Oregon farmer’s John Deere collection led to national Farm Bureau role
Published 11:00 am Monday, April 20, 2026
Roy Hofer joined organization to share history with like-minded farmers
CANBY, Ore. — Roy Hofer grows hazelnuts and is a “history nut” — a barn on his acreage holds a private farm machinery museum focusing on John Deere tractors.
In a roundabout way, the collection led to him becoming an American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee member for 2026-27.
After graduating from college, Hofer disappeared into farming and work and felt isolated.
He got involved with the Clackamas County Farm Bureau to share agricultural history with like-minded folks.
The 35-year-old recalled attending his first meeting and thinking, “‘Wow, these are really my people.’ It’s a great way for farmers to get together.”
Besides socializing and networking, Hofer gained business development and leadership skills.
He chaired the Oregon Farm Bureau YF&R committee from 2024-25, testifying before lawmakers in Salem, before being named to his national role.
Hofer made friends with farmers throughout the U.S., and many visited his orchard and museum in March when the YF&R Leadership Conference was held in nearby Portland.
He often visits Farm Bureau friends on his journeys to tractor shows in other states.
‘I love working on equipment’
Hofer, who also works as the farm manager of Oregon Flowers Inc., in Aurora, Ore., has about 12 tractors and he’s always restoring another.
“I love working on equipment. … I’ve just done it since I was a kid,” he said.
Hofer’s John Deere 320, only made from 1956-58, is on display at the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.
Older machines are straightforward and there’s no need for computers and fancy fixes, Hofer explained.
He particularly likes two-cylinder John Deere tractors from the Dubuque Works factory, which produced smaller machines.
“That specific size range, it’s kind of what I grew up on,” he said. Hofer, who grew up in the area, said he could drive a tractor before he could reach the pedals.
The versatile Dubuque Works tractors, which have a three-point hitch, can still be used today, Hofer added.
A youngster in the tractor collecting world
Most tractor collectors are older and from the Midwest, and they initially were curious about the West Coast youngster.
Hofer is named after his great uncle who was a John Deere dealer during the 1940s and 1950s.
Many of Hofer’s tractors were passed down, but he also purchased old machinery from nearby farms.
Besides tractors, Hofer has a horse-drawn plow, and an early Weygandt Machine caneberry harvester, which could replace 40-50 workers.
Hofer’s museum holds Farm Bureau meetings and other gatherings, and seniors from a local retirement community have visited.
West Coast representation
YF&R Committee members serve two-year terms, which are staggered to limit turnover.
Trelawney Bullis of California, AC Foods’ director of water, GIS and sustainability, also was appointed this year and Johnathan Quigley, a Washington tree fruit grower, was appointed in 2025.
Hofer said it is rare to have so much West Coast representation on the national group, which is often dominated by agricultural professionals from the Midwest and South.
He encouraged young agricultural professionals to get involved in Farm Bureau by attending county-level meetings, where they can learn more about YF&R regional and national events.
