For fourth year, Wayne Wackerlin fund remembers Ottawa man with grants to entrepreneurs

Six diverse entrepreneurial business awardees aged 15 to 50 were selected to share in a total of $23,000 from the Wayne Wackerlin Memorial Fund‘s fourth annual 2022 grant cycle.

The awards are inclusive of the $84,000 in grant funds cumulatively awarded across 14 entrepreneurial operations since 2019.

The Wayne Wackerlin Memorial Fund was established by his siblings to continue Wayne’s love for agriculture and his entrepreneurial spirit. In October of 2017, Wayne, of Ottawa, lost his life in a tragic work accident. Not only was Wayne a plant manager for a major grain facility, but he also co-owned a firewood business and plowed snow in the winter; he grew up helping his dad on the family farm: baling hay, raising livestock, and growing corn, soybeans, and wheat. At 24, Wayne cash rented farmland also growing corn and soybeans. It was his dream to buy land of his own (23 acres of which he had under contract at the time of his death). In 2016, he purchased a new John Deere tractor, having owned several other pieces of machinery since age 11. While Wayne’s time in this life was short, his impact in his 25.5 years was tremendous. Wayne’s legacy will live on through the WWMF for years to come.

The principal fundraiser for the fund is an annual meat raffle taking place Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Knights of Columbus, 401 W. Main St., in Ottawa.

The recipients are:

Connor Brown, 19, of Elizabeth, is the owner and operator of Brown’s Baling and Hay. Brown is a WWMF success story who used funds as a previous 2021 grant recipient to purchase his own hay baler, to make machinery repairs, and to purchase supplies needed to operate his growing business. A welder and carpenter by trade, he grew up on a family farm and quickly realized his passion for baling. The $4,000 funds awarded this year will be used to purchase a 16-foot hay mobile hay conveyer allowing for better stacking of hay in barns. Like Wayne, Brown is generous, and his goal is to build and maintain a successful ag business for years to come, allowing him to mentor and give back to aspiring young agricultural entrepreneurs by remaining connected to his FFA chapter.

Benjamin Curtain, 23, owner and founder of Curtain’s Creations in Stonington, is a young Midwestern agriculturally driven entrepreneur like Wayne. He holds a BS in Agricultural Engineering, and in April 2020 he left his design engineering job to take his small business full-time building off a passion he has exhibited since childhood. Curtain’s Creations is a regional, full-service CNC plasma cutting and sheet metal fabrication company tackling everything from design to fabrication, purchasing, delivery, service, repair and troubleshooting with a focus on agricultural clientele. Curtain will use the $5,000 to offset costs of installing a sandblasting room with needed equipment to support his business. Curtain is a two-time WWMF grant recipient who used the 2021 grant funds to purchase a storing rack for his warehouse. Curtain’s dream is to be a successful business owner eventually employing others and using his talents as a creator, innovator and designer.

Cody Miller, 18, of Harvard/Hebron, one of the WWMF inaugural 2019 grant recipients, is being awarded $2,000 for bovine reproduction as the co-owner of Miller Cattle. Miller grew up showing cattle and pigs and was active in 4-H. At 14 he started his own baling business and boasts baling more than 10,000 bales last year. He has plans to expand his cattle business to breed and raise Piedmontese cattle for beef production as a farm-to-table business. He works two jobs in addition to his own farming operations. Miller emulates Wayne’s never-ending energy and desire to make a successful living in order to fulfill his dreams of running profitable businesses and of farm ownership.

Sadie ‘Grace’ Nelson, 15, of Yorkville, the operator of Clover Club Lambs (C.C.L.) is active in her local 4-H group showing sheep and cattle and entering projects in sewing, gardening, photography and baking. This past spring, she grew and sold 1,200 starter plants earn money to grow her sheep stock. Last year she founded a niche business by sewing spandex lamb suits for sheep. These tube-like covers, made just for lambs, help keep sheep clean before judging at fair and shows are very popular offering unique patterns and vibrant colors. The $3,000 will help purchase new sewing machines and equipment to expand her business and to offer more options for her growing customer base. Like Wayne, Nelson is driven, passionate and hardworking at a young age.

Kelly Koester-Parks, 26, and Justin Parks, 29, of Milledgeville, are a husband-and-wife team working hard to improve their farming operation for sustainability. Kelly started her K&D Cattle business when she was a freshman in high school via a 4-H and FFA project. She and Justin are both in their fourth year of teaching high school agriculture and serving as FFA advisors. Last year they used the 2021 WWMF grant funds to purchase more cattle and to fund capital improvements to their farmette. This year the awarded $5,000 will be used to expand and area with feed bunks and fencing to feed their calves raised for meat sales. Kelly and Justin’s dream is to raise their own family, continuing their family legacy of farming, by purchasing a farm of their own just like Wayne.

Anthony Pferschy, 50, of Elburn, is a first-generation farmer and co-owner, along with his wife, of Garlic Breath Farm. He was awarded Farmer of the Year by the Illinois Veterans Coalition in 2021, and he continues to pursue his passion for growing and marketing high quality garlic and garlic products. The $4,000 grant funds will be used to offset costs of installing ventilation in the high tunnel system used on the farm. This husband-and-wife team sell products online, at the farm, and at various farmers markets in the area. Pferschy quit his day job to pursue his passion for agriculture full-time just as Wayne dreamed of doing.

The Wackerlin Memorial Fund board said it could not have been more pleased with all the applications received. Each applicant embodied Wayne’s love for entrepreneurship and/or love for agriculture. The board encourages each applicant to apply again next year regardless of funding status.