OUR STORY

WR BAR Ranch is a third generation registered Angus seedstock operation in Central Minnesota. WR  was founded and is operated by Richard Wiese & family.  The Wiese family has deep roots with Angus and Herefords.

Richard's Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother Elmer and Edith Clemens farmed in Nebraska in the late 1800's.  Their daughter Edith, married Louis Wiese, moved from the sandhills of Nebraska to Jenkins, MN in the spring of 1935. They raised pickles for the Pickle Factory in Nisswa. The following spring moved to the Thompson Farm just west of Pine River, MN. Were they farmed the rest of their lives. When Louis passed away in 1957, he had grown a decent sized herd of registered Angus cows.

Louis & Edith had 12 children born in Mullen and Burwell Nebraska. Many of them ranched and or ran cattle for a good portion of their lives. The oldest son, Elmer Wiese, moved back to Pine River after being injured in the Army in 1945. He started Idlewise Angus not far from his fathers's farm south of Pine River. Elmer sold most of his herd to his brother Eldon(the youngest of the 12) and his sons in the early 70s and moved to Arkansas to work at one of the very first Walmarts. That was the end of Idlewise. 

Flying W Ranch was started by Eldon Wiese who ranched with his sons Richard and Danny. They purchased their first registered Herefords in 1956 from Charlie Iodence of Hemmingford, Nebraska and the registered Angus in 1957 from his brother Elmer. 

In January of 1975, the ranch where WR is located was purchased.  The Idlewise Angus sign has hung over the front door at WR ever since, as a tribute to "Uncle Elmer".  About this same time, the first Flying W Ranch Production Sale happened after selling bulls private treaty for a few years.

In 1988,  WR BAR Ranch was born and also started having production sales. Richard passed on his love of Angus and Herefords to his daughters Juanita and Sherry. Both were very active in 4H, FFA, and also raising, showing and judging all species of livestock and horses.  

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In 2014, Juanita moved back to Minnesota and purchased the old Norwood homestead west of Jenkins. Raising a few horses, some chickens and her kid's had some sheep they got from Sherry. The Idlewise name was brought back to life when Juanita started selling beef, eggs and other farm goods. 
 

Sherry and her husband Ben live in Nebraska not more than 40 miles from where Eldon was born. They run a large registered herd of grass fed Angus and hold annual production sales as well.