American Salers Association makes stop in Wayland

WAYLAND - Bill and Jeanie Edwards hosted close to 100 visitors on their farm in Wayland on Saturday when fellow members of the American Salers Association stopped by for a banquet.

Edwards said the tour happens yearly and invites people to look at cattle and the different set ups each farmer has. According to its website, The American Salers Association is a national organization and the official registry for Salers and Optimizer cattle in the U.S.

Sherry Doubet, Executive Vice President of the American Salers Association said members have seen farms everywhere from Wyoming to Tennessee to Montana. This year, the tour was in Iowa and featured the farms of members. The idea behind the program is to give farmers from other areas of the world an opportunity to see how other farmers are caring for the same livestock.

'We're basically here to just share ideas about farming practices and genetics,” she said. 'In terms of livestock, things are really changing so it helps for us to share ideas and be innovative to be up to speed on what's happening in different parts of the United States.”

Maria and Mark Wingert, of Panama, have been participating in the tours for years. Maria said she and her husband treat these tours as vacations and pick up a few tips along the way.

'Every place we go, the weather is different, the ground is different and there are so many variables,” she said, explaining at the Edwards' farm, the cattle are dry locked. This means they do not have pasture to roam in.

Mark said the group also sees various tourist attractions in the state it is visiting. The group toured Premier One Supplies in Washington and was looking forward to a tour of the John Deere Factory in Waterloo on Sunday.

'But really it's all about the cattle,” he said with a laugh. Maria agreed, saying having the opportunity to speak with people who have been in the industry for many years is a benefit as well.