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Comprising about 387 acres in central Missouri, WitnessTree is strategically located between the state capital of Jefferson City, and metropolitan St. Louis. The Missouri river lies just north, and Lake of the Ozarks is only 1 1/2 hours to the southwest. This is also the heart of Missouri wine country, with over a dozen wineries less than a 30-minute drive from the farm. Having close to 200 acres in woods and the balance in pasture and hayfields, the goal of WitnessTree is self-sufficiency using heritage breeds and old-style farming skills, with the addition of alternative energy sources such as windpower and solar.
No hybrid or genetically-altered anything is used here (with the sole exception of our mule, Spanky), so the garden and crops are grown without pesticides from open-pollinated and heirloom seeds. We are also fortunate to have a prairie meadow that has never seen the plow and has, at last count, over 300 species of native wildflowers and plants.
When we acquired the farm in 2001, it had been idle and untouched for 30 years. In fact, there were still jackets hanging on the sunporch and dishes setting on the table, as if someone had just gone out. The original structure is a 2-story log cabin, circa mid-1800's, and the rest of the house was built around it sometime in the 1900's. We are now working to restore the house, and have spent most of the last 4 years cleaning out and repairing the barns & outbuildings, brushhogging the overgrown fields, putting up new fencing & shelters, and making numerous other improvements to the outside. All the while we have been adding to our heritage breeds, which began back in 1995 with poultry (Black Minorca and Dark Cornish chickens, Blue Slate turkeys, and Black Cayuga ducks), and now also includes Arapawa Island goats, Brabant Belgian draft horses, and most recently, Randall cattle.
After speaking with Cynthia Creech off and on for 5 years, she called to tell us that our wait was over, and that she knew of Randalls for sale. So thanks to Cynthia, Phil Lang, and Merck Forest, our herd of 5 cows, a bull, and two bull calves arrived from Vermont and Connecticut less than 2 years ago. Despite the heat and humidity that make up summers in Missouri, the Randalls have adjusted quite well and are thriving in all of our four seasons.
In addition to our rare breeds, we also have peacocks, guineas, an emu, a goose, four saddle and driving horses, five guardian dogs, many cats and a few caged birds. We are Life members of Tillers International, Seed Savers Exchange, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and the Missouri Prairie Foundation. I am a member of the Rural Missouri Spinners and Weavers, the Bourbeuse Valley Rabbit Club, and the North American Butterfly Association; am a licensed Realtor, and a professional vocalist. Dennis is a certified welder and general contractor whose specialty is passive solar construction.
Every year on the first weekend in October, we host the "Mid-Missouri Horse & Mule Farming and Historical Crafts Days" on our farm. 2005 will be the 9th year for the event, and the 5th year it has been held here at WitnessTree. It is a showcase for the demonstration of heritage crafts and animal-powered farming skills. We have had as many as 20 draft teams working in the field at once, and have some of our rare livestock on display then as well. One of our Randall cows, Dianna, gave spectators milking demonstrations at last year's event. We are still milking her daily, and what we don't use ourselves is sold to very enthusiastic customers. More about milking at WitnessTree Farm, here.
We are also looking to utilize the Randalls as oxen to provide additional animal power on the farm. It is truly a delight to be able to promote the qualities of the Randalls and other rare breeds in the hopes of their continued conservation among future generations of the farming community.
No hybrid or genetically-altered anything is used here (with the sole exception of our mule, Spanky), so the garden and crops are grown without pesticides from open-pollinated and heirloom seeds. We are also fortunate to have a prairie meadow that has never seen the plow and has, at last count, over 300 species of native wildflowers and plants.
When we acquired the farm in 2001, it had been idle and untouched for 30 years. In fact, there were still jackets hanging on the sunporch and dishes setting on the table, as if someone had just gone out. The original structure is a 2-story log cabin, circa mid-1800's, and the rest of the house was built around it sometime in the 1900's. We are now working to restore the house, and have spent most of the last 4 years cleaning out and repairing the barns & outbuildings, brushhogging the overgrown fields, putting up new fencing & shelters, and making numerous other improvements to the outside. All the while we have been adding to our heritage breeds, which began back in 1995 with poultry (Black Minorca and Dark Cornish chickens, Blue Slate turkeys, and Black Cayuga ducks), and now also includes Arapawa Island goats, Brabant Belgian draft horses, and most recently, Randall cattle.
After speaking with Cynthia Creech off and on for 5 years, she called to tell us that our wait was over, and that she knew of Randalls for sale. So thanks to Cynthia, Phil Lang, and Merck Forest, our herd of 5 cows, a bull, and two bull calves arrived from Vermont and Connecticut less than 2 years ago. Despite the heat and humidity that make up summers in Missouri, the Randalls have adjusted quite well and are thriving in all of our four seasons.
In addition to our rare breeds, we also have peacocks, guineas, an emu, a goose, four saddle and driving horses, five guardian dogs, many cats and a few caged birds. We are Life members of Tillers International, Seed Savers Exchange, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and the Missouri Prairie Foundation. I am a member of the Rural Missouri Spinners and Weavers, the Bourbeuse Valley Rabbit Club, and the North American Butterfly Association; am a licensed Realtor, and a professional vocalist. Dennis is a certified welder and general contractor whose specialty is passive solar construction.
Every year on the first weekend in October, we host the "Mid-Missouri Horse & Mule Farming and Historical Crafts Days" on our farm. 2005 will be the 9th year for the event, and the 5th year it has been held here at WitnessTree. It is a showcase for the demonstration of heritage crafts and animal-powered farming skills. We have had as many as 20 draft teams working in the field at once, and have some of our rare livestock on display then as well. One of our Randall cows, Dianna, gave spectators milking demonstrations at last year's event. We are still milking her daily, and what we don't use ourselves is sold to very enthusiastic customers. More about milking at WitnessTree Farm, here.
We are also looking to utilize the Randalls as oxen to provide additional animal power on the farm. It is truly a delight to be able to promote the qualities of the Randalls and other rare breeds in the hopes of their continued conservation among future generations of the farming community.
Farm Profile:
WitnessTree Land and Livestock
Gail Cross and Dennis Sahm
Gerald, Missouri
WitnessTree Land and Livestock
Gail Cross and Dennis Sahm
Gerald, Missouri
Recent arrivals in MO
Settling in
"E bird"
A Cayuga duck
A Blue Slate turkey
Clicking On Any Photo On This Page Will Pop Up a Full Sized Version
Grazing at dusk
A newly fenced pasture
"Bess" on the press
"Josie", Brabant workhorse
"Ranger" and "Clyde"
Knee high in new grass
"Ben"
The "boys"
Grazing in the "hole"
The Randall Cattle Registry, Inc.
The Official Website of Randall Cattle
The Official Website of Randall Cattle
