The Smith family on Union Church Road has been in the agriculture business for generations, and one certain John Deere tractor has been there with them since 1956.

Roger and Maude Smith married in 1945 and settled into what is now the family farm in 1948. It’s their son, Owen Wayne Smith, who owns the property now, but it was his father who purchased the tractor brand new for a few cows and $2,400.

“The tractor was just kind of like a member of our family,” Owen Smith said. “We all grew up using it.”

Smith was just 6 years old when he first started learning how to drive a tractor, along with his three brothers, Roger Dale, Gerald and Farran.

“It was four of us boys and my momma taught us how to drive it,” he said.

Smith never forgot about that tractor that he remembered so fondly from his childhood. The old John Deere had been sitting in a barn for a couple of decades and was in serious disrepair. In February, Smith got in contact with an old friend, Johnny Coldiron, a retired John Deere mechanic from Joansville, Louisiana.

and in just three months Johnny Coldiron, a retired John Deere mechanic from Joansville, Louisiana

With 40 years experience working with the tractors and three months to work on it, Coldiron was able to fix the tractor up even better than brand new, Smith said.

“I’m tickled to death,” he said. “It brings back so many memories, and my kids are really proud of it, too.”

Smith’s father was harvesting cotton and corn, but times have changed for agriculture in the region. Smith said there aren’t many row crops in the region anymore, and they’ve long since moved to hay and cattle.

Business has been good this year, according to Smith — despite the rain hindering the harvest. While they’re about four weeks behind, Smith said they’ve rolled about 14,000 rolls of hay, and could roll as many more before the season ends.

It’s a family business Smith shares with his children and grandchildren, and he hopes for it to continue into the next generation. Smith said his 12-year-old grandson, Braden Smith, can already run the hay cutter, and he enjoys letting his 4-year-old grandson, Sam Reed, ride in a buddy seat in the tractor every day his mother will let him.

Smith doesn’t use the tractor to do farm work, but hopes to one day have an antique wagon restored to go with the tractor. Then he’ll use it to give tours to his family and others.