Land Gift Lays the Groundwork for Philanthropy

Sometimes, it only takes one person to change the course of a life.
For Cal Hayenga, it was an SDSU professor lecturing on a subject that didn't pertain to his future career. If not for swine specialist Dr. Robert Seerley, Cal might never have finished his degree, met his future wife, or made a significant gift of land to the university decades later.
Cal attended SDSU based on his uncle's recommendation. Though his parents harbored hopes of Cal following in his grandfather's footsteps as a minister, he would ultimately stick to his roots in agriculture. Cal didn’t go into swine production, but recalls Dr. Seerley’s course as the most influential he ever took.
As a student in the 1960s, Cal was among students facing difficult socio-economic times. Many classmates were unable to make ends meet and dropped out; Cal has vivid memories of watching students carry belongings to their cars. The $90 per semester tuition was an exorbitant amount for Cal then, and he debated leaving school. Still, Dr. Seerley's class compelled Cal, reeling him in with outside- the-box teaching methods.
Cal immersed himself in extracurriculars, like intramural softball and basketball. He met his future wife, Mary, at Wesley Methodist Student Center. "We both came from farm families; money was scarce, and work was in abundance. Responsibility came early," Cal explained.
Mary lived outside Brookings on her family's dairy farm, earning her sociology degree via a scholarship sponsored by Betty Crocker.
With degrees in hand, the Hayengas moved to Cal's family homestead in Andover, South Dakota. Cal worried that the rise of technology would make his father’s conservative farming practices obsolete. Luckily, Cal was ready to apply all he’d learned at SDSU.
"I wanted to farm on my own terms. I wanted to work hard and reap the benefits of my abilities," Cal said. Relying on the big-picture mentality he learned from Dr. Seerley, Cal reflected, "I was good enough at problem solving that I could confront things before they even became a problem."
Mary was a social worker for 13 years. At that point, the couple accumulated enough land that she became the full-time bookkeeper for Cal.
"We gradually wound up acquiring a lot of land. That in itself wouldn't have been a problem. Then the land quadrupled in value, and those values far exceeded estate tax limitations," Cal explained. "Planning was more essential than ever."
The couple worked with the SDSU Foundation for options to give back to their alma mater. They aimed to simultaneously benefit SDSU and their nephew, who was hoping to build his own farming enterprise. Gifting 1,100 acres, they funded several scholarships and the Calvin and Mary Hayenga Endowed Department Head of Animal Science – a nod to Dr. Seerley.
"The Lord treated us well, and everybody was a winner," said Cal. "SDSU receives the land rent, and that serves the university and me both. This is a win-win for people who want their farm to be available for an employee or who are in a situation where they don’t have an heir of their own."
Cal and Mary want their gift to help recruit and retain students, leading to careers and potentially reinforcing the local economy. By gifting land, the Hayengas hope to support the next generation of leaders to steward South Dakota’s natural resources.
"I hope it will help students stay in South Dakota long enough to realize what a wonderful place it is," said Mary. "If they go somewhere else, they'll come back in the future because they'll really remember it. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't gone to State.