Meyer Corn to Whiskey
Straub/Meyer Farm, Est. 1909
O'Brien County, Iowa
Century Farm
Our story begins when Peter and Catherine Straub moved to Germantown, Iowa in 1901. They rode the train from Carlinville, Illinois with their 11 children including son, Bruard. Peter and Catherine with their family deboarded the train in Paullina, Iowa and traveled west to the small town of Germantown to begin farming the ground Catherine had purchased on an earlier trip. Bruard Straub married Elfrieda Peters in December 1919. They lived on a farm near Germantown that was purchased by her parents, Henry and Frieda Peters in 1909. Elfrieda and Bruard lived on the farm for over 50 years, raising cattle, hogs, chickens and crops, along with 2 daughters: Fern and Leola. Leola married Vernon Meyer of Cleghorn, Iowa in December 1947. They resided on a farm 3 miles south of Germantown, continuing to raise a variety of livestock and crops. Leola and Vernon had 2 children; the oldest being their son, David. David married Janet Gerstandt in February 1972. The summer following their wedding, Elfrieda and Bruard decided to retire from farming and moved to Paullina. David and Janet moved into the house on the farm. David and Janet continued to produce soybeans and corn as well as hogs. They raised 2 children on the farm: son, Mike, and daughter, Janelle. Mike joined his dad, David, in the family farming operations as soon as he was able to, becoming the 4th generation to farm the Straub ground. In June 1996, he married Rebecca Trost and eventually they purchased a few acres across from Leola and Vernon to build a home on. Mike and Becky have 2 children: son, Colton, and daughter, Makenzie. When Fern (Straub) Schorg passed away in 2013, Mike purchased her half of the Straub farm, ensuring that it would remain in the family for generations to come. Colton is farming alongside his dad, making him the 5th generation to farm.