It's all about family for Jim and Ann Werner.
The couple has four children and 11 grandchildren, and everybody helps out on their southwest Iowa farming operation.
“There is a quote from the TV show Pawn Stars that I like,” Jim says. “‘The best part about this business is working with family, and the worst part of this business is working with family.’ We love having them here, and there's no better place to raise children than the farm.”
The Werners were recently named Commercial Producers of the Year by the Iowa Cattlemen's Association. The family farms near Diagonal in Ringgold County.
Ann's family raised registered Angus cattle, while Jim's family fed cattle. They started their operation after getting married in 1975.
Today, the operation that began with 20 cows has grown to over 850 cows roaming the southwest Iowa hills. The family sells approximately 200 bulls annually through private treaty.
Many years ago, the Werners started collecting data through the cattle that they finish. They also operate the Werner Feed Efficiency Center.
Cattle come into the facility and begin a 21-day warm up. This is a period to get them acclimated to the facilities and feed bunks, according to the website. Within the first day or two the cattle are on site, they will be vaccinated against blackleg and viruses, dewormed and tested for Persistently Infected BVD (PI). At this time, cattle will receive an EID tag which will allow workers to track how much they eat every day.
After the warm-up, the official test begins. When the cattle go on test, they are weighed two days back to back and the weight is averaged for the “On Test Weight” number. Then the amount of feed each animal eats each day is monitored for 70 days. At the end of the test, cattle are again weighed two days back to back and the “Off Test Weight” is the average of those days.
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