FAIRMOUNT, N.D. (DTN) -- Josh Hardie may be Richland County, N.D.'s version of the new All-American farmer: The now 27-year-old bought his first 110-acre property before some city kids earn their drivers' licenses.

Barely a decade later, he runs his own 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm that straddles state borders into Minnesota and South Dakota. To cut start-up costs, he and his father share equipment ownership, including state-of-the-art combines and a new 36-row planter with computer-controlled SWATH technology.

Hardie met his bride, Sarah, online at e-Harmony, and taught the Texas beauty to chisel plow their first year of marriage. Such ...