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WAVERLY, Minn. – The Glessing family worked together May 12 with dual goals in mind – keep their dairy farm near Waverly humming while also preparing for and attending the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School’s biggest FFA event of the year.
Each year the whole family looks forward to the sense of accomplishment and pride their FFA chapter’s banquet and awards program brings. This year was the chapters 59th year of the ceremony.
That morning began early with Wyatt Glessing in the barn by 6:30 to milk the family’s 80 cows in their tiestall barn. A junior in high school, Wyatt participates in a work program that allows him to work part of the school day at home. Helping him was David Glessing, who is a second cousin of Wyatt’s father, Dan, and has been helping on the farm since 2007. At the same time, Sharon Glessing, Dan’s mother, was nearby feeding calves and Dan was feeding animals and cleaning out the freestall barn.
Dan’s wife, Seena Glessing, was already at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School in Howard Lake where she is the co-FFA advisor with Jim Weninger, who was Dan’s teacher.
That morning, Seena needed to guide students as they started setting up for the night’s FFA banquet. She also needed to prepare for the ag classes she teaches. Between classes and after school, she helped set up the dining area, silent auction and everything for the awards program itself.
The Glessings’ other children – Tanner, Mason and Cora – attended their school day.
After chores, Dan focused on planting corn.
“We ended up putting in a few acres of corn, but the fields were tacky,” Dan said.
Later, David and Dan began the evening milking. Dan’s sons all helped, too, until they had to get ready for the banquet. The Glessings had a neighbor help finish chores.
Meanwhile, Seena began greeting FFA alumni at 3:30 p.m., who were arriving to begin grilling pork chops. By 6 p.m., 200 guests arrived for the social hour and dinner.
On the Glessings’ farm, everyone, including Dan’s parents, rushed to get cleaned up and join Seena at the high school. Dan’s father, Allen, has attended every one of the previous 58 banquets and would not miss this one.
Dan was the last one to leave the farm and made it to the school at 7:30, just in time for the beginning of the awards ceremony.
“You are kind of used to it,” Dan said. “You juggle the schedules the best you can and get everybody where they need to be.”
For the Glessings, the juggling is worth it. Seena said her family’s participation in FFA has brought special memories, just as each FFA banquet does for their farming community.
“For one evening, everything pauses at the farm and the entire family shows up to celebrate our kids,” Seena said. “The strong backbone to agriculture in our communities shuts down and enjoys a meal together. It’s a pretty neat experience and shows the importance of this (FFA) program to so many.”
Having her own children in the program adds meaning.  
“Our children have been raised in the ag room,” Seena said. “Through my job, I get to have a front-row seat to my children’s experiences in the classroom and in FFA.”

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