John and Heidi Beyer
John is the third generation on his family’s farm in Tara Township in west central Minnesota. He has been farming since high school when the farm included hogs and until recently a beef feedlot. Heidi was born and raised on a dairy farm in Swift County and worked as an ag loan officer after college at a local bank for several years. Heidi and John were married in 2014, and they farm together with John’s brother Dan, his wife Becky, and John’s father Norman.
The Beyer Farm in Swift County now uses a corn and soybean rotation and occasionally includes some wheat. The family also raises a small acreage of alfalfa/grass mix. The Beyers do some custom dairy heifer feeding in the fall and winter for some relatives with a dairy operation nearby.
John and Heidi have five children. Thomas graduated from high school this spring and will be attending SDSU this fall to major in human biology and wrestle for the Jackrabbits. He’s been in 4-H for 12 years and FFA for three. Thomas has shown dairy heifers and steers over the years and helps with some tillage in the fall around football events. Twins Sam and Cora also are involved in 4-H and enjoy showing dairy heifers as well. They look forward to being promoted from “rock pickers” soon. Julia recently started 4-H and showed her first heifer, “Pepper,” last year at the county fair. Julia is also a rock picker and looks forward to doing so with her four cousins. The couple’s youngest child Lauren is two years old and only helpful at keeping them young for now.
Heidi has been a stay-at-home mom for the past few years and helps with the Holstein heifer feeding in the fall and winter, drives some grain carts in the fall and some tillage. In addition to the family’s 4-H involvement, they are active in their church and many school sporting events and band.