From teacher to student

MILACA, Minn. — For the last 18 years, Leann Pietrzak taught high school agriculture and served as the FFA advisor, all while helping her parents on their dairy farm. Now, Leann has stepped out of the classroom and onto the farm, permanently.

“At my last FFA banquet, when the officer team asked me to say something, I said, ‘In FFA, there is a creed that says I believe in the future of agriculture, and I really do,’” Leann said.

Leann farms full time with her parents, Calvin and Tammy Beumer, and together they milk 95 cows in a double-5 parlor near Milaca.

“We really enjoy knowing that someone is interested in continuing the herd of cows we have worked our entire career developing,” Tammy said. “With Leann coming home we have made upgrades to the parlor this summer.”

Growing up, Leann had interest in the farm and had plans of going to a 2-year technical college and then returning to the home farm.

“It was important for my mom that all of us kids get a 4-year college degree,” Leann said. “Several times through college I wanted to quit and get a 2-year ag degree. But my dad talked me out of it and said the farm will always be here, so go get a job off the farm, get a career, and try something different for a while. I took that to heart.”

Leann got a degree in agricultural education and first began teaching agriculture at Mora. She remained there for seven years, as a single person department commuting from the home, she and her husband, Chad, had near her parents’ farm near Milaca.

Then the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor position opened up at the Milaca school, so Leann made the transition to her home school district to teach.

“It was a no brainer to go back to my hometown, to where my kids were going to school and a much shorter drive to school,” Leann said. “It was hard to leave my students in Mora, but for me and my family, it just made sense.”

While Leann was teaching, she and Chad were helping on the farm. Chad started working in construction but switched to a job at the local cooperative so he could be home in the evenings. He milked in the evenings and on the weekends when he and Leann and their three kids would do morning and evening milkings.

“Chad grew up on a dairy farm, so it was in his heart as well,” Leann said. “Because of (milk) prices, it just didn’t work for Chad and me to be (at the farm) full time.”

The Pietrzaks and the Beumers fell into a routine. Calvin milked the cows in the mornings, fed the cows and was in charge of the crops. Tammy took care of the calves. The Pietrzaks milked as a team in the evenings, on weekends and in the summer, and they also helped wherever needed on the farm.

“This winter, we were loading cattle and Dad turned to Chad and me and said, ‘If either one of you want to be full time on the farm, you can,’” Leann said. “Chad and I looked at each other and said, ‘Wow this is actually happening?’ 20 years into this process, it is happening.”

That conversation was followed up by many more about which one, Leann or Chad, should be the first to join the farm full time. It was decided that Leann would quit her teaching job and farm with her parents.

“It was something I have always wanted to do,” Leann said. “But it is different when you are 21 versus 41. At 41 you are looking at retirement plans, salary and health insurance. At school, I always tell the kids, ‘Do something you love.’ I see them taking risks, so I decided to do that too.”

At the end of the last school year, Leann took a 1-year leave of absence, as she transitions to the farm to see if the change is meant to be.

“I wrote my letter and gave it to my principal, and he was like, ‘Do you know how many years I have been expecting this?’ because he knew I was balancing both,” Leann said. “I truly love teaching, but my heart is at the farm. This fall has been different for me.”

Leann got to meet the new agriculture teacher once they were hired.

“My replacement is right out of college and full of energy,” Leann said. “I actually felt less stressed because I knew she could handle the job. That really eased my mind. I felt way more at ease than I ever thought I would.”

Now that her school and students are being taken care of, Leann can put all her focus on the farm for the first time.

“I am used to being a leader with a classroom of kids or our kids at home,” Leann said. “My parents have this farm and are successful at it. So, I need to take a back seat and listen and be the student. They are probably sick of my questions, but I want to know why and how they make every decision.”

Leann’s parents are still active on the farm, and Chad also still comes to the farm every chance he can. Their children and a niece and a nephew help regularly to complete chores, projects and fieldwork.

“I would love for Chad and me to both be here and have opportunities for any nieces or nephews to have a part on the farm,” Leann said. “I have no major plans to expand. I would love for it to be just like this. If we can be sustainable with the land and stay where we are, I am perfectly OK with that.”

Even though Leann and Chad have been a part of the farm for 20 years, they said they are still learning something new every day. It is not easy, but Leann said they would not have it any other way.

“I told my students and the new teacher, my goal is not to come back and teach, not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because what I was doing on the farm is successful enough that we can continue (the farm),” Leann said. “The experiences my kids have had (being on the farm) are something not every kid has, and I am thankful for that.”