Art,Vera and their family
Vera and I were both born and raised on Iowa farms. Like they say, you can take the kid off the farm but you can't take the farm out of the kid. We were high school sweethearts and married in 1968. We have three children : Mike, Jon, and Melissa. They have blessed us with nine of the most wonderful grandchildren in the world. We are very lucky they all live here in Columbia and visit us, or maybe the animals, often. They all have their favorites.
We moved to Columbia in 1981, and to Walk-About Acres in 1992. Family and friends who came to visit really enjoyed our animal menagerie and the peace and quiet from the hustle and bustle of the city. I started keeping bees and Vera finally got her dream garden and greenhouses. In 1998 I volunteered at the Missouri State Beekeepers booth at the State Fair booth when a teacher from one of the Columbia Public Schools talked to me about visiting Walk-About Acres for a field trip. In 1999 we did our first field trip with 120 students. Talk about jumping in the deep end. It all worked out very well and now we have 2,500 to 3,000 students visit Walk-About Acres along with parents and teachers each year. We enjoy sharing our little piece of heaven with our visitors. We always try to have something new for them to see.
Both Vera and I are members of Agrimissouri, Boone County Farm Bureau Executive Board, Missouri State Farm Bureau Agritourism Commodities Committee , Missouri State Beekeepers, Boone Regional Beekeepers, Columbia Farmers Market, and I am on the board of directors of the University Extension and Outreach for Boone county. Vera is treasurer and I am a member for Missouri Osage Bluffs Regional Association (MOBRA).
