Minnesota man returns home to run family, reignite love for antique tractors

The Roberts family, who owns a series of used John Deere tractors and farm equipment, manages a parcel of land that measures more than 2,000 acres.
The Roberts family, who owns a series of used John Deere tractors and farm equipment, manages a parcel of land that measures more than 2,000 acres.
Although Medelia, Minnesota resident Dan Roberts had never pictured living in his boyhood home as an adult, he is returning to the farm in order to run the family business, according to the Minnesota Post.

Roberts told the news source that he loved the farming life, and he could not let the family farm that has been owned since 1930 fall into disarray. He also noted that many of his classmates did not return home or pursue a career in agriculture.

"And I don't think it's because of a lack of interest," Roberts told the Post. "With consolidation in agriculture, there are fewer family farms to come back home to. And agriculture today is significantly more capital intensive - so if you don't have an operation that's established, it's pretty difficult to do."

According to the news source, the Roberts family, who owns a series of used John Deere tractors and farm equipment, manages a parcel of land that measures more than 2,000 acres.

The average age for a Minnesota farmer rose by more than 4 years from 1997 to 2007, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.