Freddie, Mary, & David Martin welcome you to their family-owned and operated farm. 

     Martin Prairie Farms is located 4 miles north of Humansville, Missouri, on mainly prairie ground in southern Hickory County.  The farm currently consists of approximately 2700 acres.  

     The milking dairy herd is just under 450 with a 70 lb. average, being increased to approximately 600+ cows, with the recent completion of 2 new free stall barns, each 98' x 300', a manure separating system, the addition of a 6,000 gallon bulk milk tank and, the installation of a new double 14 parallel milking parlor.  95% of the milking herd is Holstein.  Recently they have been trying some Holstein with a Jersey mix, which is working really well in the milking herd.

     All Holstein calves are raised on the farm.  Heifers are retained for replacements for the milk herd and the steers are shipped to a feedlot for finishing.  The Martins also raise dairy heifers for sale and run a backgrounding operation, buying lightweight feeder calves at local sale barns and keeping them until they weigh 750-800 lbs. then sending them to a feedlot to be finished.

     The major crops are corn, wheat, soybeans, and fescue.  They raise all of their corn silage and harvest 100-200 acres for grain.  They grow about 200 acres of wheat for silage and harvest some for grain, which may be fed or sold depending on the market price.  Normally, 200 acres are planted in soybeans and the remainder of acreage is used for pasture and hay production.  Nearly all of the alfalfa hay is purchased for the dairy herd.  Grass hays are harvested and used for the replacement heifers, dry cows, and feeder cattle.     

      Freddie Martin is President of Martin Prairie Farms, Inc. in charge of the dairy herd milking operation and raising calves up to 300 lbs.  Mary Martin is Secretary/Treasurer in charge of Administrative Operations.  David Martin is Vice-President in charge of crops, raising calves from 300 lbs. to the dairy herd or moving to feedlots for finishing, and merchandising the springer heifers.