Our Journey
The story of our journey to becoming Midwest Best Beef from a long heritage of family farming
My wife and I come from a long line of small family farmers, and can trace our farming heritage back to before our families immigrated to the U.S.
I (Dave) grew up on a small family farm in southeast Minnesota raising steers, hogs, and chickens.
Annette, my wife, grew up on a small family farm in east central Iowa where she and her family operated a small dairy herd along with raising hogs and chickens.
Both of us left the farm for town life shortly after high school graduation. I attended a vocational school in Wisconsin for an agribusiness degree. My intention was to return to the land after graduation. While in school, I was offered and accepted an opportunity to work as an apprentice electrician. I eventually earned a journeyman and masters electrician license. In 1992, I made the decision to return to college to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. I married Annette and graduated with my degree in 1996.
After graduating from college with a degree in business administration, Annette worked as a sales representative until she made the decision to be a stay-at-home mom raising our 5 children.
In 2004, we made the decision to try to return to farming and started putting money aside to purchase equipment with hopes of renting a farm. In 2010, we convinced Annette’s father to rent us his 150-acre farm. We used the savings we had been setting aside to buy machinery to start farming. We were able to purchase Annette’s family farm in 2011.
In 2018, we purchased 14 head of steers to finish for direct marketing. Our first year in business, we were able to sell 7 head of beef direct. The second year we sold 18 and ran out of beef halfway through the year. Given our growth and customer demands, we made the decision to split our cattle into 2 groups allowing for processing twice a year. The following year we sold approximately 50 head of beef.
The Journey Continues
In 2018, our oldest daughter, Ireland, graduated from high school and began her nursing studies at the University of Dubuque. While pursuing her degree, she continued living at home, helping manage the rapidly growing direct-to-consumer beef business. It was during these years that her natural connection with the cattle became unmistakable. Dave often joked and called her the “Cow Whisperer” because of her calm presence and uncanny ability to understand and work with them.
Throughout college, Ireland balanced long hours of studying with early mornings in the barn, farmers market weekends, and beef deliveries to local families. She developed a passion not only for caring for the cattle, but also for building relationships with customers and sharing our family’s story.
After graduating in 2022, Ireland accepted a position as an Operating Room nurse in Dubuque. While she valued her work in the OR, her heart never left the farm. Agriculture had always been part of who she was.
In 2023, Ireland began taking her first independent steps in agriculture by purchasing a flock of 30 Australorp hens. She expanded her presence at the farmers market, offering farm-fresh eggs alongside our beef, and began developing specialty dog treats and tallow-based skincare products. As her confidence and vision grew, she began having meaningful conversations with her grandfather about the future of the original family farm in southeast Minnesota.
By 2025, Ireland made her commitment clear. She purchased her first herd of Red Angus cattle—intentionally selecting the breed to establish her own line while honoring the foundation we built. That same year, she reached an agreement to take over her grandfather’s Minnesota farm, bringing cattle back to the land and continuing the same family values it was built on.
Today, we are incredibly proud to watch Ireland carry this legacy forward. What began generations ago on small family farms in Iowa and Minnesota is continuing — not as a large operation, but as a family committed to raising quality beef, caring for the land, and serving our community.
And the journey continues.
With the help of our loyal customers and the new customers we look forward to serving, we hope to continue our growth, allowing us to fulfill our dream of making a living providing families the Midwest’s best beef.