Waseca farm history center's roof collapses

by Rupa Shenoy, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — The roof of a shed in Waseca that housed antique farm equipment has collapsed under the weight of the recent snowstorm.

Officials at the Farmamerica center say damage may top $100,000, but they say the shed wasn't insured.

Farmamerica is a nonprofit established by the Legislature in 1978 which documents the history of farming.

Executive Director Jim Gibson says volunteers are scrambling to move antique equipment to another building that's usually used for livestock. He said Farmamerica may have to seek assistance for a long-term solution.

"It's not in our budget. We operate on a very thin margin. and we're always looking for help for lots of activities that we do here," Gibson said. "But we've not looked for a long time for this kind of assistance for a capital expense of that nature."

Gibson said classes from more than 40 schools in the surrounding region visit Farmamerica for history tours during the school year.