The owners, David Coplen and Carol Fulkerson, grew grass on the land and assembled a herd of lambs and goats. Then the couple supplemented the livestock's feed with clover seeds and minerals. Nature did the rest. As the animals lumber through bare, uneven areas, they spread the clover seeds in their manure. Now green sprouts are showing, surrounded by natural fertilizer, and eventually the clover will serve as food for the livestock.
Agriculture sometimes receives a lot of negative press because of the environmental impact.
It's refreshing to see where agriculture is reclaiming the land,'' said Bill Heffernan, professor emeritus of rural sociology at the University of Missouri at C olumbia. The state grants help producers figure out what doesn't work, too. The ostrich ranchers had problems growing sprouts until they figured out how to ventilate and cool a greenhouse. There have been grants to help raise and market chili peppers, bush cherries, soybean wax candles, black raspberries, organic rice and catfish. Farmers are able to try out their own ideas on their own farms and they are encouraged to share with other farmers,'' said Joe Francka, director of the plant industries division of the Missouri Department of Agriculture.