DAVE MESTL RECEIVES ARTURO ARMENDARIZ DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Dave Mestl was recently honored by the Cattle Feeders Hall of fame as the 2022 recipient of the Arturo Armendariz Distinguished Service Award.

A recent retiree of NA Timmerman, Inc. Dave is a native of Beemer, Nebraska. He is a loyal and hardworking man who devoted more than 39 years to the Timmerman family and the cattle industry.

In May of 1982, Dave began his career with Timmerman & Sons driving feed truck. He reminisced, “It was tricky in the old manual feed trucks; you had to pop the clutch and keep the mixer going at the same time to get the pen fed.”

Dave has always been willing to help with every job at the yard. He quickly worked his way up in the company to his most recent role as yard manager.

Spanning the decades of his employment and dramatic industry change there was always something new to learn. He has always risen to the challenge of learning the new technology and equipment from micro machines, feed mills and feed trucks to feedyard management programs, front end loaders and everything in-between.

His experience and diverse range of expertise span nutrition, mill operation, animal health, bunk reads, cattle performance, yard maintenance and even mechanics at times. Dave led by example; his endless dedication meant the extra hours and effort were always at the forefront to ensure the job was done right.

Following his retirement, Dave still helps at the yard. Most days it’s common to see Dave walking pens or helping where needed. “That’s just the kind of guy he is, always there to lend a hand,” said Norman Timmerman.

Dave is still enjoying retirement, spending more time enjoying his family, son Anthony, wife Vicki and grandchildren Braxton and Kendly, and daughter Amber and granddaughter Baili, who all reside in eastern Nebraska. Dave also enjoys playing golf, cheering on his grand children at their sporting events, spending time with friends, his dog and cheering on the Huskers.

Family business has always held my highest regard and captivated my attention. I recently had the privilege of visiting with a highly successful man who leads America’s largest privately held family-owned bank. He is the sixth generation to lead this institution. While he talked about the future of their bank looking forward 20-30 years and what changes the future might bring, he kept coming back to what remains the same, a focus he learned from his father and grandfather.