New Farm Director Says Job Fulfills Longtime Dream

Mike Glascock has always had a passion for farming, but he never considered it as a means to earn his living. Glascock spent most of his career with Boone County Public Works, starting as a general laborer and advancing to the position of superintendent. While he raises cattle, hay and grain on a family farm in Ashland with his father and sisters, he thought farming would remain just a hobby.

However, when Dale Lenger, longtime supervisor of the MU College of Veterinary Medicine’s Middlebush Farm, retired earlier this year, Glascock decided to throw his hat in the ring, applied, and was hired as the new director.

“My background is in heavy equipment operation,” Glascock said. “I’ve wanted to farm my whole life, but could never make it happen. I thought this would be a great job.”

Middlebush Farm comprises 288 acres south of Columbia just off Highway 63. The farm houses the college’s teaching herd of 22 horses and between 40 and 50 head of cattle. Glascock leads a crew of three people tasked with ensuring the animals’ well-being, maintaining the buildings and fences, cutting and baling hay and fertilizing the fields where crops are raised.

Since taking the reins, he said he has immersed himself in evaluating the operation’s needs.

“I’d like to see us utilize some of the fields for different crops and possibly expand the cattle herd a little bit,” he said.  “I’m also looking at the feasibility of updating some of the equipment, but we need to assess the needs, versus the cost, and what the prospects are for efficient utilization.”

In his free time, Glascock and his wife, Callie, enjoy helping with community events and traveling the country to watch their daughter, Ashton, compete in college rodeos.