One family’s 100-year-long legacy of
stewarding Missouri farmland.
Presented in partnership with the Missouri Beef Industy Council.
As dawn breaks over Clay Farm, sunlight illuminates its wide, grassy hills, hand-split red cedar fences, and glimmering ponds, while the low sounds of cattle wandering through the pasture fill the air. This is the same land the Clay family has been farming for 100 years, where every pasture and old-growth tree tells the story of the family’s past and propels their future. Each day, cousins Netley Clay Logan and Clayton McDaniel work the
property, carrying that legacy forward in a state where Black and African-American producers account for just 0.007 percent of cattle operations, according to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture.
THE FIRST 600 ACRES
The Clay Farm story begins with founder Andrew Inge, who was born into slavery in Franklin County in 1858. After being emancipated, he acquired almost 600 acres of land in Robertsville and eventually gave 80 acres to his daughter, Grace Inge Clay, and her husband, Harrison Clay, in 1925. The next year, they carved a homestead out of the land, digging ponds with mules and horses, raising cattle, pigs, and chickens, and growing anything else the family needed to survive. Grace and Harrison’s son, Chauncey, was raised on the land and eventually took over the operation, turning it into a cattle farm. After Chauncey could no longer manage the farming operation, the future of the family’s long-standing legacy became uncertain.
“In 2008, when my father [Chauncey] could no longer maintain the farm because of health issues, I was in a position to purchase it so it would stay in the family,” Netley explains.
Netley hadn’t planned to return to agriculture and had spent nearly three decades working in broadcasting. However, she knew that walking away meant losing the century-old business. She resolved to buy the farm, purchasing an additional 40 acres to create the farm she owns today.
After purchasing the land, Netley began updating all aspects of the business. Partnering with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, she began improving pasture management with rotational grazing: moving cattle from one pasture to another to let the grass recover after cattle graze on it. To accomplish her goals and streamline operations, she expanded from three pastures to seven and installed a well water system on the property.
Netley knew that the life of a rancher wasn’t easy, but after 12 years of operating the farm on her own, this became evident. She decided it was a good time to make a change and add additional help to the farm operations.
FAMILY TAKES THE FARM FORWARD
As Netley looked toward the future of the family business, her cousin Clayton was ready to help. Clayton was teaching agriculture and running St. Clair High School’s National FFA Organization chapter in St. Clair. He shared Netley’s excitement and commitment to the farm.
Clayton’s passion for agriculture came from his grandfather, Marvin Hulsey, who lived on the farm and continued to be active in farm operations up until his passing in 2025 at age 90. “That whole summer of his 90th year, he was very helpful in hay production, breaking ice,” Clayton remembers. “This is the first year I’ve had to break ice before work because he always did it.”
“I really got excited,” Netley says. “I have no children, but Clayton had such an interest.” As a team, Netley and Clayton joined together to raise beautiful cattle and honor their family’s land and legacy. With 52 head of Angus cattle roaming the land and a farm to maintain, there’s never a shortage of things to do.
“We check cattle at least twice a day, and three times a day during calving season,” Clayton says. “Most of my summer is hay production—cutting, baling, hauling hay around the county.”
When they’re not checking on or feeding the cattle, Netley and Clay’s stunning stretch of land gets a lot of their care. “Maintaining the infrastructure is a huge part of what we do—fences, ponds, forestry areas. On a 100-year-old farm, there’s always something that needs attention,” Netley says, laughing.
• Clay Farm
THE FUTURE OF FAMILY FARMS
Along with taking care of the day-to-day operations of the ranch, Clayton remains an FFA advisor and agriculture teacher at St. Clair High School. He shares his passion for agriculture with the students and offers hands-on learning opportunities at the farm. “Our agriculture and animal science students come out to the farm to learn what a cow calf operation looks like and how hay production works,” Clayton says. “Students help tag and wean calves, and they get real hands-on experience they can take back to the classroom.”
Clayton and Netley have experienced the younger generation taking great interest in agriculture. They say it’s exciting to see students join FFA because this generation could likely save many family farms. “So many generational farms are being sold or going out of business because younger generations don’t have interest,” Netley says. Clayton’s passion for agriculture has greatly influenced the St. Clair FFA program—which has almost 200 students. Clayton says that the young students’ passion for agriculture continues to grow. “Once students are introduced to agriculture, many of them stay in the program and start considering it as a career,” he says.
Netley and Clayton’s family history surrounds them, but 2026 will be a year for neighbors and visitors to see the farm’s operations and witness the family’s centennial-long legacy. In May, they will offer a walking farm tour with calves for visitors to see. In October, a hayride and fall festival will take place, something that has been a family tradition for years.
For more information on events, find Clay Farms on Facebook.
The Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC) is a nonprofit organization responsible for administering programs of beef promotion, education, research, and consumer and industry information.
This article was originally printed in the March/April 2026 issue of Missouri Life.
