Perry County: A great place to enjoy life on the farm

Mark Kasten is the fifth generation to live and work on his family's farm in Uniontown, Missouri.

The 160-acre farm has long held cattle and sheep, but Kasten decided to add a sheep dairy to the property in 2012 for an extra form of income.

Mark Kasten loads hay to feed his sheep at Kasten Sheep Dairy in Perry County.Laura Simon

"It was a good move at the time and it still is a good move and I'm glad we did it," he says.

Kasten typically milks about 50 of his sheep on Wednesdays, and sells the milk in frozen blocks to Baetje Farms, an artisan goat cheese dairy and creamery in Bloomsdale, Missouri, for cheese production.

Within the next year, Kasten will add 50 goats to the dairy to produce goat's milk to sell as well.

Mark Kasten puts out hay for his sheep at Kasten Sheep Dairy in Perry County.Laura Simon

Sheep munch on a little lunch at Kasten Sheep Dairy in Perry County.Laura Simon

Although he says it will add more to his workload, he is excited for his family's farm to keep growing. Besides, he has always enjoyed life on the farm.

"It's always been a thing of mine; I just love to be outside and I love to work with the animals and it's kind of neat to know that this is what my ancestors did. They worked the farm or worked the land and raised the animals, and it just feels good to be able to do the same thing they did," Kasten says.