In the Ozark Mountains and plateau, south central Missouri farmers are known as livestock production professionals. Dusty Collins has made his own path as an expert at growing the forages and grains to feed the region’s livestock. He grows corn, soybeans, corn silage and winter grain near West Plains in #Agri-Ready Designated Howell County. Dusty is a unique deviation, in proficiency and personality, rooted in the Ozark Mountains which are often recognized as the home of cattle and less productive soils. Dusty’s farming strategies purposefully steward his land, and he makes valuable contributions to the local agricultural community and economy by focusing on crops not commonly grown in his region.

Unique Training Perspective

Dusty was cross trained in agriculture and biology, with a focus on botany and chemistry, when he earned his degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management from Missouri State University. Upon his graduation in 2009, a flat job market made the prospect of returning home to the family farm a viable consideration. Reorganization of the family farm created an opportunity for Dusty to become one of eight partners in his family’s multi-generational farm business, Collins Farming LLC. “Now, after almost 15 years as part of the farm, there’s nothing else I’d rather do,” Dusty shared. While some members of the family business are cattle experts, Dusty’s unique agronomic training gave him an edge to develop a different expertise. “There is nothing more stressful than three weeks with no rain in the summer. But there is also nothing more rewarding than planting something and getting to harvest it,” Dusty said.

A Progressive Outlook

Dusty’s daily view of his farm is through a lens of hard-won, highly specific, cropping knowledge. His acumen for studying seed varieties, yield data, plant health, and variable seed and fertilizer technologies drives him to continue to analyze last year’s crop while this year’s crop is growing, with the intention of making next year’s crop more successful. Dusty utilizes various chemistries to formulate rotating fertilizer and pesticide prescriptions so weeds, pests, and disease are less likely to become resistant to treatment. “A man with many hats doesn’t get wet in the rain,” Dusty chuckled. “I make sure to use all the tools I have available. In agriculture there is not enough margin to make any big mistakes. Attention to detail is paramount.” These efforts make for healthy crops, and they also keep Dusty’s soil healthy, too. All of his crops are no-tilled, which means that the soil is not turned over when seeds are planted. Cover crops are utilized to keep soil in place year-round and produce additional feed for the family’s livestock.

Overcoming Geographical Challenges

When circumstances of the Great Depression and World War II brought Dusty’s ancestors to the West Plains area, they wouldn’t have planned for their descendants to specialize in grain and forage crops. The topography and soil profiles of the Ozark Plateau suggest that the region was divinely designed to support livestock, but Dusty rises to the many challenges of growing crops in such a place. “Land availability can be an issue. It is messy to assemble a functional and profitable farm in a region where tracts of land are so small. We may farm 3,000 acres, but those acres could be spread across three counties,” Dusty described. “We farm on owned, as well as rented ground, so relationships are important. While some of our landlords are businessmen from town, many live out-of-state.” According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, 16% of land in #Agri-Ready Howell County is utilized as cropland, when compared to 54% for pastureland and 27% for woodlands. Beyond land availability, risk management options are also a hurdle that Dusty has overcome. “Since our geographic location is essentially isolated from other row cropping areas of the state, we originally could not qualify for crop insurance,” Dusty said. “The drought of 2012 was nothing less than a large disaster for us because we were unable to secure risk protection at that time.”

A Niche Advantage

Agri-Ready Designated Howell County is an agricultural powerhouse. Agriculture, food and forestry contributed $1.024 billion in output annually to the county’s economy, while crops contribute less than one percent of the value-added products and agricultural economic output of Howell County, according to the 2021 Missouri Economic Contribution of Agriculture and Forestry Study. “Grain is generally brought into our area to be milled,” Dusty said. “However, we have created a competitive advantage by growing a source of grain right here.” The West Plains area is home to multiple mills that supply feed for numerous cattle and poultry farmers. Dusty delivers grain to local processors more economically than grain sourced from further away. Most of Dusty’s grain is sold within 50 miles of his farm’s home base. When he does take soybeans to sell at Cairo, IL or Kansas City, he turns those trips into an opportunity as well, usually returning with a load of soybean meal that is easily consumed in the heart of cattle country. Dusty has built a foundation of economic sustainability for his farm by learning to market his crops differently. Instead of only growing corn as grain, he also fills contracts to deliver corn silage to local beef producers. 

Beyond the Farm Fences

Dusty is an active leader in his local agricultural community with insights that can be applied to crop production or community development. “Never allow perfect to be the enemy of good because it will cause you to miss a lot of opportunities. Strive to be both or either, at the right times,” Dusty said. He is the president of the Howell County Farm Bureau and was a 2023 member of Missouri Farm Bureau’s Advanced Leadership IMPACT class, where he experienced a deep dive study of the agricultural supply chain. Dusty’s wife, Danielle, contributes to the daily operations of the family farm. The couple have a daughter, Ava (5), and a son Connor, (3). Missouri Farm Bureau is a partner of Missouri Farmers Care.