One of the best ways to see agriculture production in your own state and the states surrounding it is to join up with a summer ag tour.

In August, the Hickory County Cattlemen’s Bus Tour is taking farmers and ranchers to southern Missouri, western Kentucky and southern Illinois. The tour is designed to educate cattle producers about various cattle operations and other livestock, as well as agricultural operations.

The Hickory County University of Missouri Extension Center is helping coordinate the four-day event, according to MU Extension livestock specialist Gene Schmitz.

He provides this brief itinerary of the tour, including stops along the way.

Aug. 7
Journagan Ranch, Mountain Grove, Mo. This is the largest purebred Hereford herd in the United States. The herd was donated to Missouri State University by the Leo Journagan family. It is used by the university to provide students the opportunity to gain hands-on ranching experience through a unique internship program that has benefited dozens of students — for some, their first experience on a farm.

Tribute Dairy, Benton, Mo. This is a large-scale irrigated grazing dairy in which cows are grass-fed, unconfined and able to produce A2 milk. A2 milk contains predominantly the A2 type of beta-casein protein, rather than the more common A1 protein, and is said to be more easily digestible than milk with the A1 protein.

Aug. 8
Black Hawk Farms Princeton, Ky. This farm raises, finishes and slaughters its high-quality premium Black Angus beef in the Black Hawk and Princeton, Ky., area as well as having a state-of-the-art compost barn for grain finishing cattle.

University of Kentucky Research and Education Center, Princeton, Ky. The center conducts research with livestock, pastures, grain crops, tobacco, fruits and vegetables, and there also will be a horse production operation in the Princeton, Ky., area.

Aug. 9
Oak Hollow Angus, Smiths Grove, Ky. This is the largest Angus breeder in Kentucky, having females that have to be profitable to the commercial cattleman. Owners  continually select for traits of economic importance.

Cool Springs Ranch, Elizabethtown, Ky. This is a commercial cattle operation.

Beauchamp/Alexander cattle operation, Hardinsburg, Ky. This cattle operation has Beefmaster and Angus cattle, and sells bulls to commercial cattle producers. It has also consigned heifers at the West Kentucky Bred Heifer Sale. The operation also received the Kentucky Forage and Grassland Council Grassroots Award in 2005.

Aug. 10
Tom Saxe, Thompsonville, Ill. This former Extension specialist in southern Illinois will discuss his Sim-Angus cattle operation.

Soulard Farmers Market, St. Louis. This is a historic farmers market with a 200-year tradition featuring locally grown and shipped-in goods, including produce, meats, cheeses, spices, gourmet kettle corn, flowers, baked goods and general merchandise.

St. James Winery, St. James, Mo. This winery’s 40-year history involves producing unique regional wines that reflect the natural character of the grape varieties grown in the Ozark highlands.

The cost of the tour is $365 per person, and needs to be paid by July 15 to the Hickory County MU Extension Center, 203 Cedar St., Hermitage, MO 65668.

If you have any questions about this tour, contact Schmitz at 660-438-5012; Terry Halleran, regional MU Extension agronomy specialist, at 417-745-6767; or Patrick Davis, livestock specialist, at 417-276-3313.