Farm Family of the Year Wabasha Co.

Families and growers from across Minnesota will be represented as the University of Minnesota honors them in the 2026 Farm Family of the Year ceremony at 1:15 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at the annual Minnesota Farmfest near Redwood Falls.

The University of Minnesota Farm Family Recognition Program honors farm families from throughout Minnesota for their significant contributions to the agriculture industry and their local communities.

The Wabaha County nominee is the Jostock family farm, which was established in 1942 when Robert and Audrey Jostock began raising dairy cows and operating a farrow-to-finish hog operation on 200 acres overlooking the Zumbro River near Hammond.

In 1991, their son, Edwin, and his wife, Lynn, purchased the farm while raising their four children, Katie, Samantha, Alan and Rebecca. In 2015, they sold the dairy herd and transitioned to a crossbred beef herd with a focus on Red Angus cattle.

Today, Alan and his wife Betsy represent the third generation on the Jostock farm.

Their daughters, Gracelyn and Alexa, are also involved in the operation. The family manages a 60-head cow-calf herd, finishing all steers hormone-free and raising their own replacement heifers.  

In 2025, they were honored as the Wabasha County Conservationists of the Year.