A great adventure

If there is one thing U of M Professor Emeritus and agricultural enthusiast Ed Frederick considers among the greatest accomplishments in his life, it’s getting the Minnesota state legislature to bring Farmamerica to Waseca.

“It was a great adventure,” he said. “The state legislature wanted to recognize and build these interpretive centers. They had one for the iron range and another for forestry, but there wasn’t one for agriculture yet.”

The people of Minnesota asked for one, as agriculture was and still is the state’s biggest resource. The legislature agreed and set up a competition for a place to have the interpretive center. Frederick was part of an advisory committee vying for an interpretive center near Waseca.

Roy Lukken, a fellow advisor, told him and the others that they needed to raise $50,000 to even apply for an interpretive center. Lukken decided to donate 48 acres of land to raise the money. Frederick observes, “The land he donated was clearly worth more than $50,000.”

The committee submitted an application into the historical society. Many other committees from different parts of the state applied, but Waseca won: In 1978, Farmamerica was established.

Frederick was the Farmamerica advisory board chair for 20 years. His work in bringing the interpretive center to Waseca and his time on the board was considered so valuable, the board room was named after him during the building’s most recent renovation.

While that may have been his greatest achievement, his biggest regret came during 1991-1992. It was at that time that the University of Minnesota decided to close down the college in Waseca. While the Southern Research and Outreach Center still exists to this day, Frederick wishes the college were still around and still believes the closure was a grave mistake.

He called the pull-out in Waseca a “strictly political decision.” 

“The university was short $6 million, and they had to get the money some place,” he explained. “It was a game of, do we take it from the extension, the Crookston campus, or Waseca? The extension was important to them, and Crookston had too many people representing them. Waseca was at its lowest point with no strength in the legislature.”

Frederick ended up being the one and only chancellor for the college. “I thought as the years went by, I’d be able to say it wasn’t such a bad decision,” he claimed. “I can’t say that. But we moved along and did our best. Farmamerica became Waseca’s agricultural outlet at that time.”

Despite losing the university, Frederick is happy to see agriculture growing in Waseca. “The city’s done quite well,” he said. “It’s nice to see our Bird’s Eye plant taken over by a bigger company. What they built out there…that’s quite the structure. It’s going to mean a lot in Waseca.”