Stay in Touch with MDC news, newsletters, events, and manage your subscription
Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
CASSVILLE, Mo. – Brad Farwell has a new title at a place he’s very familiar with.
On May 1, Farwell began his new job as manager of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Roaring River Fish Hatchery. He replaces Paul Spurgeon, who retired earlier this year.
“Hatchery manager” may be a new title for Farwell, but he is well-acquainted with the hatchery and its connection to trout fishing at Roaring River State Park. Roaring River is located near Cassville in Barry County. Farwell, a Cassville High School graduate, began working at Roaring River Hatchery on a part-time basis when he was a 15-year-old high school student and continued his part-time employment there through college (College of the Ozarks, Mississippi State University).
After graduating from college, Farwell worked at MDC’s Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery as a resource assistant and resource technician before returning to Roaring River in 2011 as assistant manager – a position he’s held until assuming his current responsibilities.
“It’s a very rare opportunity to be able to land your dream job in your home town,” Farwell said. “I went into a professional field of work that is very niche. There are not a lot of opportunities across the country to be a hatchery manager and being able to work in the community you grew up in is an awesome opportunity. I am excited to work with everyone in the area, many of whom I went to school with.”
At Roaring River, Farwell will manage a hatchery operation that produces approximately 600,000 trout annually. The bulk of those fish go into the waters at Roaring River, but some are shipped to other trout areas around the state. MDC operates the hatchery and manages fishing operations at Roaring River; Missouri Department of Natural Resources manages the state park.
Statewide, trout-fishing pumps millions of dollars into Missouri’s economy each year and is another example of how conservation pays by enriching our economy and quality of life.
More information about trout fishing at Roaring River can be obtained by calling the hatchery at 417-847-2430. People can learn more about Missouri’s trout parks at https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/species/trout/trout-parks
