In a special four generation conversation, Dan Aberhart sits down with his father Harvey, his brother Terry, and Terry's son Holden to trace the origins of Aberhart Farms, from Harvey arriving on the land at age 10 in 1961 through the decades of off-farm work, dairy cattle, and setbacks that kept the operation afloat before it became what it is today. Harvey speaks candidly about the eras when farming alone couldn't support a family, the $100,000 investment loss that nearly compounded into something worse, and building the family home by hand in 1974. The tension running through the conversation is one familiar to most multi-generational operations: how much of what built the farm was planning, and how much was simply staying in the game long enough for the timing to work. Producers walk away with a rare, unhurried look at what four generations of one farm family actually looked like, told by the people who lived it.
Before there was a shop, a shipping business, or Aberhart Ag Solutions, there was a family that once lived in a grain bin. In this special four generation conversation, Dan sits down with his father Harvey, his brother Terry, and Terry's son Holden to trace the farm's founding, from arriving on a hay rack at age 10, through dairy cows, a decade at the potash mine, a John Deere dealership, and the years before anyone knew the farm alone could support a family.
What's Inside
- The farm's founding in 1961, and why "mixed farming," grain plus cattle plus chickens, was considered the only way to survive
- How Harvey balanced an electrician's ticket, a decade at the potash mine, and ten years managing a John Deere dealership around farming
- The $100,000 investment loss and personal guarantees that nearly became a second, bigger blow
- Building the family home by hand in 1974 for under $20,000, plywood floors and all
- Why "buy more land" is the one thing Harvey says he'd change if he did it all again
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