50 years ago

July 21, 1976

— Golden District Split Is Cassville And Shell Knob

The Golden C-9 School District of Barry County, ordered to cease operations on June 30, 1977, by the Missouri Department of Education, will probably be divided between the Shell Knob and Cassville districts. A meeting Monday night at the school indicated patron sentiment was running in that direction, according to board president Al Couthron. Couthron explained the meeting was called to obtain the preferences of district residents. The school is being closed because it does not meet state standards for pupil enrollment. The Golden board said a small part of the district in the Kings River area would probably be transferred to Shell Knob, with the major portion going to Cassville. Board members will soon outline maps of the proposed division and submit them to the respective districts. Action will also be taken to present the proposal to the Barry County Board of Education for reorganization elections, probably to be conducted next spring. Both the Shell Knob and Cassville districts will need to accept the additional territory before the process is complete. Couthron and the remaining board members — Bob Johnson, Raymond Vader, Madge Finch, Faye Allen and Don Torbett — said the reorganization process would begin immediately. Thirty persons, most of whom were not parents of school-age students, attended Monday night’s meeting. Concerns about the present building and facilities were eased by Charles Foster, representing 10 counties of southwest Missouri with the State Department of Education. He told the group that all assets and liabilities of the C-9 district would belong to the district with which it reorganized. The Golden board plans to maintain the district until next June while continuing to make the building available for community groups. Members also believe the facility will remain available to the Golden community following reorganization. This school year, Golden will transport all pupils to the Cassville campus. Included will be approximately 35 high school students who have previously attended classes there, along with 15 junior high and elementary students. Golden has maintained the first eight grades for a number of years while Cassville provided high school education on a transportation and tuition basis. This year, all C-9 district students will attend Cassville, with the district paying the associated costs. Couthron said the present Golden tax levy is $2.95 per $100 valuation. Reorganization with Cassville would result in the Cassville levy of $3.75 applying to Golden property. Closing the Golden school will leave only two rural school facilities in Barry County. Jenkins and Shell Knob will remain open in a county once served by more than 100 districts and schools. Cassville serves the Shell Knob area for high school students, while Jenkins is divided between the Cassville and Aurora districts.

—1975 Records Present New Picture Of Dairy Farming

The Mail-In-Record summary of dairymen in the extreme southwest corner of Missouri provides reliable guides to how dairymen performed in 1975, according to Ken Morris, area farm management specialist. Morris said, “It might be interesting to compare some of these to the 1974 figures.” It appears the average herd is growing in size and capital requirements. The average herd in 1975 increased to 81 cows and 111 other cattle, an increase of 14 cows and 28 additional cattle. Usually one replacement is on hand for each cow in the milking herd. Perhaps low beef prices and the need for greater dollar volume have influenced dairymen. In 1974, the average farm sold 754,932 pounds of milk and 32,674 pounds of beef. In 1975, that increased to 950,000 pounds of milk and 32,500 pounds of beef. Milk sold for $8.34 per hundredweight in 1974 and $8.23 in 1975, but dairymen reduced their loss from $1.88 per hundredweight to 58 cents. The total cost of producing a hundredweight of milk dropped from $10.10 in 1974 to $8.81 in 1975, while feed costs declined from $6.50 to $5.96. There is a sizable amount of capital required to establish and maintain a dairy herd. Producers in this group have slightly under $300,000 invested, with a significant portion being borrowed operating capital. Approximately $2,700 to $2,800 per cow is invested in land, buildings and equipment, with another $500 to $600 invested in the cow and her operating needs. Most dairymen are able to produce most of the roughage needed for their cattle, allowing some earnings from the land above production costs. It is interesting to note that fixed costs — depreciation, taxes and interest on herd and land — were lower per hundredweight of milk. The total dollar figure changed little from 1974 but was spread over approximately 200,000 additional pounds of milk, demonstrating the economics of scale. Milk production per cow increased about 400 pounds from 1974 to 1975, and the addition of 14 cows producing an average of 11,659 pounds each significantly increased production. The outlook for 1976 appeared somewhat better as milk prices increased and were expected to continue rising. Demand for manufactured dairy products had remained stable to increasing. Feed prices had generally declined slightly but could increase into harvest, depending largely upon weather conditions in the Corn Belt. It still did not appear to be the time for widespread new dairy operations, as the high cost of getting started and the need for substantial production volume continued to warrant caution for those requiring heavy debt.

