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Family's Tractor Business Started As A Hobby
A hobby evolved into a business for the Ismil family of Onamia, Minnesota. Roger and his dad, Alex, love Ford and Ferguson tractors so much that their hobby of buying, repairing and selling them has turned into a thriving business.
In 1999, Alex retired from 41 years of construction work and Roger quit his 4-yea
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Family's Tractor Business Started As A Hobby 27-6-8 A hobby evolved into a business for the Ismil family of Onamia, Minnesota. Roger and his dad, Alex, love Ford and Ferguson tractors so much that their hobby of buying, repairing and selling them has turned into a thriving business.
In 1999, Alex retired from 41 years of construction work and Roger quit his 4-year job as a propane service technician in order to launch their tractor business.
"It's called Tractor Land Inc., and it grew totally out of word of mouth," Roger says. "We buy, sell and repair the tractors, and sell both used and new after market parts. One of the great things about these tractors is that there are so many new parts available for them."
The Ismil family has developed a reputation for fixing up and reselling tractors, in addition to their repair work. They are now extremely busy year-round.
They deal mostly in Ford "N" series tractors, but also handle 100 series and the 01 series, although they are not as plentiful. The Ismils also provide service for the few Fergusons in their area.
"I'm full-time, Dad is part-time, and my mom, Lillian, helps, too," Roger says. "We have a 40 by 70 shop now, but at first I worked out of a small two-car garage. Our excellent location along the highway helps. We have an 8N Ford tractor painted on each side of a silo where we're at, so we're very visible."
Two years ago, the Ismils sold 37 used tractors, last year 43, and this year they expect to surpass that number by a few.
"We have great customers. They're all very nice and pleasant to deal with," Roger says. "We've really been blessed."
The humorous sign brought a lot of attention to the business. People would drive in just to see it, he says. Roger recently got engaged but his fiance has a good sense of humor and wants him to keep the sign on display.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roger Ismil, Tractor Land Inc., 28839 U.S. Hwy. 169, Onamia, Minn. 56359 (ph 320 532-5636); email: alrus169@ecenet.com).
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