Why I Farm: Bailey Family Farms in Pike County, Missouri
Bailey Family Farms, LLC is in Pike County, Missouri, near Curryville. Brock Bailey and Stephanie have three children. Austin is an Agriculture Lender at TPNB in Paris, MO and his wife Ashley works in sales at Crop Production Services in Bowling Green. Micah is a junior in Agriculture Education at Mizzou. Elise is a senior at Bowling Green High School and currently serving as Missouri State FFA Vice President. Brock taught Agriculture in Silex and Bowling Green for twenty-three years and served as Principal at Bowling Green High School for three years. Stephanie serves as the Director of Elementary Education for the Bowling Green R-1 Schools. The LLC includes Brock, his father Glen, retired Agriculture Lender at HNB in Perry, MO, his mother Carolyn, retired Elementary Educator, and his brother Ryan, Manager at MFA in Laddonia, MO. Ryan’s wife is Melissa, Farm Service Agency in Pike County, and they have three children, Clint, Callie and Clara.
The operation consists of 160 commercial beef cows and forage production. The row crop acres are rented. 4-H and FFA have provided many opportunities for the family to be engaged and get an early start in agriculture. The family shows swine and beef, and have participated in several local, State and National competitions. Work ethic, responsibilities and relationships that have been fostered in agricultural experiences prove to be valuable in every aspect of life.
Brock states that “The industry of agriculture continues to evolve, and every generation slips a bit further from our agrarian roots. This presents many challenges, but also many opportunities. We must all become educators. We have a tremendous responsibility to feed a world that doesn’t realize where their food comes from. The industry is not appreciated by most people, and likely under-appreciated by everyone. This makes the challenge more important than ever. Be a positive advocate for our industry, and recognize that others are watching and they usually don’t understand anything about what you are doing.”