From Oliver Tractors to Ag Drones: One Farm Boy’s Journey Back to the Land
In the early 1950s, a little boy climbed up on a tractor in Paulding County, Ohio. That boy was Craig’s uncle, and the tractor sat on the same 150 acres that Craig’s grandfather farmed. Black-and-white photos still capture those moments—Craig’s grandfat
her, a sturdy man peering over the steering wheel of an old tractor, and even earlier, his great-grandfather in a horse-drawn carriage, farming with cousins long before horsepower came with an engine.
Craig’s roots run deep in Ohio soil. The house his mom grew up in still stands, a quiet witness to decades of harvests, family dinners, and holidays spent with cousins, aunts, and uncles. His grandfather worked that land in the 1950s and held onto it until his passing in2001. Back then, Oliver tractors were powered by gas—because diesel fumes made Craig’s grandfather sick. That Ford tractor with the dual wheels? Craig spent many hours farming with it when he was a boy, riding with his father and learning the rhythm of the land.
But like many farm kids, Craig eventually moved away from home. Life pulled him indifferent directions. His uncle sold off the farm equipment when the older generation passed, and it seemed like the family’s farming chapter might be closing.
Until life came full circle.
When Craig met his wife, her father had a 300-acre farm. Craig and his father-in-law bought some equipment and got back into it. At first, they farmed on the side while holding down full-time jobs. Craig, a skilled fabricator who learned to weld at just 11 years old, built his own drone trailer. He was doing what farmers do best—figuring it out, fixing things, making it work.
Then came the drones.
Three years ago, Craig started using spray drones. It was just a new tool at first—but it didn’t take long before things got serious. Last year, Craig sprayed over 6,000 acres. This is his second full year of spraying, and the work keeps rolling in. He’s now part-time in fabrication, spending most of his time running the drone business with his wife, who he calls his "pit crew." Her dad still helps out now and then. Even the neighbor kid—a high schooler named Mark —joins in from time to time. It’s a family affair, just like it was in the old days.
Craig's father, now older but still full of farming wisdom, often tells him, “I wish your grandfather could see this.” Because back when they needed something sprayed, they called the local co-op. They didn’t do it themselves. Now, Craig and his father have sprayed fields together using tech his grandfather never could’ve imagined.
The landscape may be different, but the spirit’s the same. From horse-drawn plows to drones that buzz above the crops, farming still comes down to hard work, family, and a deep connection to the land.
And somewhere in Paulding County, a little boy’s dream on a tractor lives on—only now, it’s flying.
