Raising cattle has always been a big part of Nick Peterson’s life, beginning when he was a young boy helping on his grandparents’ farm near Charles City, Iowa. Later, when he was in his 20’s, Nick worked full-time on the family farm, which had 400 acres of crop ground some hogs, too. But it was the 1,000 head of cattle that took most of Nick’s time. It was also the start of what would eventually evolve into his own beef operation today.
“My background has always been raising fat cattle,” says Nick, who is also a Latham® dealer. “My grandparents farmed my entire life, but they never sold any grain. We just needed to get feed for our cattle and that was it. So, me becoming a seed dealer is an interesting thing, I guess!”
After 14 years on the family farm, Nick decided to venture out on his own. He and his wife, Lisa, moved to her family farm in Nashua, Iowa, rebuilt the house and buildings, and put a feed lot there. As fate would have it, Nick knew the McGregor family down the road because he’d worked for them when he was fresh out of high school. The connection resulted in a partnership of sorts, as Nick started “owning my own stuff” and buying more cows.
Between them, the Petersons and McGregors now have about 120 steers, along with western ones, and they’re “all mixed in together,” he says with a laugh.
“It made it way easier for me to start out on my own,” Nick says of the business arrangement. “It can be hard for a young guy to do that. Bankers don’t really want to let you build a feed yard and then give you $2 million in a line of credit to go buy some cattle.”
Today, Nick’s shop and seed dealership are located on the farm. He and Lisa have two girls, Jenna and Ava. Lisa is the branch manager at First Waverly Bank in Plainfield. Nick has served on the Chickasaw Cattlemen’s board for years, following Scott McGregor’s longtime example of advocating for beef producers on the local and national levels.
Nick’s Meat “Loaf”
Ingredients
MEAT:
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 3 large eggs
- 1-1/2 C Panko bread crumbs
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 T Montreal steak seasoning
- 1 T garlic powder
- 2 T Worcestershire sauce
- 2 T white vinegar
- 1-1/2 C ketchup
- 1/3 block Velveeta white cheese (cubed)
- 1-1/2 C bacon crumbles
Mix all ingredients well and spread into a 9×13 glass baking dish
SAUCE:
- 1-1/2 C brown sugar
- 1 T Worcestershire
- ½ T garlic powder
- 1 C ketchup (add more if needed)
Directions
Mix all sauce ingredients and spread evenly over the top of meat.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.
Recipe Notes