Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will present the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to the Steve and Linda Dolch Family from Villisca during an event at 11 a.m. on Friday, September 15. The award presentation will take place at the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center at 1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy, Ankeny.
“Steve and Linda Dolch are not only wonderful neighbors and valued members of their community, but they have instilled the same passion for service and agriculture in their four children,” said Secretary Naig. “Combining their care for their cattle, their culture of conservation and their commitment to community, it’s clear that the Dolch family is deserving of the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award.”
Steve and his brother Vince established Dolch Brothers LLC on April Fool’s Day in 1972 after Steve, 22, graduated from Colorado State University and Vince, 20, graduated from Iowa State University. The farm started with help from the Production Credit Association and very little assistance from their parents. They ran a Model A John Deere tractor and a John Deere 4020 gas tractor to farm the 593 acres they purchased in southwest Iowa. Their first combine was a six-foot pull-type Ford with an 18-bushel grain bin that broke down during their first harvest. They used 5-gallon buckets to move grain from the 18-bushel grain bin into a 100-bushel grain box.
Today, more than 50 years later, the multi-generational farming operation is still operated by Steve and Vince with assistance from several family members, and includes a predominately Angus cow/calf herd, a small feedlot where the calves are fed out and 1300 acres of land that is used for pasture as well as to raise corn, soybeans and hay.
Source: iowaagriculture.gov
Photo Credit: Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award
Categories: Iowa, Business