-Farm News photo by Lori Berglund
John and Becki Eggers were glad when they had the chance to move to the Century Farm that still remains in the Eggers family. John, with son Leland, above, are both veterans of FFA membership.

WEBSTER CITY — FFA is a family tradition for the Eggers family of rural Webster City. At least three generations have been active in the FFA Chapter here, and even more generations have built a Century Farm legacy in Independence Township.

At 17, Leland Eggers is the latest generation to be active in FFA. A junior at Webster City High School, he enjoys many of the public service areas of FFA.

“I like selling fruit when we do that,” he said.

Leland Eggers also gets a thrill when he gets a chance to drive the family’s Case 310 to school for the FFA’s annual Drive Your Tractor to School Day.

It’s pretty much always the biggest tractor in the parking lot, but this isn’t just a show appearance for the young Eggers. He’s a very willing farm hand and operates a variety of machinery on the farm. Just as father and grandfather did before him, he learned young.

“I enjoy driving the tractor,” Leland said. “I like to rip the fields and cultivate.”

He said he doesn’t even mind when he’s called upon to go out and pick up rock.

While he has a year and a half left of high school, Leland Eggers is already thinking ahead to his plan for after graduation.

“I’d like to go into the trades; not sure what I’m going to do yet,” he said. “And I want to help on the farm, too.”

His father, John Eggers, is a 1997 graduate of Webster City High School and earned a degree in economics from the University of Northern Iowa.

Like his son, he recalls selling fruit during his FFA years. “We did things like grill hamburgers on different occasions, golf outings, and things like that,” he said.

John Eggers also enjoyed the family tradition of showing livestock at the county and state fair. While his sisters showed for 4-H, he showed for FFA once he was old enough to join.

“We showed pigs at the county and state fair, and usually our immediate family would go down and stay for the week or for the three days of the show,” he recalled. “We had a lot of fun.”

In addition to hogs, he also showed sheep over the years. The family at one time raised a few cattle, mainly for the quality of beef to take to the locker and process for home use.

In addition to farming with his dad, Delbert Eggers, John Eggers has worked for Seaboard Farms since 2016. He and his wife Becki Eggers, along with children Leland and daughter Natalie had been living in the Dike and Grundy Center area.

When the opportunity arose to move into the farmhouse that had long been home to his aunt and uncle, Gretchen and Henry Anderson, the family was happy to return home.

We moved back in 2014, and at first we just enjoyed being back on the farm,” John Eggers said. “And then I started farming in 2020.”

The farm they call home is a Century Farm, first purchased in 1907 for a cost of $95 per acre. It was his great-great-grandparents, H.D. and Maggie Blue, who took the risk and sunk their hard-earned savings into the farm.

H.D and Maggie Blue were only on the farm a few years before they did what most farm families do, move the next generation on to it, according to Delbert Eggers.

Delbert Eggers, Leland’s grandfather, is a 1971 graduate of Webster City High School. During most of his FFA years, girls were still not allowed to join the organization then proudly known as the Future Farmers of America. Delbert Eggers recalls the knowledge and the field efficiency aspects of his time in FFA and the accompanying agriculture classes.

He also recalled having great relationships with FFA advisors. He recalled Al Hennigan, a young advisor from Texas who related very well to the students.

At this point in his farming career, Delbert Eggers has already picked up his share of rock, and is so happy that his grandson has taken over the work with a cheerful attitude.

“I’m very pleased to see that he has an interest in FFA and in farming,” Delbert Eggers said. “We’re proud of all of our grandchildren.”