County Cattle Show Leads to Lifetime Love

If you spend your summers watching kids play baseball or traveling the show circuit, the people you sit next to in the stands become like a second family. Sometimes they even become your family.

Wayne and Patricia Webster of Walker, Iowa, met in 1961 when they were both showing cattle at the Linn County Fair.

“Wayne had more than one Black Angus heifer in the same class, so he asked me to show one,” says Pat, who was raised on a farm near Marion and was showing crossbred steers at the time. Pat and Wayne became closer friends after that show, but they didn’t start dating until six years later.

It’s no wonder that Black Angus have been important to this family.

Wayne continued to raise Black Angus upon graduating from high school in 1965. After he and Pat were married in 1972, they decided to focus on breeding registered Black Angus. They really like how docile the Angus breed is, plus this species is always in demand because it’s known for producing high quality beef.

To help market their stock as well as to keep an eye on genetics that perform, the Websters attend several livestock shows throughout the year. They usually attend a few local shows plus watch their stock at the Iowa State Fair, Junior Angus Show, North American International Livestock Exposition and the National Western Stock Show.

Webster Farms had the grand champion female at the 2012 Iowa State Fair with a heifer named Missie, who is still a donor cow in their herd. Two of their bulls were named grand champion at the Iowa State Fair in 2013 and 2017. The bull that won in 2017 went on to become the grand champion bull at the 2018 National Western.

“Growing up in the country and raising livestock really helped our four daughters become independent. Now we get the chance to watch our grandchildren learn and grow as they do chores and work with their cattle,” says Pat.

All four of the Webster’s daughters live within five miles of their farm, so Pat and Wayne feel blessed they get to see their family often. They stay busy attending activities for their nine grandchildren, who range in age from three to 25. Their oldest grandson is married and has a 10-month-old daughter.

It’s a busy time, but also a time of transition. The 2019 crop marks the first one that Wayne hasn’t planted since he entered a farming partnership with his father in 1965. Although the Websters rented their farm ground this spring, Wayne and Pat have been worrying about the spring rains as much as ever. They broke ground in April on a new wean-to-finish pig barn and have been concerned about getting the concrete poured to keep the building project on track. They plan to take delivery of their first set of weaned pigs in September.

Although they’re planning a farm sale this fall, Wayne and Pat aren’t exactly retiring from farming. They’re really focusing their efforts on raising livestock. In honor of May Beef Month and the upcoming summer show season, today Pat is sharing with us a couple of her family’s favorite recipes.