CHANGE COMES TO FAMILY'S FARM OPERATION

Some of the first cattle ever to be raised on the Meier farm. In the background is the farm's original home, constructed by John Mogler from bricks made on the farm.

Meier's grandfather and grandmother, in the carriage, along with his father, and a team of mules in a photo taken on the farm sometime after the turn of the century.

"All things are subject to change and we change with them," said an anonymous writer, his or her own identity lost in the changes brought about by time.

Nowhere is there a better example of change than on the farm of H. Roy Meier, a Jackson area cattleman whose farm was purchased by his grandfather 102 years ago for the price of $35.50 per acre. For nearly a century, the farm has been occupied by cattle but is now being swallowed by urban sprawl and people at a price of $10,000 to $15,000 per one-acre lot.

He's a cattleman at heart, but says that Jackson's hearty growth in recent years, along with growing farm operation costs have made it tough to operate his cattle ranch in the way he once did.

"You can't raise cattle on land you can sell for $10,000 to $15,000 an acre," he explains.

Meier's grandfather W.F. Meier, a Civil War veteran and a well-known area man known to most as "Boss Bill," purchased the original 239-acre plot in 1892 from John Mogler, then a state senator.

Mogler's daughter later married brewery founder August Busch I and upon her death, was buried on the land Meier now owns.

Since 1905, the Meier family has raised beef cattle on the land. Family photographs of herds of cattle and new barns, prove the history of the plot.

"I've been on the farm all my life and it's been in the family for 102 years," said Meier, who looks every bit the part of the gentleman cattle rancher in a fur felt Stetson, blazer and boots.

"Most of the land was in timber when my grandfather bought it," he continues, "but he cleared it with a team and a grubbing hoe."

Once cleared, "Boss Bill" moved in herds of cattle and so began the family's 100 tradition of raising, showing and earning a living as cattle ranchers.

A family photograph shows some of the first cattle the family ever purchased. In the photo, nine head of stock stand in the sideyard of the home which originally sat on the farm. Meier said the two-story house had originally been built by Sen. Mogler from bricks made on the land.

As time went on, so did the Meier's cattle operation. The farm was deeded to Meier's father, Henry R. Meier, on May 16, 1918. Henry Meier continued the operation of the cattle farm, thus passing on to his son the interest and knowledge needed to carry on what had became a family calling.

As Roy Meier got older, this teaching began to take root and on March 23, 1942, the family farm and the surrounding acres which had been acquired in previous years were deeded to him.

From that point, Meier is proud to say that his farm became an Angus farm.

"If you eat a steak, you'd better hope it came from an Angus cow," said Meier, explaining that Angus cattle produce a fine grade of beef and that his farm became an exclusive Angus operation after he took over the family operation.

Southeast Missourian files from the 1960s and 1970s are rife with news of his annual Angus sales and other auctions held throughout the year.

In 1969, he was elected to the board of directors of the American Angus Association, the nation's largest beef cattle registry organization. He was named vice president of the group in 1974 and was elected president the following year.

During that time, the farm produced a number of champion bulls but Meier said those days have passed.

"At one time, we had 400 head of cattle but now we have about 100 head," he said. "We used to show cattle all over the United States and at all kinds of shows in connection with the Angus association but it costs too much today to show cattle the way we once did in days gone by."

Meier said higher expenses have extended to the cost of operating the farm itself, making it tough to raise cattle profitably.

However, just as the anonymous writer said, Meier, his wife Betty, and daughters and sons-in-law, have learned to change with the changing times and have found success in parceling out the original 239-acre plot and the adjacent 180 acres.

"Urban sprawl really caused us to limit our cattle operation," he said, explaining that development has surrounded his land and Highway 72 has bisected it in such a way that moving cattle from one side of the farm to another became difficult.

This bisected section of land was where the family's first subdivision was constructed, known as Meier Meadows.

Meier Meadows lots have all sold out and a second subdivision, Meier Lake Estates has nearly done so. Other subdivisions are planned, he said.

He says he'll never completely be out of the cattle business and explains that just as his father and grandfather introduced him to the trade, he introduced cattle ranching to this daughter Karen who, along with her husband Chris Harbison, operate the cattle operation and its 100 head of cattle.

Another daughter, Beth Armstrong, also can't clear farming from their blood and operate an 80-acre plot near the Kansas City airport.

The family's real estate ventures are managed by Meier's son-in-law and daughter Don and Robin McQuay.