About the Phifers and SteelMeadow Farm                  Afternoon sun

SteelMeadow Farm is located in Mansfield, Missouri.  We are in the Ozarks- full of rolling hills, "hollers" and Nature.  Mansfield was the final destination for Laura Ingalls Wilder, who settled here with her husband and daughter.  It was here she wrote all her wonderful "Little House" books.  We ourselves moved here from Virginia in 2006.  We decided there that we wanted to be "farmers" but the cost of land was very prohibitive.  We had only been in busy Virginia a few years, after almost 30 yrs in North Carolina, and finding Mansfield felt like "destiny-fulfilled." 

Glenn is a retired art professor from Appalachian State University, where he taught for over 27 years.  His large outdoor sculptures are what lend SteelMeadow its name.  Once our house-barn is completed, we hope to have a pottery/sculpture studio so Glenn can resume his creative endeavors.  Currently, he is using all his "creativity" to work on farm implements, fence corners and old buildings.

I am a certified nurse-midwife, taking a break from years of commuting.  Being able to be a full-time farmer and mom to our 12 yr old daughter is a wonderful change-of-pace.   I also taught in the art department at Appalachian State, and also look forward to a time when all the fences are mended so I can get out my oils and canvas.  I may return to midwifery one day, but family and farm are most rewarding.

Savannah is our 12 yr old- loving life on the farm.  She greatly enjoys her small school, "one-flashing-traffic-light" town and has told us many times, "Mansfield is the perfect size town- it has everything we need."  Her special job is to imprint the new kids when they are born.  It makes a great difference in managablility later when they are grown.

Please visit our site often as things are always being added, updated, et cetera.



Thanks for stopping by-

Mary Jane