Jim Ball’s lifelong passion for the outdoors has fueled his commitment to land conservation and wildlife habitat enhancement. Growing up in Braymer, Missouri, Ball developed a love for nature through hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. This passion extended into his adulthood, including time spent in the Army, where he honed his outdoor skills in jungle training in Panama and during a yearlong tour in Vietnam.
After his military service, Ball’s hunting adventures took him across 12 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, and Russia, where he pursued both small game and North American big game. In 1969, he began a career in the petrochemical industry, a path that led him to meet his wife, Schatzi. Together, they eventually settled in Kansas City, Missouri, but Ball never lost his connection to the natural world.
Ball’s connection to his childhood home in Braymer remained strong. In collaboration with his father, he purchased 80 acres of timber and pasture land there, primarily for hunting. Over time, the family expanded the property to 850 acres. It was in Braymer that Ball began his conservation journey, starting in 1986 by purchasing an adjacent tract of land and enrolling in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). He planted his first 100 acres with native warm-season grasses and forbs, setting the foundation for his future conservation efforts.
In 1991, Ball expanded his efforts by planting trees. His initial project involved planting 28 acres of trees through the CRP program. Over the years, Ball has planted a total of 160,000 trees on 250 acres, many of them CRP-supported. Upland areas of the property were planted with various oak species, while the best sites were reserved for eastern black walnut. To ensure biodiversity, Ball incorporated a range of tree species, nearly all sourced from the George O. White State Forest Nursery in Licking, Missouri.
With assistance from federal and state programs and technical advice from agencies like the Missouri Department of Conservation and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ball has meticulously managed his timber. This includes pruning, conducting timber stand improvement, and removing undesirable trees to benefit stronger specimens. His commitment to sustainable forest management has garnered him recognition, including being named State Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year in 2017 and 2023, and Regional Outstanding Tree Farmer for the north-central region in 2018.
In addition to his forestry efforts, Ball has undertaken various other conservation projects. He built a 20-acre lake and several smaller ponds to control erosion and enhance fish habitats. He has also planted two miles of riparian buffers with trees and established a 40-acre monarch butterfly habitat.
A riparian buffer is a vegetated area, usually consisting of trees, shrubs, and grasses, located along the banks of a river, stream, or other water bodies. This buffer zone helps protect the waterway by filtering pollutants, reducing erosion, and providing habitat for wildlife.
Ball’s dedication to conservation has had a lasting impact on his family and friends. He takes pride in restoring degraded farm ground and turning it into thriving conservation areas. “Our goal is providing an enduring place for our future generations and instilling in them the love of the outdoors my wife and I have,” Ball said. “Our family loves the ranch and wants to keep it in the family.”
Jim Ball and his family will be honored at the upcoming Woodland Owners Conference, scheduled for Oct. 11-12 in Columbia, Missouri. The conference will feature tours of a Missouri Century Farm, a sawmill, and a cooperage. The event will culminate in a Friday evening dinner, which will include an awards ceremony and a presentation by U.S. Forest Service wildlife biologist Frank Thompson, who will speak on the importance of managed forests for songbird populations.
To learn more about the conference and Ball’s contributions to conservation, visit this link.
(Edited to add explanation of riparian buffer)
