Young Iowa farmer breathes life into old machinery

Editor’s note: This is part of a “Beyond the Business” series of features on farmers with hobbies or small businesses.

SILVER CITY, Iowa — Dane Kruse restored an old mower in high school, and he has been hooked on machinery restoration ever since.

Kruse is part of a family farming operation near Silver City in Mills County, Iowa.

The 28-year-old is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University and also holds a full-time off-farm job.

That doesn't give him much time to pursue his hobby.

“I have slowed down a little bit with it, but I'm always interested in taking on a project,” Kruse says.

After the mower, his next project was his grandfather's 1967 Massey-Ferguson 1100. Kruse was still in high school when he did the project for 4-H.

“That tractor has a lot of sentimental value for my family. It really meant a lot for me to be able to fix it up and to make it look new again,” he says. “We still use that tractor in our farming operation.”