Steve and Jane Johanningmeier named among 2026 Iowa Master Farmers by Wallaces Farmer

Four farming couples were honored as 2026 Master Farmers at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny Wednesday, March 25. Each year, Wallaces Farmer magazine and the Iowa Master Farmer Association (IMFA) select deserving candidates who reflect exceptional agricultural production skills, commitment to family and service to community.

Among the 2026 Iowa Master Farmers are Steve and Jane Johanningmeier of Waterville. They were joined by this year’s fellow honorees Morey and Rhonda Hill of Madrid, Dan and Susan Voss of Atkins, and Pete and Dana Wenstrand of Essex in receiving that recognition during the centennial year of the program.

This year also featured two new winners of the Exceptional Service to Agriculture Award. They are Greg Tylka, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension nematologist and founding director of the Iowa Soybean Research Center at ISU, and Kirk Leeds, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Iowa Soybean Association.

Full profiles of each award winner can be found in the March 2026 issue of Wallaces Farmer and online at wallacesfarmer.com. The more brief profile for the Johanningmeiers shared with the award announcement reads as follows:

Steve and Jane Johanningmeier: Lovers of livestock, land, family
It figures that Steve Johanningmeier would someday be a farmer. Growing up, he just loved animals.

His dog, Rex, rode with him in an open-air Haybine as he mowed hay. Then there was his horse - Rough ’n Ready - who traveled somewhat unconventionally.

“He’d walk up to the back end of a pick-up and jump right in the bed,” Steve said. “I’d hold onto the reins, and he would just stand there as the pick-up would go down the road into town or pastures. He’d then get out and when we were done with whatever we were doing, he’d jump right back in again.”

That love of animals spurred Steve and his wife Jane, son Mike and his wife Lori, and daughter Ann and her husband Koal Deering to build a thriving dairy, beef and crop farm near Waterville. They also are active in their church and actively support 4-H, FFA and the Allamakee County Fair.

Steve and Jane started farming on their own the year they married in 1971, renting a 280-acre farm on a rent-to-buy contract. They also started a family, with eldest son Jason being born in 1972 followed by siblings Mike, Angela, Amy and Ann. All helped around the farm, whether it was feeding calves, milking, raking hay or other chores.

Steve’s always had this saying: “When the music slows down, dance faster.”  In 1994, they expanded from milking 120 cows to 240 cows. In 1997, they doubled down on dairy, increasing to milking 500 cows three times daily.

Steve and Jane believe that land is precious and take steps to preserve it through terraces, conservation tillage and cover crops.

These days, they look back on their decades-long journey with pride about their family and their 15 grandchildren. They also have time to reflect on their careers, particularly the Iowa Master Farmer award.

“All I ever wanted to be was a farmer,” said Steve. “We never dreamed we’d have the title of Master Farmer. It’s a great honor.”

“The hours and the money are maybe not ideal, but they have loved what they have done - taking care of God’s land and animals,” said daughter Ann Deering. “They have always wanted to leave things better than they found them.”

Eligibility criteria for the Master Farmer award centers around the following main points:
• Candidates must farm in Iowa, deriving the majority of their income from agricultural production.
• Successful nominees will have proven agricultural production records, be recognized as leaders in their community, and will have given back to the community in substantive ways.
• Candidates may be individuals, couples or siblings; judging is equally weighted.
• Each nominee should be actively engaged in production agriculture.

Additionally, the eight-page nomination form for the Master Farmer honor involves an in-depth look at such facets as farm operation and production history, a summary of crop and livestock production, agriculture and community leadership, honors earned, a family biography, and a summary of key strengths of the operation. Nominees are judged by a selection committee comprised of Iowa agricultural leaders, including experts in agronomy and agricultural finance, past Master Farmers, agricultural research or university authorities, and Wallaces Farmer editorial staff.

In addition to the nomination form, letters of support are also required in order to give a broader perspective on each nominee. Several of those letters written on behalf of the Johanningmeiers read as follows:

“We have known Steve and Jane for 30 years. We have always been impressed with their farm operation. We traveled with them a few times on farm tours and to farm meetings. We admire their conservation work, their community involvement, their neatness on the farm and their willingness to involve the next generation.”  - Mark and Diane Schmitt, 2024 Iowa Master Farmers who nominated the Johanningmeiers for this year’s award

“With great hospitality in the fall of 2024, the Johanningmeiers hosted the Archdiocese of Dubuque’s first-ever Rural Life Mass. The family opened up their farm for this unique celebration of their faith and rural life. The entire family pitched in, as is often the case, to prepare for the Catholic Mass, which drew over 400 attendees.

“As members of St. Patrick Parish in Waukon, they have lived out their faith for decades, volunteering time and other resources needed to help the parish community thrive.”
- Brian Zeman, deacon, Archdiocese of Dubuque

“Steve and Jane don’t hesitate to help their friends and neighbors in need. In cases of house and barn fires, they assist firefighters by providing equipment the firefighters need to do their jobs. I have observed them sacrificing work time from their own operation to help their neighbors harvest, plant crops or cover bunker silos.”
- Larry Moore, DVM, Postville

“The Master Farmer Award is Iowa agriculture’s lifetime achievement award,” said Gil Gullickson, Wallaces Farmer editor. “These farmers and Exceptional Service to Agriculture recipients are at the top of their game. They’ve built farms and families, and they are as committed to community and the agricultural industry as they are to commodities.”

HOW IT STARTED
This is the program’s centennial year. Wallaces Farmer first offered the Master Farmer Award in 1926, when Henry A. Wallace decided his family’s magazine would sponsor the honor. It was clear from the outset the award was about more than farming, as it also encompassed involvement in family and community affairs. It made perfect sense to use the magazine’s motto - “Good Farming, Clear Thinking, Right Living” - as a basis for the Master Farmer scorecard.

Of the 513 Iowa Master Farmer Award winners, 479 are farmers, 31 are winners of the Exceptional Service to Agriculture Award, and three are Honorary Master Farmers.

Candidates are nominated by farmers, neighbors, agribusiness leaders and farm organizations throughout Iowa. Judges for the 2026 awards were Jeff Jorgenson, Iowa Master Farmer Association president; Steve Berger, Iowa Master Farmer Foundation board chair; John Fischer, Iowa Master Farmer Association vice president; Paul Kassel, 2022 Iowa Master Farmer Exceptional Service to Agriculture Award recipient; and Gil Gullickson, editor, Wallaces Farmer.

Wallaces Farmer is published 11 times a year for Iowa farm families, and its editors provide daily agricultural news at wallacesfarmer.com.

Nominations are now open for 2027 Iowa Master Farmer candidates. Nomination forms can be found online at wallacesfarmer.com or can be obtained by emailing Gil.Gullickson@farmprogress.com. Nominations are due by September 18 of this year.

Pick up the Wednesday, April 1, 2026 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.