History

Sturdy Farm Dairy-Original Sturdy Farm Dairy milk bottle caps

Sturdy Farms has a multi-generational history. My great, great grandmother, Louise Sturdy, gave 25 acres of farmland in the Sappington, Missouri area to my grandfather, Harold Smith. He began farming with one cow, one horse, and a plow. From these humble beginnings, he grew to own the second highest producing dairy herd in Missouri according to the Dairy Herd Improvement Association. He named his farm Sturdy Farm Dairy in honor of his generous grandmother. Despite being legally blind, he successfully operated his dairy and could judge the quality of a dairy cow through touch. He was frequently asked to judge dairy cattle at local fairs. Customers throughout the Sappington, MO and surrounding areas enjoyed quality Sturdy Farm milk. During World War II, many of his farm hands were called to fight for our country so he opened his farm to the homeless. For an honest day’s work, Helen, his wife, cooked 3 meals for 12 people daily, laundered clothing and bedding, and maintained the books. This ensured the dairy’s success during the War. After the War, dairies were consolidating, so he switched from individual milk deliveries to large-scale milk collection. He sold his milk to Quality Dairy for 3-4 years. The demand for milk was increasingly difficult to meet as he struggled to support 45 head of cattle on 25 acres. The cost of feeding his herd year-round, increasing city regulations and taxes forced him to sell his herd of dairy cattle and move his farming operation to another location. He moved outside of the suburbs of St. Louis to Eolia, MO in 1952 and in conjunction with a small herd of dairy cattle, started a beef cattle operation. With the help of his sons, he built a new Sturdy Farms enterprise. When Harold and Helen’s sons got married and moved away, he found it difficult to farm. He turned his land over to the Land Bank, an early version of the Department of Conservation, in 1957. He worked with the Land Bank to create a privately-owned conservation area. He sold his land in 1967.

My father, Philip Smith, Harold’s 2nd youngest son, had moved away from his farming roots and started a carpentry business called The Cabinet Smith. However, farming was still in his blood. He purchased a small farm in the Union, MO area later in life. I grew up helping on our family farm raising beef cattle and hogs. My wife grew up helping raise cattle and hogs on her family’s 180-acre farm as well.

Farming is in my family’s blood. We moved all over Missouri and I settled into a career in commercial insurance. Despite the wanderings, we frequently came home to help on our family farms and even raised a few head of our own cattle. An opportunity arose in 2017 and we were able to purchase a 91-acre farm in Villa Ridge, MO. The farm we purchased was a former dairy, so we decided to use the Sturdy Farm name to connect with our rich heritage. In early 2019, we added another 75 acres to our farm. My wife, son and I are growing Red Angus herd. As our herd increases, we will continue to work hard to provide customers quality, farm-fresh GMO/chemical-free meat, cattle and hay for sale.

We always welcome visitors and value friendships old and new, so if you are in the area, please stop in and see what’s going on at Sturdy Farms!