Our History

The 1800's

The story of Dry Fork Creek Farms begins in 1861 when Wilhelm Weinhold embarked on a journey from Saxony, Germany to immigrate to the United States. Wilhelm arrived in New Orleans and continued up the Mississippi River to what is now Perry County, Missouri. Wilhelm joined others from Saxony to settle the "East End" of Perry County along the Mississippi River. This established generations of Weinhold farmers which continues through the present day.

Mid-20th Century

In 1941 my grandfather, Charles Oscar Weinhold, (you read that right, his initials were C.O.W.) bought the land which now holds Dry Fork Creek Farms. Settled within the river hills a few miles west of Crosstown, Missouri, Charles diligently farmed the property until his passing in 1974. My father Herbert stewarded the property for the next several decades. Charles and Herbert are credited for transitioning the farm from mule power to the tractor power of the modern age.

1980's through  2010's

I grew up on the farm enjoying all the freedom and exploration that comes with living on a farm. My mother, Ellen, was a teacher who guided me toward academics. She was proud when I earned an engineering degree from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. For the next 15 years, I would live throughout the United States pursuing a career in engineering and management in the manufacturing world. But as my wife, Gena and I started to grow our family, the distance home seemed to grow even further.  We then slowly began our journey back home.  I spent my first 18 years trying to leave the farm and thought I would spend the rest of my life trying to return.

In 2012, I was able to relocate to a position that finally brought us back home. I continued off-farm work while slowly taking on the day-to-day farm duties. During this period, both of my parents passed away and I was now fully managing the property.

Recent Years

In 2020, Dry Fork Creek Farms, LLC was established and by 2021, I purchased the remaining interest in the farm from my sister. The original intention was to create a job for myself upon retirement. However, after 25 years in industry, I was ready to give up the corporate rat race once and for all. In 2022 I began to focus my full efforts on developing the farm. I wished for the simpler life I left many years ago.

My wife Gena is a healthcare professional which brought exposure to healthy eating and homegrown foods. Growing up we always had a large garden and canned our own food because both my parents survived the Great Depression. My experience coupled with my wife's interests began to present a direction to take the farm.  I soon introduced rotational grazing for the cattle, and transitioned to becoming strictly grass fed. The cattle herd was originally full Angus breed, but my father introduced Hereford breed genetics years ago which produced "black baldies". In the last few years, we began to use a South Poll bull for its efficiency on grass and welcomed those genetics into the herd.

Today

Today, we offer custom processing of whole, half, quarter and eighth portion grass fed beef, pastured chicken and eggs. Soon we will have pork available and are preparing for goats and sheep as well. We are planting a huge garden for vegetables and value-added products available later in this year. Our growing passion for sustainable farming and regenerative agriculture will continue to drive us into the future.

If you ever stop by Dry Fork Creek Farms, make sure to say “Hello!” to our sweet silver lab Ren, our feisty mini-Aussie Milo and the two gentle donkeys, Rosa and Diego!

Scott Weinhold
Founder, Dry Fork Creek Farms, LLC