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Missouri State University announced Friday the second largest gift the school has received in its history. For the last 45 years, Leo Journagan, a local businessman, has been building his seven-mile long ranch. Now, he and his family say they will give it to the university. KSMU’s Adam Murphy reports.
The Journagan’s Douglas County ranch is valued at more than $7 million. According to university officials, the gift consists of more than 3,300 acres of land, as many as 1,000 head of cattle, equipment and other ranch facilities. Officials say they believe the ranch will expand and transform Missouri State’s agricultural programs.
Dr. Anson Elliot is the head of the William H. Darr School of Agriculture at MSU.
“The realization of the many years of dreams, and efforts, and sacrifices to put together this seven-mile long ranch is kind of weighting to me. And to think that they were entrusting it now to our use, it was sobering, it is sobering, and it can be transformative in our research, in our outreach, and for our present students,” Elliot said.
One notable quality of the Journagan ranch is its herd of Hereford cows. According to the American Hereford Association, the ranch has one of the top 15 herds in the United States. With this gift, Missouri State says it now has the largest herd of Hereford cattle in the country that is associated with a university.
Missouri State President Michael Nietzel says this ranch will serve as a living, breathing laboratory for educational programs and research projects. The university says students from a variety of programs including biology, wildlife conservation, geology, and genetics will benefit from the new ranch.
Missouri State plans to begin academic programs at the Journagan Ranch in the fall. For KSMU News, I’m Adam Murphy.
