PHOTO GALLERY: Alan Easley shows off his family-owned farmland south of Columbia

December 5, 2012 | 6:00 a.m. CST

Alan Easley's family has owned a 105-acre farm south of Columbia since the Civil War. Easley, however, recently decided to sell a portion of his family's farm because he stopped growing crops and raising cattle on that land.

Cattle eat feed Nov. 19 on Alan Easley's 105-acre farm just south of Columbia. Easley is keeping the cattle farm but selling a 20-acre plot of land across the road, which will be the first time the land has been out of the Easley family since the farm started 170 years ago. | Kile Brewer

Housing developments can be seen in the distance Tuesday afternoon as a gate hangs open at plot of land owned by Alan Easley. The plot is a part of Easley's family farm that he has decided to sell, opening up an opportunity for more housing developments to move into the currently rural area. | Kile Brewer

Alan Easley drives his Dodge pickup away from his herd of cattle after feeding them the morning of Nov. 19. Easley's cattle stay on his 105-acre farm on the east side of Bearfield Road as the road has become too busy for him to move cattle to the 20-acre field across the street. | Kile Brewer

After feeding cattle on Nov. 19, Alan Easley stands outside the original barn on his family farm. Easley has recently decided to sell a portion of his family's land. | Kile Brewer

Alan Easley stands Nov. 19 facing the barn on his family farm. Easley has worked on the land his whole life, but he's decided to sell a 20-acre portion that has become unused. | Kile Brewer

Alan Easley straddles a gate outside the barn on his property south of Columbia. "I couldn't do that before I got my new knee from Sears," Easley said after hopping off the gate, referring to the knee replacement surgery he had recently. | Kile Brewer

The original farmhouse sits on Alan Easley's 105-acre farm just south of Columbia. Besides some additions, the house is 140 years old and has been in the family since it was built. Easley's son lives in the house currently. | Kile Brewer

The Easley family owned 378.67 acres in 1875, according to this plat map provided by the Missouri State Historical Society. The amount of land owned by the Easleys fluctuated over the decades, but the family always maintained a farm in the area. The map also contains other familiar family names, such as the Lenior family, which donated land for the Lenior retirement community adjacent to U.S. 63. | Matthew Schacht

In 1993, the Easleys owned about 106 acres, according to this plat map from the State Historical Society. Alan Easley's cattle graze on this parcel today. In 2004, the Philips land next door would be purchased by the city and later become the A. Perry Philips Park. | Matthew Schacht