Farming with Fred

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Traffic in downtown Platteville hit a bit of a slowdown the evening of Aug. 21 as the Platteville School District hosted its second back-to-school hayride for its teachers. This year’s event also served as a memorial for Tyler “Fred” Weigel, who volunteered to help last summer. Weigel passed away in November 2024.

The initial hayride idea came last summer when the administrative staff looked for an exciting way to end the preparatory week and prepare for the school year. The staff looked to Brad Brogley, the director of continuous Improvement for the district. Brogley reached out to longtime family friend, Weigel, to help with the event.

“When I was asked to organize the event last year, I reached out to Fred,” Brogley said. “The Brogleys and Weigels go way back. When I asked Fred about helping, he was all in. That’s who he was. He worked hard and he played hard, and he was always there for everybody else.”

This year the Platteville School District hosted the hayride event again, but without Weigel. It served as more than a welcome for teachers, but as a memorial to a Platteville High School graduate who continued to give back to the community. Weigel was the son of Tom and Kelli Weigel, married to Catie Wunderlin and had two children, Cord and Maya.

Weigel farmed with his father, Tom, and brother, Jake, at Weigel Dairy. Weigel Dairy currently milks 280 cows in a swing-10 parlor. The farm harvests corn and alfalfa, with additional acres in beans, sorghum and wheat.

With Weigel’s passing, this year’s event leaned on other volunteers, volunteers who had known Weigel and wanted to memorialize their friend and family member. Jamie Steinhart, Matthew Brunton and Wesley Kamps drove tractors in the event. 

“Fred was like a brother to me,” Steinhart said. “We were first cousins, but we were closer than that. We grew up together. This is a great way to remember him because anytime he could get his tractor out and entertain people, it made him really happy.”

Brunton has been working on Weigel Dairy for 13 years and has continued working with Tom and Jake after Fred’s passing.

“Fred was pretty outgoing; he liked to joke around and have fun,” Brunton said. “This is a good event to remember him. He cared for the people around him and cared for his equipment really well.”

The equipment used for this year’s hayride came from Weigel Dairy. It included a Massey Ferguson 6616, an AGCO RT 120 A and Fred’s personal favorite, his John Deere 4455. Prior to the start of this year’s hayride, Brunton, Steinhart and other volunteers hung banners with Weigel’s photo in remembrance of their friend.

“What struck me last year when we were organizing it was how much time Fred spent getting his equipment prepared,” Brogley said. “He made sure the tractors were washed and clean, he went on the wagons and set up bales. He didn’t have to go through all that for us, but that’s just what he did. I wanted to repay that memory of him and all that he meant for this event last year.”

This year’s event expanded to more than just teachers who were finishing a week of professional development, but to the greater Platteville community. Those who wanted to participate in the event could offer a free-will donation for the opportunity to hop in the wagon and take the 4.5-mile trip around the city, including a mile and a half down Platteville’s Main Street. Proceeds from the event were donated to Platteville High School’s agriculture department.

Brogley also works with the Chamber of Commerce and when mentioning the event, he said Jennifer Klang from Edenbrook — an assisted living community — who is also on the board, thought it would be a great way to get more community involvement. The first round of tractors and hay wagons drove past the residents at Edenbrook.

Those interested in the event could sign up online, and walk-ups were welcome.

“We had four times that people could sign up for the ride,” Brogley said. “We had 150 people sign up online before the event and we had a tremendous turnout.”

Brogley also spoke about how the event can help others who might be struggling with mental health.

“No one likes talking about mental health in agriculture,” Brogley said. “We want to have this event to celebrate his giving spirit but also shed light on mental health. I grew up in a family of farmers, so this is really important to me as well.”

The event made Steinhart step out of her comfort zone as one of the three drivers. She hopes that the event can continue to bring more awareness to the young farming community about mental health and the resources available.

“Driving through town, I was thinking this isn’t something I would do,” Steinhart said. “I’m not that kind of person, so for me driving through town with his (Fred’s) tractor and wagon, to go do something I knew he loved, he’d be proud. I didn’t think this event would continue, but now it’s more of a memorial to him and the person he was.”