The Oliver Farm

[arlen aas]

I'm looking for information on The Oliver Farm in Renville County Minnesota. The 4-500 AC farm I'm told was a site where Oliver tractors were field tested. It's about 5 miles from my place. The guys who have memories of it are primarily gone. The site reportedly had multiple houses and shop(s) that were built for testing Olivers. It's likely that it ended in late 50's or early 60's. The wooded farmsite still exists but split into at least to residences. I worked for Green Giant for 35 years. I retired 2015.The company ran several thousand acres called Company Farms. My 63 Oliver 1800 FWD worked on those company farms. The farm was known as The Butler farm when Green Giant rented the land. Anyone heard of this or any other Oliver Farms? Would the Charles City Museum have information?

There is a Oliver Kelly historical farm in Minnesota. It's a different place. Nothing to do with Oliver.

 

[arlen aas]

I need to clarify post. Green Giant ran the land at the Oliver farm and used Olivers and Other brands. The place called the Oliver Farm apparently was owned by a family named Butler .....so Green Giant referred to it as The Butler Farm.

 

[John Schoenauer]

Hart-Parr, Oliver and White tested in many places over the years. New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, California and a lot of local testing around Charles City Iowa that I have heard about. The big canning companies were a favorite of Oliver and probably many other manufactures. The canning companies were big customers that used the equipment hard. We recently found some dealer dealer warranty reports at the Floyd County Museum that listed many canners as customers, that apparently worked directly with the branch houses instead of dealers.

 

[arlen aas]

I'm 72. I worked as a maintenance supervisor at the Green Giant Farm Shop in Le Sueure Mn in the mid 80's. I was just a young pup but had 2-3 older mechanics who worked with me who did work on Olivers in the Green Giant maintenance shop. I remember one guy talking about going into rear ends of tractors to swap out gears. I don't recall if the swap was due to failures or if it was done in to change ratios etc or to just inspect. I have a 63 1809 FWD that was purchased new by Green Giant.

 

[arlen aas]

I've learned a little more about The Oliver Farm. I believe the information I've gotten from local guys is accurate. (no beet talk) A person Different ( not sure of spelling) who lived in Minneapolis/St.Paul was a significant Oliver share holder that owned land. He set up the dealership that we locals referred to as the Oliver Farm. It actually was a dealership called Boon Lake Implement ( or something like that). He eventually sold the land to Ken Butler who did not farm the land himself but rented the land to Green Giant for many years ....up to about 1984. The building that was the implement shop was reported to be "fancy". The municipal airport in Hutchinson Mn is called Butler Field after Ken who was an avid pilot and instrumental in getting the airport established.