Pictured front row, left to right, Will Grady, Cooper Grady, Cindy Grady and Calvin Grady; second row, Sherry Jones, State Fair Commissioner, Lowell Mohler, State Fair Commissioner; back row, Marshall Stewart, Vice Chancellor for Extension & Engagement, MU Extension, Mark Wolfe, Mo State Fair Director, Richard Fordyce, Director of Agriculture, Missouri Department of Agriculture, Blake Hurst, President, Missouri Farm Bureau.
Will and Cindy Grady and family of Gallatin were among the families honored during the Missouri Farm Family Day, Aug. 15 at the Missouri State Fair.
The Grady family was selected as the Daviess County Missouri Farm Family by Daviess County Extension Council and local Farm Bureau. The family includes Calvin Grady and Cooper Grady.
Each year, the fair sets aside a day to recognize farm families from across the state who are active in their communities, involved in agriculture and participate in local outreach and extension programs such as 4-H or FFA.
The Grady family moved to Daviess County in 2008 with their sons Cooper, who is attending North Central Missouri College, this fall and Calvin who is an 8th grader at Gallatin R-5 School. Both the boys are active in FFA and 4-H. The family operates a 1500-acre cow/calf operation, raising Simmental/Angus cattle and swine. They have a 400 cow/calf operation. The Grady’s raise their own bulls, use artificial insemination and ultra sound their cattle. In addition, they do rotational grazing and double crop their grasses. They have installed a water system and upgraded the fences on the farm, since they moved to Daviess County.
Missouri Farm Family Day is sponsored by five partner agencies, including the Missouri Farm Bureau, the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the Missouri State Fair and Commissioners, the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and University of Missouri Extension.
This was the first year in its 58-year history that all 114 counties participated by nominating a family.
The event showcases the impact Missouri Farm Families have on the economy and heritage of our state. “These families are involved in agriculture activities in their communities, and are active participants in local outreach and extension,” said Missouri State Fair Director Mark Wolfe. “As the showcase for Missouri agriculture, the Missouri State Fair is most certainly the appropriate place to celebrate these families.”
