In 1977, Larry Alexander—patriarch of the Alexander family—purchased a few acres of land to raise dairy cattle. “I knew that you had to milk cows to pay the bills,” he reminisces. Today, his humble farm has grown to over 1,500 acres and ushered in new yields—like grain, corn, soy beans, alfalfa and beyond. Most impressively, his farm has become a family farm, with three generations of Alexander farmers hard at work.
The youngest of the trio, Adam Alexander, has seen the changes first hand. “There used to be a right way of farming,” he says, ”but now there’s multiple ways of doing everything.” He and his father, Jeff Alexander, have helped transition from a dairy-only operation to one that accommodates several varieties of crops, empowered by the latest technology. “We’ve built a family empire here,” says Jeff, “and I’d like to see the next generation continue that.” If Jeff’s nine-year-old grandaughter is any indication, there will be an Alexander leading Na-Lar Farms for years to come.