Hey homesteader, I'm also new to the site and from the Ozarks. I grew up in Winona but live in Ash Grove near Springfield now. I've had bees for three years now and have had the normal run of problems but have maneged to hang in there. I started the year with one hive that I nuked last fall and overwintered in a single deep. I've started two nukes from them this year plus I've taken about 30 lb of honey so far and estimate another 12 or 15 lbs capped and ready to go in a med super. The second deep I added this spring probably weighs in excess of 80 lbs.
I've learned a lot in the last three years, a good bit of it from Michael Bushs web site but I still have a long way to go. I think I've lost about 7 hives since I started and I try to learn something from each of them.
Good luck to you, Wolfer