first settled in the late 1700s. By the 1840s, German Catholics began immigrating to the area. Since that time, it has been mostly agricultural with small centers of commerce, many dating from trading settlements along early railroad lines and the Missouri River.
First major buildings on the farm were built in the 1870s by a German brewery family in Westphalia, a town about 15 miles away. It seems that brewery crops evolved into other cropping by the 1940s and a dairy operation in the 50s.
Albert Hilkemeyer purchased the land and put buildings up for chicken and egg production. That's probably when beef cattle, in larger numbers, first appeared on the land as well. Upon his death, he willed the farm to his niece, Gertrude Lucas.
Gertrude was a school teacher in St. Louis who never married. She owned the farm for many years, hiring local people (from Westphalia) to develop an outstanding Angus herd and sterling business reputation.
The farm still honors her name and harbors Angus cattle from that original bloodline.
When Gertrude died, she willed the farm to Anna Boenker of Bridgeton, MO. Anna, one of ten children, took care of Gertrude, a long-time family friend of her parents, during the last years of her life.
Anna married Don Strong in 1990. Since then, they have carried on the farm in Gertrude's name.
Lucas Farms has been in the beef cattle business for almost 50 years, though in the Boenker-Strong family for only the last 20 or so. The core activity is nurturing commercial calves for others to augment their own herds or prepare for the beef market. All calves are artificial-hormone free.
We sell commercial Angus-based Heifers to other producers, at private treaty, after spring and fall roundup when we wean calves from their mothers. Spring roundup calves are all natural, hormone and antibiotic free.
We market Angus-based heifer and
steer calves through commercial sale barns for the feeder market, timed following spring and fall roundup.
We are developing registered South Poll heifers and bulls to augment seed stock for the breed. South Polls were bred to maximize growth on only grass in a moderately framed animal; to maximize gentle and mothering cows; and to maximize animal wellbeing through the extreme temperatures of the U.S. midwest. They are a Red Angus, Hereford, Barzona and Senepole blend envisioned by cattlemen in northern Alabama. For more information, go to home of the South Poll breed.
We are a local Central Missouri food resource as well. Given the market and local consumer interest, we will sell calves for private butchering. That would include custom
feeding according to buyer end-product requirements. Since the farm is involved with Osage County Agritourism efforts and a Regional Cuisines intiative, it is likely that consumers could visit the farm, even choose a calf! Let us know if you want to experience growing your own food like farmers of old.
*** 2010 CALF SALE INFORMATION ***
LUCAS FARMS, 5032 HIGHWAY 133, META, MISSOURI 65058 | © 2010