BUFFALO, Mo. -- This town is focused on the importance of education. Pettit Jean Poultry plant called Buffalo home until last year, when it closed and took hundreds of jobs with it. That makes the Dallas County School District the largest employer in town.

That's put a bit of pressure on the district to keep running at full speed. The biggest challenge, however, is keeping the hometown talent in town after they graduate. "A lot of kids that probably would have planned on going into careers in agriculture -- those jobs are drying up," said John Turner, assistant superintendent for the district. " "There aren't a whole lot of opportunities for kids to stay in Dallas County since we are an ag-based economy."