Last Wensman brother retires from Wadena seed business

BY FRANK LEE Wadena Pioneer Journal

WADENA — Jon Wensman retired in July from the seed business his father started, but his two brothers he worked with retired years ago.

The 68-year-old resident of Alexandria is a husband and father of four grown children and knows all about the importance of family and ended his career with the Westfield, Indiana-based AgReliant Genetics, which has a facility northwest of Wadena on U.S. Highway 10.

“I’ve pretty much done everything that I’ve wanted to do, and I wanted to spend more time with my wife and travel and do things that I haven’t been able to do in the past,” he said of his decision to retire as the northwest production supervisor.

Founded in 2000 by global seed companies KWS and Limagrain, AgReliant Genetics benefits from direct access to a global corn germplasm pool and has a top-four corn research program.

“We sell seed corn and soybeans and we’ll condition that product for sale for farmers,” Wensman said of AgReliant Genetics.

Wensman said his decision to retire was five years in the making, before he followed in the footsteps of his brothers Jeff and Jim.

“I wanted to make sure that my successor was confident and in all the attributes that I had, and he is. He is very good,” Wensman said of Marty Irons, who has worked alongside Wensman his entire career.

The three Wensman brothers grew up in Wadena and started the Wensman Seed Co. in Wadena in 1996. They bought the PetersonBiddick Co. in Wadena from their father Al.

“There were 30 shareholders and my dad,” Wensman said.

Peterson-Biddick Co. was raising, processing and selling seed corn under the Peterson-Biddick Co. label and for another regional seed label, according to Dan Sartell, who worked for the Wensman brothers as the marketing manager for Wensman Seed Co. for 21 years.

“Peterson-Biddick Co. was also raising turkeys and had animal feed operations in Bemidji, Thief River Falls, Crookston and Wadena,” Sartell said.

Sartell said when the regional corn seed label was bought out, the brothers had to decide: be a third-party producer without a direct sales operation or start a brand new corn label.

“Against the advice of many in the business, they opted to start their own company –Wensman Seed,” said Sartell, who grew up with the Wensman brothers as a next-door neighbor.

Jeff Wensman led the sales division, Jim Wensman was a top salesman and Jon Wensman handled the growing/processing/delivery systems at the plant just west of Wadena.

“We bought the business in 1985 – PetersonBiddick Co. – through a leveraged buyout with a bank. … In 1990, my dad retired .. and at that same time that he retired, we exited the turkey business … which was two-thirds of our revenue,” Wensman said of the gamble.

“We had to divest a lot of the turkey assets.

… And we did that over a period of seven years, all the while running the seed business … so we took the turkey business and we turned that into irrigation land up by Park Rapids and sold it to R.D. Offutt in 2008.”

Wensman Seed Co. grew its market share in Minnesota, the Dakotas, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa and soon added soybeans to its products, according to Sartell.

“On the seed side of the business, we knew that proteins were coming into the world of seed corn,” Wensman said. “They were basically biotech proteins that were going to be added to the chlorophyll of seed corn. And we saw that coming.”

The company’s growth ultimately resulted in its sale to AgReliant Genetics, according to Sartell, and the affiliation with a larger corporation gave Wensman Seed Co. access to a well-rounded research program and better genetics.

“Business continued to grow and Wensman was one of the better-performing companies in the AgReliant system,” Sartell said. The Wensman brothers’ children, however, did not follow in their parents’ footsteps.

“The kids are all a generation removed from being able to run a company we felt, age-wise. They wouldn’t be old enough by the time we wanted to leave the company,” Wensman said.

Jeff and Jim Wensman retired several years ago, about the time AgReliant merged the Wensman, Great Lakes, and Producer’s divisions into the LG Seeds brand, according to Sartell, and Jon Wensman continued as the plant manager in Wadena until his retirement.

“The reason that we got out of the poultry business was it vertically consolidated, and so if you weren’t one of the big guys, you’re going to be squeezed out, and we saw that in the poultry business,” Wensman said. “And we also saw that in the seed business.”

