Sibling Trio Egg Farmers from Iowa
Meet the Dean Brothers
Brothers JT, Matt and Ross Dean grew up in the egg industry. From a young age, they worked alongside their father, Jim, in all aspects of the egg business, and he instilled in his sons the value of hard work and the importance of integrity.
Versova is a family of companies, and a company of families. From the first farm’s founding in 1978, the operation has grown into seven individual farm companies, five of which are in Iowa, each with their own distinct identity.
How is your farm involved in the local community?
Our farms work under a set of Guiding Principles, one of which is servant leadership, and Core Values, including service. We live that commitment in our communities several ways, including volunteerism among team members, donations of eggs to foodbanks and hunger relief programs, and sponsorships and in-kind support of non-profit events. We are also committed to promoting the future of agriculture through partnerships in education, 4-H and FFA. We are firmly committed to our core value of community because we know how much value we get in return.
What actions are taken on your farm to ensure the health and productivity of flocks?
Our approach to hen care starts with ensuring our birds’ well-being is monitored daily, but also sets high standards of how hen care teams should function across all facets of Versova’s farms. The responsibility of hen health and well-being lies in the hands of many teams – veterinary, nutrition, feed mill, animal care and barn maintenance all play a role.
Our Versova veterinarians train and work alongside our hen care teams, teaching them how to properly observe the flocks, review hen health data, and recognize normal versus abnormal bird health and behavior. Our nutrition team works continuously to enhance our flocks’ diet, working closely with the feed mill team to achieve the highest-quality feed rations possible for our hens. The animal care team closely monitors the flocks round-the-clock to identify any potential health concerns that arise and to assure a constant supply of fresh feed and water. Barn maintenance and animal care teams work together to ensure barns are kept clean, safe and comfortable.
Our approach to hen care starts with ensuring our birds’ well-being is monitored daily, but also sets high standards of how hen care teams should function across all facets of Versova’s farms. The responsibility of hen health and well-being lies in the hands of many teams – veterinary, nutrition, feed mill, animal care and barn maintenance all play a role.
Our Versova veterinarians train and work alongside our hen care teams, teaching them how to properly observe the flocks, review hen health data, and recognize normal versus abnormal bird health and behavior. Our nutrition team works continuously to enhance our flocks’ diet, working closely with the feed mill team to achieve the highest-quality feed rations possible for our hens. The animal care team closely monitors the flocks round-the-clock to identify any potential health concerns that arise and to assure a constant supply of fresh feed and water. Barn maintenance and animal care teams work together to ensure barns are kept clean, safe and comfortable.
What measures are taken on your farm to protect and preserve the environment?
Environmental responsibility takes many forms on Versova’s farms, but the primary goal is reducing our use of natural resources and, ultimately, lessening our environmental footprint. On our farms, we reduce water usage in our egg processing plants and utilize on-site lagoons to store water for later use. We also have a manure management system to remove manure quickly and efficiently from hen houses, then storing manure in covered buildings for composting and using manure as fertilizer for local crop farmers. At Centrum Valley Farms in Iowa, we are working with NuOrganics to convert the manure produced by our hens to organic fertilizer in liquid and solid forms.
What does it mean to work with your family?
Working with family carries its own unique challenges and opportunities. Challenges in that it is very personal and finding balance in having challenging conversations while respecting a lifetime of emotions and interactions. Opportunities in that we have a level of trust and understanding that allows us to make good decisions quickly. I immensely enjoy the opportunity to work with my brothers. Our personalities and strengths are very different, so we use that to our advantage at work. While we each present a different opinion and viewpoint based on our role within the company, we are efficient because we share a common bond and genuinely enjoy working together for the benefit of the company.
— JT
I started my professional career outside of Versova and egg production. While it was important for me to learn and grow outside of the egg business, coming to work with my family has been a great joy and very rewarding. Our father came from nothing and built his success through hard work, and we honor that by pushing each other to work hard on behalf of our partners and coworkers. Incorporating family values into our daily work has been an integral part of the company’s success and it starts with the inherent trust and belief that we have in each other. Every success we have is amplified by being able to share it with each other.
— Matt
I feel very fortunate to work with my family. Each day brings new challenges and I am thankful to be able to address those challenges with my brothers and father. Each of us play a different role within the business with our skills complementing each other. We trust each other to always make the best decision for the business and that works very well for us.
— Ross
What does it mean to be an Iowa egg farmer?
Our roots are planted deep in Iowa and in agriculture. Being an Iowa producer means we are providing a safe, nutritious product for families to enjoy in Iowa and around the country, and that is a privilege.
Meet Andrew Kaldenberg
With more than 35 years of experience in egg farming, Andrew Kaldenberg, complex manager with Rose Acres, has his hands in many elements of the business.
Our farm values serving the local communities in which we live and work. We work closely with the local chamber of commerce to host and sponsor community events throughout the year, including an Easter egg hunt and ‘Good Egg Days’, a weekend celebration in Stuart, Iowa.
How is your farm involved in the local community?
Our farm values serving the local communities in which we live and work. We work closely with the local chamber of commerce to host and sponsor community events throughout the year, including an Easter egg hunt and ‘Good Egg Days’, a weekend celebration in Stuart, Iowa.
Additionally, Rose Acre Farms makes monthly egg donations to Food Bank of Iowa through the Cracking Hunger program in partnership with the Iowa Egg Council. We are proud to donate more than 750,000 eggs annually to feed families in need.
What actions are taken on your farm to ensure the health and productivity of flocks?
Rose Acre Farms goes above and beyond to ensure the health and welfare of our flocks. Protecting our birds is of utmost importance, which is why our staff implements strict biosecurity practices and ensures hen care is always top of mind. Some of the ways we do this is by performing regular checks in the barns to monitor feed, air and water quality.
What measures are taken on your farm to protect and preserve the environment?
Rose Acre Farms works continuously to protect the environment and improve sustainability practices on our farm. We are always looking at innovative solutions and ways to evolve our operations. One way we’ve done this is by developing a natural, low-cost, energy-efficient way to treat our egg production wastewater, which is then recycled for crop irrigation and to recharge aquifers. In addition, manure is stored, dried and sold to local farmers and gardeners as fertilizer. Broken eggs are also utilized as a liming agent for farm ground.
What does it mean to be an Iowa egg farmer?
I am proud to be an Iowa egg farmer and an advocate for this industry. I’ve had the opportunity to serve in several leadership roles, including president of the Iowa Poultry Association and serving on the board for the Iowa Egg Council. Additionally, I enjoy talking to consumers, one-on-one, about egg production and the work that we do to produce high-quality, nutritious eggs. It is exciting to see the faces of those who enjoy the foods we are producing. We are helping to feed the world and that is really important and fulfilling.