Paula Kindrick Hartsfield, 1976 Alumna, and her husband, George

In spring 2017, the Rev. Dr. Paula Kindrick Hartsfield and her husband, George, gave an 80-acre parcel of land to Missouri State University.

This gift means that, for the first time, Missouri State's William H. Darr College of Agriculture has land dedicated to row crops. This fills a huge need for the college.

This acreage has many possibilities for educational programs. Students will now have a real-world place to learn about concepts such as crop rotation, soil health, yield estimates and more.

Faculty researchers also plan to explore topics such as water quality, habitat management and wildlife population studies.

Profits from harvests at the Kindrick Family Farm will be reinvested in Missouri State, the College of Agriculture and the farm itself.

The land, south of the Springfield-Branson National Airport, has been in Kindrick Hartsfield's family since 1876.

It is a Missouri Century Farm - a designation recognizing farms that have been in the same family for 100 years or more.

Her great-great-grandparents, Samuel and Stella Wilson, came from Sweet Water, Tennessee, to Greene County, Missouri, in an ox cart. The Wilsons bought 80 acres from the A&P Railroad and built a log cabin on the property.

Eventually, the farm passed to Kindrick Hartsfield's grandfather.

After her grandfather passed away, her dad, Clarence Mitchell "Buzz" Kindrick, and his two brothers, Robert Lee "Bob" and William "Bill" Kindrick, were partners on the farm.

"What is important to me about the gift is that forever it will be known as the Kindrick Family Farm. I have a lot of love and respect for my family, and so that's very important to me."

Kindrick Hartsfield is an only child, and her two uncles did not marry. The property passed to her. Since she lives in Jefferson City, Missouri, she leased it to farmers.

Her husband, George, had the idea of giving it to Missouri State.

"It has been rewarding to get to know the faculty and the administration, and to feel their genuine appreciativeness. Knowing how the students will benefit from it, I think my parents and uncles would be very pleased we've done this."