As for working with his 69-year-old brother Jeff and 66-year-old brother Jim, Wensman had few if any complaints it seems. His siblings retired in 2018 while he chose to remain working. “It was actually fantastic because we all thought alike, and we made change our best friend,” Wensman said of working with his brothers. “And that’s how we were able to be very successful. We were willing to change all the time.”

BY TRIS ANDERSON Perham Focus

PERHAM — Are you 55 and older and something of a planner? Then the Celebrating Aging Expo in Perham is perfect for you.

The new, free offering from Elevate, which takes place Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Perham Area Community Center, will help connect those 55 and older with services and opportunities.

“It’s a great opportunity for our aging population to come and see what services exist in our communities that will help people to age well,” said Mindi Larson, Elevate general manager.

Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with vendors about things such as long-term care options, home health services and services related to certain medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s, dementia and osteoporosis – to name a few of the vendors. In addition to health-related services, attendees can learn about volunteer opportunities or home-related services such as lawn care.

There will also be health screenings and interactive breakout seminars and demos.

CONTINUED from H1 ANDERSON

Daisy Mae was a character in the old comic strip Li’l Abner. She had blond curly hair a lot like Donna’s. She and Andersen dated for about a year and a half before they tied the knot at a small church in Omaha. Eventually, they moved out to Seattle after Andersen’s uncle got him a job at a grocery store there.

After working at the grocery store for a while, Andersen joined the Seattle Police Department in January 1959 and stayed there until being medically retired in 1972 following a bad motorcycle accident while he was on duty. Before he retired, Andersen rose through the ranks to become a sergeant and a detective.

“I was coming up to a red light, coasting the bike just waiting. So the light turned green and I started through the intersection,” Andersen continued. “A lady had come down the hill and she was trying to beat the light. She couldn’t see me and I couldn’t see her. All I saw was a green blob coming out of the corner of my eye, and boom that was it.” Andersen was badly injured by the accident. He said his eyes popped out of his head from the impact. He also suffered a broken cheek, shoulder and leg. He added that he was unconscious for a while so he doesn’t remember much from immediately after the accident, but said he was told that the officer who first arrived just popped his eyes back into the sockets on the spot.

After recovering from his accident, Andersen got a job working on an oil pipeline in Alaska for a while. Eventually, his father was ready to retire and sell a fishing resort he owned in Perham, and Andersen decided to buy his father’s resort and move his family to Perham. He and his wife already had their four

The goal of the expo, as Larson puts it, is to make aging easier and more enjoyable.

“It’s a great way for people to learn about local opportunities, services that exist here and I think our overall goal is to make sure people are educated on what exists here before they’re actually in need of any types of services,” Larson said. “Whether it’s services in their home or something that they would like to get involved in in terms volunteerism, it’s important for people to be educated and ready.”

The expo has been held in neighboring communities, such as Detroit Lakes, to much success. Larson said it was important to bring an event like this to Perham.

“When we think about Detroit Lakes and Perham we know there’s a population size difference, but our community here at Perham does attract so much traffic from outlying communities that do have a retirement age population, so it really made sense for us to welcome this type of expo to our community for everyone to enjoy.” children by that time. Their oldest son, Robert, joined the military when they moved to Perham. But their other three children, Christine, Dave and Don, all went to Perham Schools and graduated from Per-

There’s a lot to look forward to, but Larson is most excited about how the expo furthers Elevate’s mission.

“What I’m most excited about for this event is that it really ties into the mission of Elevate as a whole,” she said. “Our goal is to connect adults with opportunities to age well.”

As for other Elevate offerings, Larson highlighted the Connections program held at the PACC.

“This is a meal we serve Monday through Thursday, the meal is served at 11:30 (a.m.) and everyone 60 or older is welcome to come and join us for our meal,” Larson said.

She said that some come early or stay after to socialize and play cards. The suggested donation for the meal is $4.

