High quality cattle, higher quality people.
An Iowa farm boy, a small town Minnesota girl and a shared passion for growing an elite Angus herd. That’s just part of the story for Jason and Sara Otto and Otto Cattle Co centered right here in Ocheyedan, Iowa. Jason grew up farming with his family, and at just eight years old, he purchased his first sheep. That first livestock purchase was the catalyst for a full-time career growing crops and animals on his home farm. Once out of college, Jason expanded from his original childhood sheep herd to include hog barns, bottle calves and row crops in his farming venture. The farm wasn’t the only thing to expand; the family did too. When Jason and Sara met in 2011, they quickly became inseparable and were married a few short years later in 2014. Both previously single parents, their marriage officially joined each of their three children into their “Brady Bunch” family, as they lovingly refer to themselves. A path that was uncertain and a little messy ultimately turned into a very happy ending. Sara grew up on a quiet acreage in central Minnesota, and though not very experienced in ag operations, quickly adapted to life on the farm. Sara cared for their home and six children, all while working as an office manager in town, and always jumped at the opportunity to learn something new and work beside Jason, whether that meant branding calves, driving the combine or anything in between. With a growing family and a growing operation, farm life was always front and center for the Ottos.
A Milestone Moment
For the Ottos, what began as a way to offset poor corn prices turned into a whole new business—Otto Cattle Co. In 2018, the Ottos established Otto Cattle Co. to create a value-added product in the midst of an unfriendly grain market. They purchased their first set of bred cows on a sale barn whim with the initial intention of selling locker beef, but as they’ve grown, that idea has long since been replaced.
What may seem like just a handful of “nothing-special” cattle turned into the foundation of a dream, goal and eventually reality. Jason and Sara purchased four older, commercial cows without any idea what they bred to. Those four cows calved in nice weather, giving the Ottos a taste of a smooth, healthy calving season, and from there, they were hooked.
Quickly realizing how much they enjoyed calving and having the pairs, Otto Cattle Co. set its sights on continuing to breed and expand. For the next year, they rented a friend’s Angus bull to rebreed their commercial cows, which eventually solidified their interest in the breed. The calf crop that followed led them to purchase their own Angus bull, then a registered bred heifer and a few more Angus cows from local producers—all cementing the Otto’s place in Angus production.
The Ottos found themselves in a unique position. Building their herd from the ground up meant the ability to create a set of specific selection criteria for their program. Otto Cattle Co. focused their breeding on a balance of good maternal qualities and carcass traits. Top-notch genetics from premier Angus herds throughout the U.S. helped them further grow their herd. Some notable breeding contributors include Connealy Ranch in Nebraska, Sitz Ranch in Montana, Hoover Angus in southern Iowa, Reverse Rocking R in New Mexico and Benoit Angus in Kansas.
From Dream to Reality
Building a herd from the ground up is no easy feat, especially one that continues to grow in size and prestige nearly a decade later. Today, their herd consists of over 60 Angus females and a pair of premium herd sires: Connealy Cashflow and KM Big Glory, along with a handful of AI bulls. The Ottos attribute their success to shared pride, perseverance, work ethic and a profound respect for the land and future generations. As the herd has multiplied, the opportunities this business has brought them have too. Otto Cattle Co. is gearing up for its first-ever production sale this spring.
On April 25, 2026, Otto Cattle Co. will offer approximately 15 top-tier registered Angus bulls for sale, along with a few high-quality bred heifers as well as select bred cows and pairs. From a small group of commercial cows to a superior production foundation less than a decade later, the Ottos have created something very special with their herd.
Aside from tremendous growth, Otto Cattle Co. has much more to offer. Their commitment to quality is clear in being named an AHIR Bronze Level Data herd and Maternal Plus herd, as well as owning a 7th-generation Pathfinder cow as a staple of their breeding program. The Ottos maintain active membership in the American Angus Association, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Angus Association.
Their excellence doesn’t end with the animal either. The business has also been recently approved to sell home-raised beef by the cut directly off the farm, as well as meat available for purchase by the quarter, half or whole.
Stronger Together
The growth of their farm, and particularly the cattle business, means an all-hands-on-deck approach for their family. From the upcoming sale, newly approved beef offerings, and normal ranch work like fencing, calving, processing, weaning, moving, branding and more, trusted off-farm partnerships also remain paramount.
CFE is proud to be one of those partners. Jason has been a part of the CFE family for as long as he can remember, his membership in the cooperative and legacy cooperatives dating back to the late ’90s. Not only is Jason a loyal member and customer, but he also worked within the cooperative for several years in the feedmills at our Hartley and Ocheyedan locations—still CEA at the time—before turning to farming full-time. He fondly remembers his time working within the cooperative and is still good friends with many of his former coworkers. Every time he heads to the Hartley location specifically, he feels like he’s going to visit friends; there is always
a familiar face there ready to help.
While Jason no longer works for the cooperative, the Otto family maintains strong ties to CFE. From the hog barns Jason built in the early 2000s to present day, all the feed for those two facilities, starting from the very first group of pigs, has come from CEA and now CFE. Aside from feed, the majority of grain has gone to CEA and CFE throughout Jason’s entire farming career. The Otto family also works with CFE for all their seed and fertilizer needs and has even begun working with CFE Carbon.
Paving The Way
Our cooperative is proud to have people like the Otto family among our ranks—individuals dedicated to overcoming obstacles, defying the odds and making a real, local impact on their community and the industry. It’s for that exact reason that CFE takes our duty of providing resources to our patrons and community members so seriously. One of those resources being our annual Women in Ag event.
For the last two years, Sara was able to attend this event, and this year brought along their daughter, Abigail. Abby is currently a college student working towards an agricultural education degree, and she was a recipient of a CFE scholarship in pursuit of that degree. She is currently the only Otto child with plans to work full-time within the agriculture industry, so an event like Women in Ag is a great opportunity to connect with other women from different perspectives, occupations and generations, like the Ottos.
From supporting the development of women in agriculture through CFE events to maintaining the growth of our member farms, our cooperative is proud to play such a diverse role in not only operations like the Ottos but for families throughout our footprint. CFE looks forward to future events supporting our customers, their production and the wellbeing of our communities. <<
