Cattle are managed for an easy long life at Lucas Farms. One thing you learn quickly in the cattle business is that, if you take care of the cows, they take care of you. We make an effort to keep the animals eating grass in a natural environment, using rotational grazing and only necessary medications. We are fortunate to have good wells and running creeks over most of the farm, so the water is good for cows and passes through the farm as clear as it enters.

The farm has more than 80 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program for riparian buffer zones, both protecting water quality and encouraging wildlife habitat along creeks. Additional edge-feathering along forest boundaries has already brought quail back to the land.

Land is managed to sustain resources for our acres and the surrounding watershed, forest and neighbor's lands. We go by another rancher mantra, "If you take care of the land, it takes care of you." The farm is almost 50 percent forest, managed for sustainable harvest. Pasture and crop acres are maintained using minimal artificial applications -- we are lucky to have a turkey operation near by that provides easily spreadable fertilizer. Since we have no confined animal areas, we let the cows wander around fertilizing for us too.

Carbon credits are a logical resource to explore here since the land is 50 percent forest, we employ management intensive grazing, and the farm lacks confined feeding areas, we will always strike an easy balance toward good air quality.

The farm maintains relationships with the following organizations:
- National Cattlemen's Association
- Missouri Cattlemen's Association
- South Poll Grass Cattle Association
- Osage County Farm Bureau
- University of Missouri Extension Council for Osage County
- Osage County Agritourism Council, a group of county business people dedicated to bringing more commerce to the area.
- Manitou Bluffs Regional Cuisines, a Missouri state and University of Missouri Extension-sponsored project to develop food-producer partnerships, attracting tourism and business to the central region of the Missouri River.