Producer Spotlight: AY Cattle

Black cattle in a covered feedlot eating hay at dusk, with a colorful sunset in the background.

Wheaton, Minnesota

6th Generation Family Farm

Since 1902 the Anderson & Yost families have been farming and raising cattle on their land in Wheaton, Minnesota. What started as a small cash crop and cow-calf farm has grown from generation to generation. The family finishes around 600 head of colored cattle, taking calves from 500-600 pounds to finish weight. “I am very blessed to be a part of this century farm, and as the 6th generation to take over the operation, all I can hope is to leave my mark and make it sustainable for the next six generations to come,” says Parker Yost.

Family Traditions

Something unique about the Yost family farm is that you can find three generations hard at work on the operation on any given day. Gary and Pam Anderson (grandparents), Gary and Michelle Yost (parents), and Parker and Olivia Yost are all involved. Everyone is involved in taking care of field work, feeding cattle, equipment maintenance, keeping the family fed, and running errands.

Being A Family Farm in the 21st Century

Farmers today deal with a lot of the same problems that previous generations dealt with, but on a different scale. It can be challenging because it feels like things change instantly with every news headline, but in those challenges live opportunities.

“We hope the public understands that even though cattle operations are growing, the impacts on the environment are less and continue to decrease with the implementation of new environmentally friendly practices.”

Sustainable Practices

The construction of a monoslope beef barn and manure bunker has laid a solid foundation for sustainable practices. The barn provides the most efficient and cost-effective way to raise cattle. The manure bunker allows the family to fully capture the manure and valuable nutrients, which means zero runoff and better yields with a significantly reduced need for commercially produced fertilizer. Utilizing innovative technology for tracking the cattle feed process has made great strides in efficiency. Parker believes, “having systems and software in place only helps consumer confidence in the products we produce.”

Why We Choose Upper Iowa Beef

“We value our relationship with UIB because they have the same goal as any cattle producer: to provide the best quality product that we can supply to the public and do our part to feed this ever-growing world.”

Downloadable PDF Resources

Recommended for you…