Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 9

Above: Kent and Kathy Brown, far right, along with their children and grandchildren operate Show Me HH Farms in Hannibal. This year, the
Browns have planted 20 acres of sunflowers. Left: People can visit the farm during the 10-day blooming period to take photos with the flowers or
just enjoy the beauty of the field. Blooming will likely happen in early August. After harvest, the family cold presses the seeds into sunflower oil.
by Sara Schafer | sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
he Brown family's flower patch is the envy of any
gardener. In the late summer their 20-acre field
explodes in gold. As they grow, cheerful sunflower
heads track the sun during the day as they reach
nearly 6 feet tall. While the beauty of the native-to-Missouri
crop makes the summertime special at Show Me HH
Farms in Hannibal, the real magic starts after harvest.
Kent and Kathy Brown, along with their son, Phillip,
and daughter-in-law, Amberlyn, planted their first sunflowers
on 10 acres in 2021. After they harvested the crop,
they became the second farm in the U.S. to cold press sunflower
oil. Essentially, a machine cold presses the seeds to
extract the oil. This means, Kent says, they don't have to
use high heat, solvents or chemicals, which is the method
for most oils found in grocery stores.
The cold-press process creates a pure, golden oil with a
slightly nutty flavor that even smells like sunflowers when
you open the bottle. The sunflowers they plant are a higholeic
variety, so the oil contains a high monounsaturated
omega 3 fatty acid and vitamins E and K.
T
" We want people to know sunflower oil is healthy, "
Kathy says. " It's good for digestion, it's lighter than olive
oil and it tastes good. Plus, you can do about anything you
want to with it. "
The Browns, members of Ralls County Electric Cooperative,
have grown corn and soybeans on their farm for
years. But during one sleep-deprived night, Phillip was
awake with the baby, watching PBS. He saw a segment
on pressing sunflower oil and started dreaming. Before
long, the rest of the family was on board with diversifying
the farm using sunflowers as a high-value crop. Kent connected
with the only other farmer he could find growing
and cold pressing sunflowers and drove to Georgia to meet
him and trade ideas.
Agronomically speaking, the Browns understood the
basics of sunflower production. They plant sunflowers in
June and typically see them bloom 60 days later. In late
October, the sunflowers are ready to harvest. They retrofitted
some of their traditional farm machinery to fit the new
crop. Their biggest challenge is weed control, as they don't
spray any chemicals on the sunflowers.
To make oil, they clean and press the dried seeds.
JULY 2024 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 9

http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Rural Missouri - July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - July 2024

Contents
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - Cover1
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - Cover2
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - Contents
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 4
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 5
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 6
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 7
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 8
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 9
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Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 11
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 12
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Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 40
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 41
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 42
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Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 49
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 50
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - Cover3
Rural Missouri - July 2024 - Cover4
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