Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Missouri is turning 100 years old in 2026, and the sprawling 337-acre property is marking the milestone with a season of dog shows, a gala, and free public events — even though its visitor center remains closed following tornado damage from last year. The Franklin County site, located about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis, has spent a century evolving from an agricultural research farm into one of the region's best-known family and canine sporting destinations.
Purina Farms opened in 1926, beginning as a working farm focused on agricultural research and education, according to St. Louis Magazine. The property's origins trace back to Donald Danforth persuading his father, company founder William H. Danforth, to establish the Purina Dog Care Center there as what is described as the world's first commercial pet nutrition and care research facility, according to Ducks Unlimited. A century later, the site still centers on the relationship between people and their pets, offering an expanding nature trail for families with dogs and a Pups Play Yard with limited spaces for dogs to run, play, and try light agility equipment, per the same St. Louis Magazine report.
That mission has endured despite a setback in March 2025, when an EF-2 tornado struck the farm directly, causing extensive damage to the Visitor Center, Education Barn, Pet Adoption Center, and Incredible Dog Arena, according to The Missourian. All of the more than 160 animals and staff members on site at the time survived without injury, the outlet reported. The visitor center remains temporarily closed because of that storm damage, per St. Louis Magazine, and company officials have pushed back on rumors of a permanent shutdown while they explore options for rebuilding, though no timeline or final plan has been announced.
The Event Center Kept the Shows Going
The tornado spared the farm's largest structure. The 84,000-square-foot Purina Event Center, which opened in late 2010 and includes a 45,000-square-foot Great Hall, escaped major damage and continued hosting national and regional canine competitions without interruption, The Missourian reported. That venue now hosts hundreds of dog and cat shows and performance trials throughout the year, most of them free and open to the public, according to St. Louis Magazine.
The Purina Incredible Dog Team, whose shows feature canine agility, flying disc, and tricks, is part of that ongoing programming. The broader Incredible Dog Challenge has been a fixture at Purina Farms for more than 25 years, showcasing disciplines ranging from diving dog and 30-weave pole racing to flyball and freestyle flying disc, according to a Purina Pro Plan Facebook post. This centennial season, the team is also performing daily shows at St. Louis Union Station through September, giving families downtown a chance to see the act without the drive to Gray Summit, per St. Louis Magazine.
A Gala Built on Multigenerational Memories
Purina Farms is marking its centennial with the Bark Tie Gala on August 22, an event that will feature adoptable animals, wine tastings, live entertainment, and auctions, with proceeds from the auctions supporting animal welfare efforts. The gala will benefit the Coalition for Pet Progress, an independent nonprofit animal welfare coalition launched by the St. Louis Petlover Coalition to address resource gaps in regional pet care and rescue, according to Operation Spot.
Local Missouri wineries Mount Pleasant Estates and Augusta Winery will offer tasting stations at the gala, according to Mount Pleasant Winery. The event's Adoption Alley will include regional rescue groups such as the Animal Protective Association of Missouri, Gateway Pet Guardians, Five Acres Animal Shelter, Open Door Animal Sanctuary, Franklin County Humane Society, and Dirks Fund, according to a Purina Farms Facebook post.
Bailie Kleekamp, marketing coordinator at Purina Farms, said bringing people and pets together has remained the property's core idea throughout its hundred-year history, per St. Louis Magazine's reporting. She also pointed to the site's multigenerational pull, noting that parents who remember visiting Purina Farms as children now want to share the experience with their own families.
A Century Rooted in a St. Louis Company
The centennial also reflects the scale of parent company Nestlé Purina PetCare, headquartered at 1 Checkerboard Square in St. Louis. The company operates 24 manufacturing facilities across North America and generated approximately $21.5 billion in global revenue in 2024, according to GlobalData. Purina's innovations trace well beyond Gray Summit: the company introduced the kibble extrusion manufacturing process in 1957 and launched Pro Plan in 1986 as the first dry dog food with real meat as its primary ingredient, according to Covey Rise Magazine.
Purina Farms has drawn Hoodline's attention before over infrastructure issues in the area, including a Route MM closure near the farm tied to safety upgrades along the road serving its visitors. For now, the centennial season continues with the Event Center's regular slate of competitions, the Union Station dog shows, and the Bark Tie Gala on August 22, even as the farm's storm-damaged visitor facilities remain closed while rebuilding options are weighed.
