Before Cook MO Farms joined Columbia Farmers Market in 2019, Scott Cook was involved with agriculture “in one way or another for a good portion of my life.”
He and his wife, Lauren, raise premium beef, pasture-raised chickens, free-range eggs, lamb, and turkey. Scott hopes to resume selling pork at the market and “perhaps add a beehive, a huge garden, and fruit orchard.” Those products “might make it to market in the future.”
Before arriving in mid-Missouri, Scott worked for the government for 15 years in forestry, range management, and family ranches in Colorado. Along the way, he picked up the practice of rotational grazing, regenerative agriculture, and the importance of continually improving the health of his soil.
Scott specializes in producing “the highest quality of meats and eggs possible,” and he enjoys what he does.
“Cows don’t talk back too much. Life is good!”
The Cooks bought the farm in 2017 but leased a farm outside Columbia for a couple years before that. The move to Callaway County provided Scott and Lauren with the opportunity to sell their product directly to customers at the market.
“It’s been a great avenue to supply our products to people that appreciate quality foods,” Scott said. “It’s great to know where your food comes from, but even more important to support your local farm families.
“It makes it all worth it when somebody comes back to the market and says we sold them the best steak they’ve ever had.”
