Wagon Bridge Farms LLC
Farmer
Markets
About
Steve and I were both raised on farms but moved out of the area to pursue school and work options. We moved back to his family's farm in 1999 after having our first child as we wanted the down-home roots for our kids. Steve worked on his parents' farm (row crops and cattle) nights and weekends (after his day job) after that. By 2004, his parents were ready to sell to the next generation so we bought 200 acres from them to start our own operation. We continued in the family footsteps and raised Angus cattle and corn and soybeans. We are proud to say his family farm was deemed a Century Farm in 2018. We began an affiliation with Circle A Farms and got our Angus genetics through them. When they offered their Wangus (Waygu + Angus) bulls in 2019, we jumped on the chance to improve the qualify of our beef with the Wagyu cross. We had our first Wagyu and Angus cross feeders ready for processing in spring 2022 and have been super excited by the response of the people who have purchased the beef so far. We raise our feeders from birth to slaughter. They are finished on grain for about 6 months before we feel they are ready for processing. Steve grinds his own feed ration for all our cattle and the feeders are no exception. We hand feed our calves and cows every single day as the daily interaction is as good for them as it is for us.
Programs and Partners
Production Practices
Antibiotic And Hormone Free
Location
Freeburg, MO
Manager
Steve and I met in high school even though we went to schools that were about 30 miles apart. Steve enlisted in the National Guard Reserve at age 17, between his junior and senior years of high school. His trade in the Guard was a machinist. After graduating from high school, he went to work as a machinist for Capital Machine Company in Jefferson City. I (Sharon) attended the University of MO in Columbia. I was the only person in my family (7 kids) to go to college out of high school. I worked full time while attending classes full time. After I graduated from college, I went to work for Kmart. We got married in 1991. I changed jobs several times and eventually went to work for the State of Missouri in 1999. That was the same year we moved back to his family's farm. We have two kids, ages 24 and 18. Our son graduated from Missouri S & T with a degree in civil engineering. Our daughter is starting Mizzou in the fall and has already been accepted in the pharmacy program with a starting date of fall 2024. We are extremely proud of both of them!
Steve and I both still work full time. Steve moved on to a union sheet metal job in 2000 and then to a maintenance mechanic position with Quaker Oats in 2017. Needless to say, Steve is extreme handy and can fix about anything mechanical from a broken household appliance to his tractors and equipment. His parents were looking to get out of farming so we started renting their remaining 400 acres in December 2017. It definitely takes a lot of long hours to keep up with our day jobs and all the farming stuff. Farming runs deep in our blood and we would not give it up for anything. We hope to retire in the next few years and be able to devote all our time to our farm.
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