2024 proved Missouri Ruralist readers want to hear about farmers, finances, crops, cattle and a little fun.

We sifted through the data and found which stories garnered the top interest on our website by page views. It is always interesting to see truly what you want to learn about. As executive editor, I’m honored to work with amazing columnists and freelancers to bring you the very latest agriculture information every day at MissouriRuralist.com.

Without further ado, here are the Top 15 articles you read in 2024. If you missed any of these articles, make sure to click on the link and take a look.

1. 46 years and still dairy farming. Missouri farmers and ranchers loved hearing how Norris Sloan, a first-generation dairy farmer in south-central Missouri, grew his business from nothing and sustained it for nearly 50 years. You appreciated how he gave his time to advocate for agriculture and dairy farming to the next generation by pushing this article into the top spot on our list.

2. Lexi Koelling’s journey to winning Missouri State Fair champion market goat. Koelling, a Bowling Green, Mo., lifelong livestock enthusiast and Oklahoma State University livestock judging team member, and her goat, Sprinkle, had an amazing bond that translated to a Missouri State Fair win in 2024. “His look and balance definitely set him apart,” she explains. “You couldn’t really paint one better from the side. And he was so sound whenever you set him in motion.” You enjoyed reading about her path to the ultimate show ring experience, earning the story a place in the top five.

3. Who says farmland is not free? Commodity prices go up and down, input costs rise, and machinery gets more expensive. But land is the one cost that may be free as long as its value is going up more than you were paying each year in interest. Still Business Basics columnist and MU Extension ag business specialist Wesley Tucker says American farmers earned their land. He offered insight into how to look at farmland and other costs on your farm budget spreadsheet.

4. Cattle prices climb; farmers fear fallout. You couldn’t get enough of Wesley Tucker’s analysis in Business Basics, pushing two of his articles onto the list. This one dove into data that suggests the cattle cycle mirrored 10 years ago when beef producers experienced market whiplash. Missouri Ruralist is grateful for the trust you put into Tucker and all of our columnists.

5. Tar spot shows up in Missouri corn crops. Likely not for the best reason, but this article garnered a lot of attention as one of this year’s must-read articles from Missouri Ruralist. The disease was confirmed in the state in 2023, but it ramped up in 2024. Experts say this next growing season is likely to be a repeat. Tips on control in this article may help you plan a tar spot strategy for corn acres in 2025.

Here are other stories rounding out the top 15 Missouri Ruralist articles:

6. Next-gen beef genetics specialist builds future cattle herds

7. Frugal farmer finds weird byproducts for livestock feed

8. Top 9 investments for cattle profits in 2024

9. Do you know the mushroom man?

10. Star farmers carves dairy path

11. Missouri farmer dealt a soybean wildcard

12. Farm raises sorghum in drought, saves thousands in hay cost

13. Pig deaths linked to fumonisin in feed

14. Is no-till farming more profitable?

15. Next generation thrives in family hog business

Make sure to sign up for our daily e-newsletters that come straight to your inbox, so you don’t miss an article in 2025. Missouri Ruralist looks forward to providing all of the latest in ag tech, finances, crops and livestock in the new year.