The history
of this farm is unique as well as its owner. Jenkins Dairy Farm provides agricultural products to distributors and other local
farms for resale and consumption in the Southwestern Missouri area. Output of all types of dairy products continues to grow1., and the demand for high-protein content corn
Silage is one of the fastest growing business sectors of the local economy, and Jenkins Dairy Farm intends to capitalize on
the success of this industry by taking advantage of the marketing opportunities in the this area of Missouri.
At age seven,
T.J. declared he was going to be a farmer, wrote a list of how many acres of land he would own, number of cattle, numbers
and types of tractors and equipment, etc. At age nine, he was working at his grandfather’s dairy farm before and after
school. He saved his money and started purchasing and selling calves. By the time he was ten or eleven, he had forty head
of cattle. He also paid for fencing material and other supplies and built a fence around the pasture for them. He also paid
for all of their food, vaccines, and all other related costs with the money he had saved from working.
In 1999, while still in high school, T.J. did research and looked at many farms all over United States before settling
on the Jenkins Dairy Farm in Laclede County, Missouri. From the first time he actually toured the farm until he leased the
farm in March of 2002 was approximately two years.
In October of 2002,
he purchased the farm. Since then he has built the farm and made it grow every year. Last year, T.J. reviewed his list and
realized he had accomplished all the items on it.
He now is poised
to increase the profitability of the business by exploiting the most efficient profit centers he has available. He intends
to increase the quantity and quality of his herd, as well as, increasing the output of Silage.
T.J. has been involved
in farming since he was a small child and developed skills way beyond his 24 years. He will continue to manage the farm and
has selected a small team with extensive experience to deal with the farm accounting and other business aspects, all of which
will be invaluable to this venture.
