Waseca's Outstanding Young Farmers

Sean and Tammi Holmes are the fourth generation of the Holmes family to own and work property in Freedom and Wilton Townships. They are glad to be teaching their children, T.J. and Brianna, to enjoy the “freedom at a price” which comes with living in the country.

 

“We have a large yard, along with a few chickens, and we’re showing the next generation it takes hard work to keep it tidy and take care of them,” observes Sean, who was named Waseca County’s Outstanding Young Farmer for 2026. 

 

Sean and Tammi have been married since 2012. Tammi grew up in Mankato; her only connection to country living before then was occasional visits to an uncle’s nearby farm.

Perhaps the classic “get to” for young farmers is driving a tractor, something T.J. has been doing already for a year or two. Sean says he cherishes the same memory from his own childhood.

 

“Farming is a family affair,” he says, sharing memories of growing up under the care of his parents, Bob and Wendy.  Naming some of the many things a farmer must learn to balance–seed choices, fertilizers, weather, and markets–he comments on how decades of learning are really only a beginning and describes growing up on a farm as “on the job training.”

 

Sean could now be said to farm tens of thousands of acres, since in addition to operating the family farm, he serves as a consultant to dozens of farmers across a 40-mile radius.

“I go over their farm with them acre by acre,” he says of the services he offers. “We review more than 400 line items to help make decisions.” 

 

His advice is informed both by his visits to his clients’ farms, and by his experience on his own acres: “I’ve worked the same types of soils,” he says, going on to say he feels a strong connection to the land, and so informs his clients about sustainable methods and products.

 

Having provided his clients with his analysis, Sean also offers products including seeds and inputs, along with services like custom spraying, fertilizer application, and more as needed.

 

Sean takes his selection as the county’s outstanding young farmer as a message that his neighbors, clients and business associates have been pleased with the work he does and the suggestions he provides.

 

“I believe they would describe me as accommodating,” he speculates when asked about his clients’ perception of him. “I hope they find me knowledgeable and helpful, and they know I am looking out for their best interests.

 

“I hope they can tell I truly care about them and their success.”

 

Looking at the future of farming, he foresees more and more movement toward methods which include strong stewardship of the soil. Reduced and modified tillage, the use of cover crops, and leaving more residue on fields over the winter are among the approaches he says will help protect against what he perceives as a growing problem of erosion from both wind and water runoff.

 

He says he would like to see southern Minnesota farmers “on the forefront” of the transition to the more sustainable methods.

 

It is a matter of pride among the Holmes family that, during the 1950s and 60s, Sean’s grandfather Eugene was acknowledged as a national champion in the then-emerging art of contour plowing. He attended national events, and was even part of a delegation that visited the United Kingdom. Family lore is that Eugene shook hands with two U.S. Presidents: Eisenhower and Nixon.

 

One of his most cherished goals, Sean says, is to follow in those footsteps, protecting the land and preserving it for the next generation. He admits being a farmer has always presented landowners with tremendous challenges, and expresses his admiration for those who came before him. When he thinks of hardships, he says he remembers hearing stories about the ‘93 flood, the “hog crash” of the 1990s, the numerous times family machinery got stuck in “the slough,” rushing to make emergency repairs so planting or harvest could continue, and more.

 

He observes that those stories make him realize farmers walk a very fine line with financial advancement on one side and potential failure on the other. “It’s thanks to the hard work and dedication those other generations showed that my family and I are even on the farm today,” he speculates. “It’s enough to make a person feel real appreciation, and to realize the importance of passing it on.”