40 years ago

July 30, 1986

— Grant Funds Available For George’s Co. Poultry Plant

Plans of George’s Co. of Springdale, Arkansas, to construct a poultry processing plant near Butterfield got a shot in the arm Tuesday when the Department of Housing and Urban Development approved a $750,000 Urban Development Action Grant. The funds, through the City of Cassville, were part of the financing process for the multi-million-dollar project announced in early May. Senator Thomas Eagleton and Congressman Gene Taylor announced the awarding of the grant. Each office had been involved in the application process. Both said they were “sincerely happy for Cassville and surrounding community and hoped the project would contribute to further development of the area.” Otto Jech, vice president of George’s, told the Democrat the company had been informed and was extremely happy the grant had been approved. Funds in the grant will be repaid to the City of Cassville at a low rate of interest. Mayor Rolland Meador, with Gary George, company president, and others, negotiated in Washington, D.C., for the grant application. Jech said this week the company next would proceed to drill a water well at the location on Highway 37 and Route W near Butterfield. “Water will be an important factor of the project, so we will take this step next,” he said. The company official also said the plant site on the Odis Holder property had been determined by architects. The 87,000-square-foot initial structure, requiring 13 months to build, will be at the southeast corner of the 244 acres being purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Holder. An adjoining 120-acre tract farther north is under option from Mr. and Mrs. Lonnie Yarnal. Jech said Tuesday anticipated construction would begin during the second quarter of 1987, placing the start next April, May or June. Overall funding of the project is through a commitment by the Barry County Industrial Development Authority to issue revenue bonds estimated at up to $15 million. Estimated plant cost is $10 million. Payroll at the plant, in a two-shift operation, would be 400 persons, early announcements said. George’s, operating in Springdale since 1920, plans for the Butterfield plant to process 6,000 chickens per hour. In its first venture outside Springdale, the 66-year-old company said more than 200 grower families would be needed to keep the processing plant operating. An unspecified number of contracts have been issued by the company, and poultry houses are under construction throughout the area. A letter from Senator Eagleton’s office last week said the UDAG application had previously been approved by field offices in Kansas City. Headquarters staff in Washington performed an in-depth review of the project. The senator explained the grants were “determined to be the most competitive in terms of both the economic distress of the City and the merits of the project being selected for preliminary approval, subject to the availability of funds.” Agreements between George’s and the City of Cassville will further outline details of the grant. Under HUD guidance, the $750,000 will be repaid to Cassville for future industrial development. “A start-up schedule and interest rate will be determined in closing agreements,” said city attorney Don Cupps. Cherry Warren, chairman of the county IDA, said George’s currently has a letter of inducement from the industrial authority for issuing “up to $15 million in revenue bonds.” “When the actual issuance of the bonds will take place is entirely up to George’s,” he said. City, IDA and local officials said they felt the George’s project was completely assured with completion of the grant process. The grant is the second UDAG project completed for Cassville. Alvey Inc. of St. Louis acquired $350,000 in grant funds through the city when it built here three years ago. Those grant funds are scheduled to begin repayment in 1987.

