Horstmann Family
Benjamin and Amber Horstmann’s farm started in 2012 with a small herd of registered Hereford beef cattle. A year later, they added a few sheep and goats, but by 2015, they shifted their focus. In 2018, they bought their first group of Registered Suffolk sheep, marking a turning point for their operation.
Today, the farm is home to Registered Suffolk, Hampshire and Babydoll sheep, along with a flock of commercial ewes. The Horstmanns’ eldest children, Chloe and Adam, have their own Boer goats. Chloe also runs a small pair of beef cows. Daily chores are a family effort. Feeding, fencing, baling, springtime lambing, kidding and calving all happen with everyone pitching in. The youngest, Stellan, may not be close to the animals yet–but when the weather’s good, he’s outside with the rest of the crew.
The family is active in their local ag community. Benjamin helps with the open-class sheep shows at the county fair. Amber co-leads the Junior Citizens 4-H Club. Chloe and Adam have been involved in 4-H for nearly a decade and are now active members in the Wadena-Deer Creek FFA Chapter. They show their livestock locally and nationally, including the State Suffolk Show and the All American Junior Sheep Show.