There will be a new sign going up soon at the Rambo Farm, located at 18783 Jasmine Dr., Neosho, as the farm has been recognized for being a 2009 Missouri Century Farm.
During the Newton County Commissioners meeting this morning at the courthouse, John Hobbs, agriculture and rural development specialist for Newton and McDonald counties, presented two awards to Mary Jane Rambo Moorehouse and her son, Scott, plus the sign that can be put up at the farm.
According to information, the farm was purchased or acquired in 1886.
William and Mary Rambo came to the place five years after it was homesteaded.
William drove a team of horses and worked in the mine in Granby, also working the farm.
The couple had four kids: Dick, Bill, Frank and Raymond. All four brothers stayed on the farm and worked. Mary Jane, who accepted the Century Farm award today, is the daughter of Raymond Rambo and his wife, Beatrice.
Mary Jane was the wife of Jim Moorehouse, and they have two children, Raymond Scott and Susan Lynn.
Cattle have always been a big part of the Rambo Farm.
In the early 1900s, milk and butter were taken in a buggy to Granby, by Mary Rambo.
From 1930 to 1965, a large dairy herd was the main focus of the 640-acre farm. The farm was also known for its excellent bulls and teams of horses, that were sold as far away as Illinois. Other animals raised on the farm included pigs, chickens, hound dogs and cats with some peacocks and guineas.
Today, the farm consists of 364 acres with some of the original bloodlines of Red Poll cattle. Scott raises beef cattle and hay with a few horses, pigs, dogs and cats.
Scott marks the fourth generation. Scott and his wife, Tammy, and their children still live in the original house on the farm. Their children mark the fifth generation living on the farm.
“I think that it is really neat (to be recognized),” said Jane.
Sharing his mother’s feelings, Scott stated, “This is a nice deal. Not every state does this, this is a good deal to do. It puts some good attention out to everybody to bring some of the old history back in.”
Jane has retired from teaching and coaching at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, but she still is found every summer on the farm helping work the cattle.
“(Growing up), I was a tomboy,” she said. “I would be outside with the horses, cows and one of my jobs as a young person was going out and getting the cows and calves up, to milk, since it was a dairy farm.”
NEED TO KNOW
- If a farm has been in your family since Dec. 31, 1909, you can apply to have it recognized as a Missouri Century Farm.
- To qualify, farms must meet the following guidelines. The same family must have owned the farm for 100 consecutive years The line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be through children, grandchildren, siblings, and nephews or nieces, including through marriage or adoption. The farm must be at least 40 acres of the original land acquisition and make a financial contribution to the overall farm income.
