Yesterday’s Farmers group of Bowman, North Dakota, was started in 1981 for the purpose of preserving local agriculture history. I recently met with Mike Schmitt, one of the board members of Yesterday’s Farmers. He mentioned that “as the years have gone by, membership has dwindled as the members have gotten older”. The group is dedicated to preserving antique farm equipment which means finding new members with mechanical knowledge to help refurbish and maintain the equipment along with building maintenance and helping with their special events. They also like to participate in the local parade and put on a Threshing Bee in the fall. Mike said “additional help is needed for their potato/corn patch”.
Some of the equipment/machinery they currently have may be turned into scrap metal later this year if they can’t find a way to preserve them or find someone who would like to have a piece of ag history.
Anyone who is interested in becoming a Yesterday’s Farmers member should call Mike at 701-640-6856. They also meet the 4th Thursday of every month at 7pm at their building on West Divide Street in Bowman.
Mike was also gracious enough to let me explore their property with my camera. I have to admit there were a few pieces of equipment that I did not recognize. My thanks to Mike for taking time out of his busy day to visit with me.