“We just want people to come and be together,” Larson said. “I think making sure that our seniors do have a healthy meal option each day is really important. That’s really the beauty of this program, it makes sure they are getting the nutrition that they need, but also the social aspect and the human connection is really important … we hope more people will continue to utilize it.” ham High School. who have lived experiences including those who have suffered from mental health issues or substance use challenges. The virtual meetings provide individuals who are struggling with a safe, small group setting that offers valuable tools and support with a focus on how to lead a happier and healthier life.

To learn more about Elevate, visit elevateotc. org.

Now Andersen and Donna have 24 grandchildren and 83 greatgrandchildren. They still live in Perham in the summer but move down to Arizona for the winter months.

In addition to the Virtual Peer Support services, Wellness in the Woods offers a statewide warm line. FreyholtzLondon said they receive around 2,800 calls per month.

“And people call, not when they’re in crisis, but when they just need somebody to talk to. The warm-line from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. where individuals can call to speak with a peer support professional,” she said.

Wellness in the Woods also provides in-jail peer support programs in nine county jails. “A big part of our job really is identifying gaps in services to see if there’s a place that we can serve people,” said Freyholtz-London.

In July, Wellness in the Woods received a $50,000 grant through Sourcewell’s Community Impact Funding. Freyholtz-London said the funding will go towards implementing the Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives (PEARLS) specifically meant for seniors in the region.

The PEARLS program was designed to be integrated into organizations seeking resources to help older adults who struggle with depression and isolation. The program focuses on education on what depression is and what it isn’t, and helps seniors develop the skills they need to live happier and more active lives. Developed by the University of Washington, PEARLS is an evidencebased program that can be implemented in a community or home setting. Freyhotlz-London said her staff will be going through training on how to implement the PEARLS program. “And so what PEARLS does is allows us to go in and have a conversation in people’s homes to use language that’s not stigmatizing. We can then help them identify what they need to bring to their care providers to help with treatment options,” she said. Through PEARLS, seniors can find help to combat social isolation and loneliness from trained coaches and counselors who help seniors with problemsolving, activity planning, and connections to additional services and resources.

Freyholtz-London said implementing PEARLS will help further the overall mission of Wellness in the Woods.

“Well, what we know is that seniors, even more so since COVID are more isolated, more depressed and do not have support networks,” said Freyhotlz-London, who also noted that in rural areas many senior centers are no longer available or have closed down.

Monica Yeadon serves as the Director of Improvement and Communications for Wellness in the Woods and said many seniors live with loneliness and it’s a silent killer.

“Without support, seniors can feel isolated, which can lead to a decline in mental health. Additionally, through my work I have personally observed that without social stimulation, seniors tend to cognitively decline,” said Yeadon.

Contributed photo / Jode Freyholtz-London Jode Freyhotlz-London, alongside her husband Tom London and employees receiving recognition through the state for the work done through Wellness in the Woods.

Yeadon oversees the All Peer Network through Wellness in the Woods, a project dedicated to bringing all peer professionals across the state together. Yeadon said this is done through advocacy, education and connectivity. “The mission with this program is to help the peer workforce feel empowered, supported and confident in the work they do,” said Yeadon.

In addition to the virtual peer support, warmline, and PEARLS, Wellness in the Woods also provides individuals who struggle with substance abuse disorders with recovery support through their Recovery in the Woods program. The recovery program provides participants access to weekly virtual sessions that focus on different stages of recovery led by people who have lived experiences with mental health and substance abuse. With a focus on transparency, respect and supporting employee well being, FreyholtzLondon said it helps with staff retention as well, as nearly 80% of the staff that started with her in 2013 are still with the organization. “Our main values include non-judgment, meeting individuals where they are in their recovery journey, and celebrating successes,” said Freyholtz-London. Wellness in the Woods provides accessible, affordable and helpful peer led resources with compassion and non judgmental support, advocacy, and opportunities for those experiencing or have been affected by mental health and substance use challenges. For more information visit mnwitw.org.