Love and Soil
Henry Taylor
Team Okamoto
Story Summary
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When Pat Woods was 22, he was approached by a recruiter for the Kansas City Royals. Despite the encouragement to play college ball and get a chance at the Minors, Woods decided not to go to college.
He instead chose to stay in the town he grew up in and continue his family’s legacy of nurturing the 1000-acre farm and stay with Patty, the woman he had recently met at the time. Patty and Pat have been married for over 50 years.
Patty, who lived in the city of Sedalia before they met, is involved in the community by sitting on the Cattlemen’s Beef Finance Committee and is President of the State Fair Community College Board of Trustees. She works in the background of the farm, looking at the big picture plans as she says.
“He is a much better detail-man,” Patty said.
With a years-long drought drying streams that used to flow across the farm, the Woods’ crops may not be as prolific as previous years but their partnership in running the family farm continues to flourish.
“There are so many things on a farm that a person couldn’t do by themselves,” Patty said.
Pat and Patty are up together before dawn and are in bed together after dusk. Patty plans projects and takes care of the cats. Pat orders the parts for her projects and completes most of the chores in the morning hours before the heat of the day.
A super harvest moon rises above the Woods family farm in La Monte. a town near Sedalia. Generations of the Woods family have farmed this land since the 1890s. They continue to grow corn, soybeans and raise cattle.
Pat Woods walks to his barn across the road as the sun rises. The Woods’ farm is nearly 1000 acres. They grow corn, soybeans, and raise cattle. Chores start early in the morning and range across the property from feeding cats to grinding his own feed for cattle.
Cattle approach as Pat Woods spreads feed.The Woods will begin delivering calves soon. But first, they are planning a short vacation before harvest.
Patty Woods watches cows graze in the fields early in the morning. While Pat manages much of the hard labor, Patty uses the evenings to plan projects for Pat to do the following day. She keeps the big picture in mind. “He’s more of a detail guy,” Patty said about her husband.
Pat, left, drives a UTV with his wife Patty, right, as they travel from pasture to pasture feeding cattle. The Woods are heavily involved in the local community. Patty serves on the Cattlemen’s Beef Finance Committee and is also the President of the State Fair Community College Board of Trustees.
Pat Woods holds out a handful of corn grown on their property. The Woods sell some of their corn, but use a majority of it to make the feed for their cattle. “It’s cheaper than buying bulk,” Woods said while starting an auger to push corn from a silo up into a grinding machine on his tractor. “We sell some, use some for feed and it puts nutrients back into the ground for soybeans,” he said.
Pat Woods tugs on a stubborn barn door. The expansive farm holds many barns and outbuildings where the Woods keep their farm equipment.
Patty Woods, right, watches Pat Woods, left, as he evens out the feed as it drops into a small grain bin. The Woods grind their own feed and store it for their cattle. “There are so many things on a farm that a person couldn’t do by themselves,” Patty said.
Pat Woods looks down at a clutter of cats that have gathered around Patty Woods, right, as she embraces one of their many barn cats. “I couldn’t tell you their names but our granddaughter could,” Pat said. “She calls herself a cat farmer.”
Pat Woods passes through barn doors with buckets of feed for the cattle. In the summer months, they feed the cattle once a day.
The sunrise hit Pat Woods as he gazes across the fields of his family farm. Woods gave up a potential career in Major League Baseball to stay on the farm and run his family farm. He married Patty, who he had met just weeks earlier.
Pat Woods closes the doors of his barn where he stores his combine and truck. Pat and his wife Patty run the family farm that’s been in the family since the 1890s. “I used to jump on my horse and ride in the middle of the night under the moon,” Pat said. “I never had so much fun.”
Patty, left, and Pat Woods, right, lounge in their easy chairs after Patty’s Board of Trustees meeting at State Fair Community College and Pat’s day of work. On evenings, the pair watch the news, plan projects and make notes about what’s needed for the following day before retiring to bed. Patty usually winds down with a book.
Brian Kratzer, Co-Director
Alyssa Schukar, Co-Director
Hany Hawasly, Technical Director