Leo Journagan Construction Co. Inc. founder Leo Journagan is making the second-largest private donation in the history of Missouri State University, school officials announced Friday afternoon.
Journagan is donating 3,300 acres of Douglas County property, plus 1,000 head of cattle, equipment and other ranch facilities, to the university's William H. Darr School of Agriculture. The total donation is valued at more than $7 million.
The property, located about 10 miles south of the Missouri State Mountain Grove campus, will be available for school use immediately, but the official transfer of the property and assets will happen over several years, to be completed as part of Journagan's estate, according to a Missouri State news release.
The gift began in December, when the school received 243 registered Hereford cows from Journagan's herd, which the American Hereford Association calls one of the top 15 Hereford herds in the nation.
"Given the diverse nature of the Journagan Ranch, with its variety of terrains, water sources, forestation, wildlife and livestock, it can serve as a living, breathing laboratory for many agriculture educational initiatives and research projects," MSU President Michael Nietzel said in the release.
The gift trails only the $30 million gift made in 2006 by John Q. Hammons to fund the JQH Arena. The Journagan gift will go toward the university's $125 million comprehensive campaign; more than $110 million has been received or committed to that fundraising effort.
"Over the next several years, the ranch will allow us to develop even more comprehensive programs in animal science, conservation, soils and plant science," said Anson Elliott, head of the Darr School of Agriculture, in the release. "We expect that the addition of the ranch will improve our capacity to compete for external grants and contracts."
The school was named for William H. Darr in December, in recognition of his longtime support to the university and its agriculture program.[[In-content Ad]]
