BENNINGTON, Nebraska (WOWT) – When you think of a corn sheller, you might as well imagine the Dreessen family.
“We run the farm together and Taylor will take over when I die,” said Wayne Dreesson, who turned 80 this year.
Four generations are farmers: grandfather Wayne, son Tim, grandson and Taylor. Little Toby, just 1.5 years old and Wayne’s great-grandson, already loves tractors.
The farming tradition began with Wayne Dreessen’s father, who died just days before Wayne graduated from high school, and so he took over the farm.
“I was there for ten days and bought a new tractor. After that, everyone was happy,” said Wayne.
Until the 1980s, they were located near 144th and Blondo Street.
“We had to get out of there. They built schools. The public sector took away some of our land. We were expropriated twice,” Wayne said.
He moved with his family northwest to Bennington.
From the tractor he bought when he was in school to the 51 tractors he has today, he has built a fleet for farming and a family for tradition.
For Wayne’s 80th birthday, the family puts all of their tractors on display for friends and family on their family farm in Bennington. It’s the epitome of a Nebraska birthday party.
“Taylor is picking up where his dad started, and his dad is supporting him,” said Wayne’s son Tim Dreessen.
With the Dreessen Family you are never too young to join.
Together, the Dreessens farm 1,700 acres of corn and soybeans, a crop used to make everything from ethanol to taco shells.
Tractors have come a long way since 1939, the oldest tractor in the Dreessen fleet.
“(We) sent Taylor to school to learn diesel mechanics,” Wayne said.
“We can help him fix any problems that come with the equipment for free,” his father added jokingly.
The industry is changing and the landscape with it. Developments are once again moving so far that it is no longer pleasant.
“We thought we had made great progress. That was in 1984. Now it’s not like that anymore.”
No matter how much Nebraska changes around them, the Dreessens plan to continue the Cornhusker tradition
“I’m not moving again. They could. But I’m not,” Wayne said.
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