Where are they now? Weber family rooted in agriculture

Agriculture generates much of the economy in Eddy County. Although this summer has brought more than enough rain to the farmland in the area, farmers are still encouraged that their soybean and corn crops will be bountiful. Third-generation growers Casey and Levi Weber are hopeful for dry and warm weather that will allow them to clear their fall crops productively.

Running a farming operation comes quite naturally to the Weber brothers as their parents Bradley and Jill (Ferguson) also grew up on farms. Both graduating in 1978 from New Rockford, Jill had always wanted to do something in the medical field; whereas, Brad was a farmer at heart. At a very young age, Brad helped his father Walter with the daily farming chores. While in high school, Brad worked at the local implement shop to acquire skills in fixing machinery. From 1980, he farmed alongside his father until Walter died in the fall of 2006. Brad's favorite time of the year was harvest when he was known to declare annually, "I am able to reap the fruits of my labor."

With encouragement from her high school business teacher Terry Kemmer, Jill attended college in Wahpeton to earn her medical secretary associate degree. She started working at the New Rockford City Hospital in 1981 in the business office and was later transferred to medical records. It is interesting to note that she was the last employee at the hospital as she filed claims and copied medical records for a few months after the closure of the hospital in 1991. She then worked at the Carrington Clinic and eventually at the hospital medical records department.

In 2008, after Brad suffered a stroke due to a heart procedure to treat his atrial fibrillation, Jill needed to take 3 days per week to drive to Devils Lake so that Brad could undergo speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Due to this situation, Jill was approved to work remotely from home. She still currently works from her home 4 days each week for multiple medical facilities, including Carrington.

Because of the months of required rehabilitation for Brad, his young sons, 19 and 21 at the time, had to take over the farming operation while their father was recovering. Unfortunately, Bradley died in his sleep in 2012 of what was believed to be another stroke or a heart attack.

Walter and wife Anna Marie established their own farming operation, son Bradley took it over, and now Casey and Levi are continuing what their grandparents began. Making major farming practice decisions are certainly stressful for the young men as they no longer can depend on their father's knowledge and input. Presently farming canola, wheat, pinto beans, soybeans and corn, Casey and Levi are helped out by hired man Zach Fleming. Jill can also be found driving the grain cart during harvest as she takes time to lend a hand to the operation.

Casey graduated from New Rockford in 2005, and Levi followed suit two years later. Both boys were involved in high school sports. Jill states, "Many hours were spent on the road taking Casey and Levi to basketball camps and games. Coach develop good fundamental skills when they were younger and a part of his traveling team." These abilities served them well as the Rockets captured the first place trophy at the North Dakota state basketball tournament in 2005. Both Casey and Levi were in the game as the buzzer sounded when the game-winning shot went in the hoop following a 14-point deficit and two overtimes!

Even though playing football and basketball provided much fun for the entire family, Jill and Brad stressed the fact that sports weren't everything. They wanted their sons to recognize that they had other abilities they could use later on in life. With those words of wisdom in mind, the boys earned college degrees that would aid them with their career in farming. Casey earned a farm management degree from Bismarck State College, and Levi attended NDSU and Moorhead Tech, graduating with a construction electricity degree.

Both men are not only husbands, but each is a father of two daughters and two sons. These children might someday be fourth-generation Weber farmers.

Casey is married to Mackenzie (Benson), a graduate of the NR-S class of 2006 and of the University of Mary in 2010 with a radiology technician degree. Kenzie was also raised on a third-generation farm/cattle ranch near Sheyenne. Her passion is barrel racing in rodeos; however, her love for dogs has led her to start a dog grooming business called Co9Cuts. The clever trade name is derived from her family farm's location on County Road 9. Kenzie and Casey are parents to 2 ½ -year-old Briggs and nearly 1-year-old Hattyn.

Levi married NR-S 2008 graduate Chelsey (Engels), and their children are 3-year-old Bradleigh (named after Grandpa Bradley) and son Brooks, who is 2 years old. Is it a coincidence that Chelsey was also raised on a third-generation farm? She is accustomed to the farming lifestyle, but she thinks being a farmer's wife differs greatly from being a farmer's daughter! Raising two small children and working part-time as a registered nurse at Jamestown Regional Medical Center in the Family Birthplace means having to ride in the tractor and combine to catch up on life with husband and dad Levi!

Helping out on the farm when they were younger, too, are Casey and Levi's sisters Cassidy, who graduated from NR-S in 2012, and Lexie, who is a 2014 NR-S graduate. They are successful in their own rights in fields a bit outside of the realm of agriculture.

Graduating from the University of Minnesota (U of M) with kinesiology and master of nursing degrees, Cassidy furthered her education at the U of M in a 16-month accelerated program, which was completed in December of 2018. During this period of coursework, Cassidy was a graduate assistant in an exercise physiology lab where she conducted stress tests for several research studies. She now lives in Rochester, Minn., where she works at Mayo Clinic's Methodist Hospital as a critical care nurse. She is engaged to be married next summer to third-generation farmer Parmalee Borst. (If you are counting, this is the fourth time "third-generation" has been used in this article!) "Parm" works for the Olmsted County Highway Department and farms with his father just outside of Rochester.

Lexie graduated from NDSU with a Bachelor of Science in Management, with a Human Resource Emphasis, and a minor in Agriculture Business in May of 2018. A major growth opportunity for Lexie occurred when she studied abroad in Denmark for a semester during her junior year. Encounters with various cultures while studying business and traveling to other European countries impacted Lexie tremendously. While attending college, she was involved with Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), which has been life-changing. Lexie is currently serving as a full-time missionary with FOCUS on the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Here in North Dakota, odd weather patterns this summer and fall, along with rising input prices but low market prices, have undoubtedly caused much stress for farmers. With support from their mother, sisters, wives and other family members, Casey and Levi have done well with their farming operation. The brothers have very different personalities, and that is a big reason they not only have been able to work so closely together on the farm, but they have also remained best friends throughout the years. Casey is confident in his farming abilities, and he loves a new challenge. Levi, on the other hand, is the relaxed, calm one of the two. Because their dispositions blend well together, they both realize what their expectations of each other are. Grandpa and Dad would be very proud.