Horstman Cattle Company

While Dr. Larry Horstman had been a large animal veterinarian for many years, the impetus to start a production cattle operation began when son Joe joined 4-H back in 1985. “We joke that raising cattle was a 4-H project that got out of control,” Joe says of the origin of Horstman Cattle Company. Today, the full time cattle operation located just a few miles North of Purdue University in Tippecanoe County specializes in breeding stock, show cattle, bulls and replacement heifers.

Dr. Horstman, a large animal veterinarian for Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine from 1978-2014, tells more about the farm’s origin. “My father-in-law was the farm manager of the land we now have, managing it for an elderly couple. There was some acreage and barns, and when Joe was of the age to show cattle, we bought six cows from my wife’s uncle who was retiring,” he says, recalling they were really nice commercial cows.

The mid-1980s is when the practice of embryo transfer for cattle was getting started. This is a procedure where embryos are collected from a donor cow and transferred to a recipient cow to carry the pregnancy to term. This allows a producer to obtain multiple calves from a single, genetically superior donor cow during a season. With Dr. Horstman’s veterinary expertise and Joe’s passion for cattle, improving genetics and raising cattle for sale to other producers evolved into a business.

While Joe has a full time job with Indiana Farm Bureau, he and his father are in partnership to raise cattle with high quality Angus and Simmental breed genetics. They credit their full time herdsman, Brad Paetzel, with great skill in the day-to-day operation and management of the 130 to 170 cattle on the operation. Dr. Horstman is the reproductive specialist and Joe heads marketing and promotion.

They have a solid customer base within a 100 miles radius yet have sold cattle to buyers in all states and even Canada. The first Saturday of October each year is when they hold a major sales event dubbed their “Factory Direct” sale. “We are often asked where the name of the “Factory Direct Sale” originated,” Joe says. “That was from our previous sale format while breeding club calves. We held a summer pasture bid off sale with the calves at the sides of their mothers, or directly with the ‘cow factory.’The name kind of stuck as we try to instill the fact that we have a program of high standards.”

Being 10 minutes away from Purdue provides a steady stream of students who want to work and learn on the operation. “I get lots of calls from students who want to come out learn about reproduction and embryo transfer,” says Dr. Horstman. He jokes he “flunked” retirement as he continues his veterinary work as well as working with students. “I enjoy the cows and the people so I plan on keeping at it,” he says.

Being involved in the industry is also in Joe’s DNA, who is past president of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association, and current President of the Indiana Angus Association. He serves as Indiana’s representative to the Federation of Beef Councils which helps guide the National Beef Check Off. “I care about the beef industry and want to serve as best I can,” he says. In thinking about consumers, he stresses the fact that raising cattle is a 365-day a year commitment to take care of the animals. “The wellbeing of the livestock is our utmost concern,” Joe says. One example is that there are cameras on six pens in the barn for the cows close to calving. Dr. Horstman says he’ll wake up in the middle of the night and see if a cow needs help. “Those cameras have saved a lot of calves,” he says.

Both Horstmans enjoy the Indiana State Fair and have a long history on the grounds. Dr. Horstman worked at the Fair for 25 years, checking animals coming out of the show ring. Since Joe started showing at the Fair in 1986, there have not been too many years he wasn’t there.“My favorite thing is seeing the people in industry, we may only see each other once a year, and it is great way to connect,” Joe says. “We really love being part of this industry.”