Meet Some Niman Ranch Farmers
Help us support the survival of family farms by helping us support the next generation of farmers.
ALDERLAND FARM — NEW PROVIDENCE, IOWA
After the 1998 hog market crash, we started looking for options for our hog operation and found Niman Ranch. With the traditional raising practices on our farm allowing the pigs plenty of room to move and behave naturally on pasture, it was a perfect fit.
MARDESEN FAMILY FARM — ELLIOTT, IOWA
My goal is to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible. We use corn stalks for bedding and then use that to compost, which we haul back out on the field. The livestock are outside as much as possible, so we have natural ventilation and natural disinfectants for the soil. We let the animals be animals with very little investment in what we do.
SCHEER FAMILY FARM — LOWDEN, IOWA
My dad raised eight kids on the farm, and his parents were farmers. Now I farm with my son, Anthony. Anthony is my partner on the farm. Additional help comes from the rest of our family: Amanda, Emily, Elizabeth, our son Jonathan and my wife Joan. I started crop farming soon after in 1999, then raising hogs for Niman Ranch with my son, Anthony, in 2012. He had been raising hogs for them since 2009, so I picked up the model when we started farming together.
SIBBEL FAMILY FARM — CARROL, IOWA
Our farm has been in the Sibbel family since 1919, when my ancestors immigrated to the U.S. from Germany, similar to other farm families in the area. I am the fifth generation Sibbel farmer to farm on my farm. Out here on my farm my Great-Grandpa Henry Sibbel was a big advocate of sustainable farming way before his time.