“Let those who are wearied with the clash of warring nations … turn their attention to the silent life of vegetation … and remember that the earth continues to teem with new life.”

-Freeman Tilden, Interpreting Our Heritage
A quick afternoon snack for one of our ewe lambs. (2019)

Copper Tree is an 80-acre farm located in the eastern Missouri Ozarks near Castor River Conservation Area and Sam A. Baker State Park. The St. Francis Mountains to our northeast, composed of beautiful granite and rhyolite, are remnants of range that dates to hundreds of millions of years old. The surrounding Ozark Plateau is rich in cultural and natural history. Clear creeks and rivers run by dolomite and limestone bluffs, fed by the abundant natural springs in this karst landscape. The Missouri Ozarks has the first National Park based on a river system, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

We appreciate living in a thrifty manner that creates less of a negative impact on the Earth. Rainwater and greywater collection and irrigation, organic gardening, composting and solar power are just some of the things that have been and will be implemented in the near future. Copper Tree currently sustains a flock of heritage chickens and registered Shetland Sheep.

We also raise a Hungarian herding breed of dog, Mudi, on the farm. We believe in nurturing the natural herding ability found in the Mudi, as that is what they originally were bred for and are still used today in Hungary and elsewhere. Our Mudis also excel in sporting events such as agility and barn hunt. They are great all around dogs, chosen for excellent temperaments and conformation that will allow them to work all day on the farm with us.