30 years ago

July 24, 1996

— Camp Barnabus offers hope to critically ill kids 

Eight-year-old Elizabeth has just finished a typical morning at camp. She and three other young girls are sitting in their cabin combing out wet hair and talking about the morning spent shooting at the rifle range, swimming and riding horses. These activities may seem mundane to the average camper, but for Elizabeth, a hemophiliac, firing a rifle and saddling up a horse are two things she never dreamed she would be doing. The youngster from Oklahoma is only one of the many critically ill children who have found a refuge from their sickness at a summer getaway called Camp Barnabus. Named after Barnabus the encourager, the camp, located west of Purdy near Pioneer, opens the doors of Christian camping to children with special medical needs. It has the distinction of being the only Christian camp in existence solely devoted to critically and terminally ill children. For the first time since its inception two summers ago, Camp Barnabus has a home of its own. Founders and camp directors Paul and Cyndy Teas purchased the existing Camp Soaring Hawk facility in January and worked through the winter and early spring to prepare the facility for campers this summer. Prior to purchasing their own facility, the Teases held a one-week camp for two summers at Kanakuk Kamp’s Kids Across America facility near Golden. Cyndy said the process of converting the 60-year-old camp to make it handicap accessible has been fairly simple and inexpensive. “It was as if somewhere in God’s plan He knew this is where Camp Barnabus would be someday.” Since the camp opened in June, four nine-day sessions have been held for children age 7 through 17. The first was for children with developmental disorders, the second for children with hemophilia, the third for children with blood diseases and cancer and the fourth for children with any medical disability. The fifth and final session of camp begins Thursday and runs through Aug. 2. It is open to children with any physical disability, including blind children and those who are confined to wheelchairs. Each session, campers are encouraged to focus on what they can do, not what they can’t do. They are taught to concentrate on abilities rather than disabilities. Challenges include swimming, mountain biking, volleyball, fishing, ropes courses, basketball, soccer, water slide, tent camping, archery, canoeing, horseback riding, arts and crafts and rappelling. The camp offers all of these regular camp activities at a slower pace. Sessions are adapted according to the individual needs of each camper. These children are pushed to stretch their capabilities but never beyond what their medical condition can safely bear. One unique feature of the camp is its clinic and medical staff. Cyndy said a physician is on camp premises during all sessions and is assisted by at least three pediatric nurses. The clinic is larger than most camp clinics and is equipped to handle any medical emergency. “We are able to serve kids that other camps turn away,” Cyndy said. As a registered nurse who has worked with chronically and terminally ill children, Cyndy knows what kind of pain families go through when dealing with a sick child. The illness not only affects the child but their parents and siblings as well. “The divorce rate is incredible among parents with sick children, about 80 to 85 percent,” Cyndy said. “Camp Barnabus gives parents a break from their day-to-day life in crisis. If we can allow parents time to refocus on their own relationship, we can benefit the whole family.” The camp is also open to the siblings of sick children who experience camp right alongside their brother or sister. “When one child is sick, they get all the attention,” Cyndy said. “The siblings either recede into the background, act out or become a mother. By including the siblings in camp, it makes them feel important too. It helps readjust family dynamics towards normalcy. Siblings begin to see each other as brother and sister again, not as sick brother and well sister.” Comments from parents have been supportive of the Teases’ efforts. One such parent is Page Stansbury of Cassville. Page’s daughter, Erin, who is developmentally disabled, and son, Travis, attended Camp Barnabus’ inaugural camp session. Page said both her children benefited from the camp experience. “It was a positive experience for both kids,” Page said. “It is just such a beautiful setting. All the counselors are continually cheerful.” “The opportunity to get out among teenage, positive role models was wonderful for Travis. In that setting, he got to see good teenagers doing good things.” The counselor-to-camper ratio at Barnabus is two-to-one. Counselors are screened carefully and are selected for their strong commitment to children and their Christian values. At the beginning of every session, counselors receive orientation for each camper so that personal needs can be met. Cyndy said counselors can “make or break” a camper’s experience. She adds that it’s inspiring to see the love and interaction develop between counselors and campers. Daily activities are bookended by a devotional time in the morning and in the evening. Throughout their term at camp, children are encouraged to talk about their feelings, especially during art and creative writing sessions. The natural beauty of the camp’s 83-acre site, which sits on a wooded bluff overlooking Shoal Creek, enhances the therapeutic effects of Camp Barnabus. When campers leave, they often head home with a drastically improved outlook on life. Counselors are also changed by their summer experience. “These kids are awesome. They love unconditionally,” said Crystal Wood, a 20-year-old from Northeastern Oklahoma. “These kids love and don’t expect anything. They love you from their heart.” “They have such courage. They take a leap of faith every time they get out of bed.” When asked about Camp Barnabus’ ultimate mission, Cyndy quickly states that it is to help children see God’s face in the midst of their plight. When this occurs, the Teases have fulfilled their goal of enlarging the spirit and encouraging the heart.