Wessling family farm visit - Brownfield Ag News

Special Report

Wessling family farm visit

September 10, 2009 By Cyndi Young Filed Under: Featured

Bruce Wessling started farming with his dad, Roger, the year after his high school graduation. In 1990, the men farmed 1500 acres of corn and soybeans and raised hogs in outside facilities on the farm near Grand Junction, Iowa. In 1997, Bruce decided it was time to expand and the Wesslings put up a 1200 head confinement building. They raised hogs independently for 3 years. In 2000, they built the second facility and began feeding with Cargill. In 2004, they expanded more, putting up another building and are currently in the process of putting up another.Bruce sees many benefits to raising hogs in buildings instead of in open lots. The temperature remains constant throughout the year so the hogs and humans working with them do not have to withstand weather extremes of heat, cold, rain, snow, sleet, hail, wind, etc. The farmers have better control of odor because, as Bruce explains, with under-roof manure storage, rain does not make contact with the manure and evaporate off of it. Now, they haul manure once year instead of weekly, the lighting is better and it is safer for both the animals and the people working with them.

Deep pits under the hog barns will hold over a year’s worth of manure. A local custom manure operator is hired to come in, the manure pits are stirred to mix the nutrients and the manure is applied according to the nutrient anaylsis and the manure management plan.

The manure management plan is a valuable tool for the Wesslings. A local agronomist does soil sampling and makes fertilizer recommendations. A hired consultant writes the manure management plan for the farm. Bruce says that between the recommendations on fertilizer rates from the agronomist and the consultant’s manurea management expertise, the two work together to come up with the rates needed to grow the crops. With the high price for fertilizer, it is important to scatter the manure over as many crop acres as possible. Manure saves the Wessling family farm a significant amount of money because they do not have to rely strictly on commercial fertilizers.

For ten years, The Wesslings have worked with the Iowa Soybean Association on nitrogen testing to be as precise as possible with correct and specific applications of manure to meet nitrogen requirements.

Being part of a family farming operation has been a good experience for Bruce. He started farming with both Dad and Grandpa. Having their help and guidance getting started was very important to him. Now, as Bruce’s Dad nears retirement, he is hopeful that he is giving back.

All Bruce ever wanted to do was farm. He likes the independence and ability to set his own schedule and freedom of being his own boss. He likes the animals and the outdoors.

It is important to Bruce that his children have an understanding of the committment and responsibility that goes with raising livestock. His daughters help with simple chores on the farm and they raise 4-H pigs. Wife Jenny is very involved with bookkeeping and from time to time helps in the hog buildings.

The community is important to the Wessling family and Bruce believes that their farm gives much back to the community. In addition to involvement in local organizations, the Wessling farm spends a lot of money with local businesses.

It’s not an easy time to be in the livestock business, but Bruce says having both crops and livestock helps to balance things out for them. He said you have to be optimistic and in it for the long term. All businesses go through tough times and you need to hang in there to be ready for when things “get good again.”

Being a good steward is important to Bruce. From buffer strips on farms with creeks, to manure incorporation practices, it is important to Bruce to do it right.

Bruce’s message for non-farm families: “We are out here every day taking care of the farm and the livestock and doing the best job we can. My family lives here. I want the water safe, the air safe for my family. I would like to have them know that almost all livestock producers do a great job. It only takes a couple of bad ones to give everyone a bad name.”

He has benefited greatly by partnering with the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. From helping with siting for hog buildings to just bouncing ideas off of them, CSIF has helped Bruce. He would advise all Iowa livestock farmers interested in expanding their farms to contact the Coalition.

Bruce and his wife Jenny graduated from East Greene High in Grand Junction. The high school sweethearts (she grew up 3 miles from the Wessling farm) have been married for 18 years and have two daughters. Jolee is 12 (she’ll turn 13 in November) and Taylor is 11.