A feature that shines the spotlight on people who help create enriching and enjoyable recreational experiences at the Glenview Park District.
Jeff Wienski Farm Manager
Close your eyes and picture Old Glenview. What do you see? What would you be doing? If you were Jeff Wienski, you would be riding your bicycle to the corner of Lake Ave. and Wagner Rd. on your way to Wagner Farm to help the family with chores around the farm. Having lived across the street from Wagner Farm for most of his life, Jeff’s passion for taking care of animals started at an early age. Everything from milking cows to feeding hogs, Jeff did it all. Fast forward to the present, and you’ll still find Jeff, now as the farm’s manager, taking care of the animals, doing maintenance, and participating in a variety of programs. It’s no wonder visitors of Wagner Farm all know the name Jeff Wienski.
Q: What are some of your day to day responsibilities at the farm?
A: My main responsibility is taking care of the livestock, which involves feeding, watering, and making sure all the animals are healthy. We have so many different animals here at Wagner Farm, from cattle to lambs to hogs. Ensuring that all the animals are taken care of is important. I also help with different programs we offer to the public as well as building maintenance.
Q: How did you get involved with Wagner Farm?
A: It’s a funny story! When I was young, I use to ride my bike to Wagner Farm because I lived down the street. I hung around long enough until finally the Wagners put me to work. I have had ties here for 40 years, 21 of those years being full time as the Farm Manager. Before I started working full time at Wagner Farm, I was an electronic technician for Canon. When the Wagners got on in years and couldn’t take care of the farm anymore, they called me to help manage the farm. The next day I was working here.
Q: What do you like most about Wagner Farm?
A: I would have to say being outdoors and tending to the livestock. Then it would have to be watching visitors participate in our events and programs at the farm.
Q: If you could own any farm animal, what would it be?
A: It would have to be beef cows, because with dairy cows, there is not too much vacation time. Dairy cows need to be milked twice a day, and beef cows are just easier to take care of. If you are not milking a dairy cow, you are probably delivering calves. That’s how cows stay in the milk stream. I’ll tell you something though; delivering a baby calf is probably one of the most rewarding things about this job.
Q: Why is it so important to keep Wagner Farm running?
A: Wagner Farm is a part of the community’s rural heritage since it was all farmland at one point. After WWII, you began to see a rise in suburbs in the United States and the disap- pearance of family farms. I’m glad to see that Glenview has kept part of their farming heritage alive with Wagner Farm.
Q: Where would you like to see Wagner Farm in the future?
A: Over the past 12 years we have been bringing the farm back to what it was like in the early years and bringing in new opportunities for our visitors to experience farm life in the early days. I know that in the coming years we will continue to introduce new creative programs, events and exhibits for even more people to enjoy and learn about the history and importance of farming. I suspect the people will keep coming. It is amazing to me how our numbers keep increasing, last year we had around 100,000 visitors!
Experience it > online registration is just a click away |
glenviewparks.org | 5
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