Richard Groves

Richard Groves is the third generation to operate a Jersey dairy on the family’s Century Farm held by family members since being purchased in the late 1800s. His grandfather registered his first Jersey in 1898 and showed his cattle at the St. Louis World Fair in 1904.

Richard has a few descendants of his grandfather’s original Jersey line in his current milking herd. He milks 75 registered Jerseys and maintains a rolling herd average of at least 12,500 pounds. Artificial insemination is used exclusively and Richard picks and chooses sires from various sources and he also keeps a young bull for use on first calf heifers.

Currently, Richard is in the process of building a new double-four herringbone milking barn.

The Nodaway County dairyman started showing Jersey cattle as a 4-H member.

“I still enjoy showing my cattle at the Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska state fairs and the Clay County Fair at Spencer, Iowa,” Richard said.

He became a full-time farmer when he graduated from Graham High School in 1964. A year later on Aug. 15, 1965 Richard married Sue Clayton at the Christian Church in Pickering.

Sue is the record keeper for the farming operation and takes care of other occasional farm chores. She also is a full time cook for the Nodaway-Holt R-VII School.

The Groves have a daughter, Sherry Schneidermeyer, who, along with husband Steve and sons Stephen Richard, 7, and Cody Lee, 5, help with the Groves dairying and farming operation. Richard said his grandsons – the fifth generation of the Groves dairy operation – are already veterans of the show circuit.

In addition to his work on the farm Steve is vocational agriculture instructor and Sherry is the technology coordinator at Nodaway-Holt R-VII School. Both Sherry and Steve are MU graduates. Sherry has a degree from the College of Agriculture in food science and nutrition and Steve is an agricultural education degree holder.

When he started farming in 1964 Richard operated 240 acres. Now, along with Sherry and Steve the Groves farming operation totals 725 acres.

Along with the dairy business the Groves operation includes com, soybean, and hay production and a 75-cow beef cattle herd.

Richard is a member of the American Jersey Cattle Association and the Missouri Jersey Cattle Club. He has served as president and as a board member of the Missouri Club. In 2000 the dairy show at the Missouri State Fair was dedicated to Groves Jerseys.

In 1985 the Groves received the State Agricultural Achievement Award for Nodaway County.

Richard is a supporter of youth activities having served as dairy leader of the Graham 4-H Club for 10 years; was on the Nodaway County Boy Scout Advisory Board; and is an honorary member of the Nodaway Holt Future Farmers of America.

In addition, Richard has served several terms on the Nodaway County Extension Council, the Nodaway County FHA Board, and he and other family members belong to the Graham United Methodist Church.

The Groves operation was nominated for the Hall of Honors Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder Award by the Missouri Jersey Cattle Club.