ABERDEEN, S.D.(Press Release)- The Ag Committee of the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce announced the 2025 Farm Family of the Year Award recipient at the Field to Fork event held on Thursday, September 18th at the Brown County Fairgrounds Clubhouse.
The award honors a farm family who represents farming & ranching and the spirit of agriculture in northeastern South Dakota. To be eligible for the award, recipients must be actively engaged in farming or ranching, with the majority of income derived from production agriculture. 2025 nominees were: David & Dick Siefkes; Brad & Diann Morehouse; and Erdmann Angus Ranch.
The award recipient was Erdmann Angus Ranch. Ora Erdmann laid the foundation for Erdmann Angus in 1938, registering the family’s first Angus cattle in 1943. Ora’s sons—LeRoy, Albert, and Ronnie—helped shape a herd that would influence the Angus breed around the world. Today, Albert’s sons, Daniel and Joseph, proudly continue that tradition as the only Erdmann descendants still raising registered Angus cattle. Together with their families, they operate two ranches—one near Wetonka and one northwest of Leola—caring for 900 mature cows across 26 quarters of land. They use forward-thinking practices like rotational grazing, cover crops, water reservoir management, and tree planting to steward the land for the future.
Congratulations to Erdman Angus Ranch on this honor.
Past winners have included: 2011 –Wiliam & Kathy Roe Family; 2012 – John & Geraldine and Jeff & Rachel Kippley Family; 2013 – David & Janet Nelson Family; 2014 – John & Nicole Ellingson Family; 2015 – Daryl & Lisa Streckfuss Family; 2016 – LeRoy & Janet Weiszhaar Family; 2017 – Kerry & Mara Hart Family; 2018 – Don & Hazel Schaunaman Family; 2019 – John & Stephanie Jung/Lazy J Bar Ranch; 2022 – Craig & Peggy Bieber/Bieber Red Angus; 2023 – Aaron & Nina Vilhauer Family/Vilhauer Ranch; and 2024 – Clint & Kelly Brandlee Family/Back Forty Beef.