Washington County Farm Supply

A brief history of Washington County Farm Supply 

Farrell’s Feed and Flour Mill, owned and operated by Otto B. Farrell, was begun in the mid 1920’s with a three story 36’ x 66’ frame building. Later, in the early 1930s, a grain elevator with three bins that had a total capacity of 6,000 bu. And a ware room 38’ x 52’ were added. Flour, cornmeal, livestock and poultry feed were manufactured under the brand name of “King of Missouri.” This mill was powered by a 37 ½ hp., one cylinder, stationary diesel engine. The mill had a flour capacity of 25 barrels of soft wheat flour per day. Flour and feed were sold throughout Washington and surrounding counties.

            At the beginning of World War II, the mill was closed down and a hatchery was begun which was in operation at the time Otto Farrell was taken suddenly with a heart attack on Dec. 20, 1943.

            Otto Bertrum Farrell [inset at left] was born April 9, 1893 in South St. Louis of German-Irish ancestry. When quite young his parents moved to a farm at Brighton, Ill. where he grew to manhood, receiving a common school education. He served in World War I – Battery F 327 Field Artillery from Feb. 23, 1918 to Feb. 20, 1919, receiving his discharge at Camp Grant, Ill.

            He was married July 20, 1918 to Fannie Lee Adams. They were the parents of one daughter, Fannie Marie, born Nov. 11, 1919. Fannie Lee died Feb. 3, 1920. On Nov. 4, 1920 he was married to Leona Halbert Wilkinson.

            In 1947, Cecil Sutton, son-in-law of Otto Farrell, began operating the mill. Flour and cornmeal were no longer made, but feeds were ground and mixed. Commercial feed, seed, fertilizer, and grain were sold. Later hardware was added. The slogan was “Everything For The Farm”. In Dec. 1972 the business was sold to Leo Dickey and Jesse Wilkinson, with Wilkinson later selling his interest to Dickey.

On July 1, 2009, Steve and Maryjo Camden with their three sons, Cody, Cameron and Caden, of Perryville, MO, purchased the business from the Dickey family. Now known as Washington County Farm Supply, they continue offering custom feed mixes, fertilizer and lime spreading, seed, pet supplies, hardware and plumbing, vet and fencing supplies. They have plans to soon bring back the original brand, “King of Missouri,” to have available for customers to purchase a bit of nostalgia. Updating certain features around the store to be more efficient in this modern age, they still hold to the old fashion values of small town America and strive to continue the tradition to carry ‘everything for the farm’.