Pennsylvania Family Finds Their Farming Dream In The Midwest

A brisk autumn wind greets a herd of Limousin bulls and members of the Boyer Family on their southern Iowa farm. Jason Boyer and his wife Amy made Iowa their home in the 1990s, venturing away from his family’s farming operation in Pennsylvania to pursue their own agricultural vision. 

Jason Boyer, Boyer Family Farms: “When I moved from back there, I wanted to be a place. I like the crops, I like the cows. So I was kind of looking for that quote-unquote combination type place. It wasn't going to be the primo crop ground, and it wasn't going to be just pasture. I wanted, kind of a combination because the cows and the crops and the hay and the rotation all can kind of work together as a whole system.”

Jason Boyer’s dream of raising cattle began on a hay farm in Pennsylvania. However that dream  was a difficult one to pursue. Land for farming was hard to come by and even harder to afford. An FFA trip to the Midwest in the mid 80’s gave Boyer a chance to steer his dream in a different direction.

Jason Boyer, Boyer Family Farms: “ I could see what you could buy land for here. You could buy a whole farm here for what a house would cost you back there.”

After the Farm Crisis of the 1980s, prices for farmland in Iowa were significantly less than the cost of farmground in Pennsylvania. Boyer saw this as an opportunity to establish his own cattle operation with enough space to realize his dream. 

In 1994, with two dozen Limousin cattle, Jason and his wife Amy moved away from their families in Pennsylvania to their new farm in Southern Iowa.

With support from family back home, the Boyers began building their new life in Iowa. Looking to set themselves apart from other producers, the Boyers took a value-added approach to their beef production.

Jason Boyer, Boyer Family Farms: “You know, maybe we only had 50 cows, but if we can take the, the, the steers and and finish them and sell them at farmer's market, piece by piece or through beef sticks, that maybe that expanded or what? You know, we were adding value to what it was.”

Seeking to establish themselves outside conventional beef markets, in 2006 the Boyers began producing beef sticks and summer sausage with a unique flavor that can be traced to the Boyer’s heritage.

Jason Boyer, Boyer Family Farms:” The beef sticks is something we grew in our butcher shop that we had back home. We did, did baloney or a beef stick. And anyhow, when we moved out here, it was a it's a sweet. It's it's a sweet beef stick. We started up at Farmer's Market and we sampled and sampled and sampled. But once you got them people to taste it, that's all it took.

Kaitlin Boyer, Boyer Family Farms: “We've sold them for 15 plus years. We've, we've had the beef sticks around and us three kids, we grew up, going to farmers market 26 Saturdays of the year. And beef sticks was one of our main products.

Kaitlyn Boyer is the oldest of Jason and Amy Boyer’s three children. The siblings each have their own stake in the Boyer Family Farms operation. With degrees in animal science and marketing, Kaitlyn helps with making genetic selections for the family's seed stock operation and with marketing decisions for their farm’s various products.

Kaitlin Boyer, Boyer Family Farms: “I really love the genetics side of things. Help, select matings. Dad and my brother Casey and I and Conrad as well, all work together to make sure that we can accomplish all those things.”

The Boyer's believe their investment in the Limousin breed is what gives them a market advantage over other breeds.

Kaitlin Boyer, Boyer Family Farms: ”You know, having trim, lean beef, having heavy muscle and good rib eye shape, having a, good yield grades, they're all very crucial with, you know, today's market. So I think that's one of the main things with the Limousin cattle is not only their, heavy muscle, shape, but their feed efficiency is also very valuable to, they, gain more on less feed, which, you know, is of value to a lot of different, cattle producers.”

Today the Boyer children run their own herds even though they are mixed together with the one being tended by their dad. This gives them a financial advantage because they can cover input costs in a more efficient way. 

With hard work and a passion for agriculture, the small seed stock business started by the Boyers has grown into a Limousin cattle operation featuring animals with hi-bred traits realized by following the LimFlex program, They are also selling hundreds of bulls and heifers annually all across North America.

Seeking additional revenue opportunities for  the business, in 2001 the family opened Harvest Barn Marketplace. The 1930’s former milking  barn is now a showcase for Boyers’ beef products as well as wares from various local producers of craft goods. What can be found on the shelves of the Harvest Barn Marketplace can also be found in gift boxes for an online marketplace that reaches across 40 states.

What started as a dream a thousand miles from home has become a multi-generational operation thriving on the pursuit of possibilities.

Kaitlin Boyer, Boyer Family Farms: “it's just neat that we all get to work together. Building and growing that. And we all can see the similar vision.”

Jason Boyer, Boyer Family Farms: “Amy and I, we had got married and moved out here. We had 30 cows, 25 cows, and, I guess just a dream or a dream or a hope. And, you know, you never know what, where that road or dream will take you.” 

For Market to Market, I’m John Torpy

Contact: torpy@iowapbs.org