PUXICO, Mo. - Bobby and Jackie Harmon and daughter, Miley, of Puxico were "surprised," "shocked" and "humbled" to be honored as the Stoddard County Farm Family recently at the Missouri State Fair.
Bobby began farming his own land when he was around 18 or 19 years old. According to him, "I always wanted to be my own boss." The wanting to be his own boss, paired with growing up on a farm made the career choice an easy one.
He fondly recalls working with his father and grandfather, "filling the seed boxes," while he was younger and driving a tractor at just 10 years old.
When asked what else drove him to farming, his reply was that he always knew he "wanted to be a farmer."
Bobby has come a long way from the boy in the fields on the tractor, to truly running his own business. He currently owns around 350 Acres of crop land where he grows soybeans, corn and wheat. Bobby also has around 80 acres of pasture, which are filled with 30 head of beef cattle.
Bobby does not do his farming alone, however. The Harmons truly are a farm family. Bobby receives lots of help from his wife, Jackie, who also spent time on the farm as a child.
According to Jackie, her grandfather had "row crops and cattle," which led to her childhood being full of hauling hay. Jackie has a degree in accounting and finance and works as a financial analyst full time. She says she definitely didn't think she would "ever be back on the farm."
Bobby and Jackie also receive a lot of guidance from whom they refer to as "the farm boss," their young daughter Miley. Miley is being raised on a farm the same way both Bobby and Jackie have, and this has given Miley a strong love for animals. She has a cow named Dolly which she bottle - fed, along with cats, dogs, bunnies, and guineas. While Miley isn't sure if she wants to grow up to farm like her parents, Bobby and Jackie hope she will.
When asked what they like about farming, Bobby replied, "farming is what I love, there's always something to do." He also says he likes he gets to feed the world. The biggest upside is the time farming allows with his family. Bobby gets to work side by side with his father, Roger, just like when he was a kid with the seed boxes. He gets to drop off "farm boss" Miley at school each morning and never has to worry about a boss keeping him at work late. When asked for some parting advice for anyone interested in becoming a farmer, the reply from the couple was to "jump in with both feet" and to start budgeting now.
Each year, the Farm Bureaus and Extension offices across the state come together to select and honor families within Missouri are active in their communities, work in the agricultural business and participate in local outreach programs. These families are given a plaque, dinner, and recognition at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, and for the first time in the 58-year tradition, all 114 counties in Missouri participated.