Monthly Features of Toy Farmer Magazine

Custom & Scratch Projects: Part Two

8/17/2026

Note: This feature is in the Sept. TF 2026 issue.

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Chris Woods builds Keck-Gonnerman 22-horsepower steam engines, modeled after engines from 1859 and 1869. He designs and 3D prints the models.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the SEPTEMBER TF 2026 magazine!
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Farm Display Inspired by Imagination

7/15/2026

By Fred Hendricks
Note: This feature is in the August TF 2026 issue.

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Scale model displays are sometimes based on the family’s farmstead, but Kent Lees was inspired to build an entirely different farm-related display using his creative imagination.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the AUGUST TF 2026 magazine!
CLICK HERE to: SUBSCRIBE

Pulling for Pedals

6/15/2026

By Luann Dart
Note: This feature is in the July TF 2026 issue.

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Where the community's roadside attraction is a giant fiberglass Holstein cow, it's only fitting that Josh Hoesel's mascot for Angry Calf Pedal Pulls is a fierce horned Holstein harnessed to a pulling sled.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the JULY TF 2026 magazine!
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American IRON from Switzerland

5/15/2026

By Jacco van den Broek
Note: This feature is in the June TF 2026 issue.

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Switzerland is known for the majestic Alps, precision watches and tempting chocolate.
In northern Switzerland near the Swiss-German border is the small village of Basadingen, with about 1,700 residents. This is home to Gottfried Möckli, founder and owner of PowertTrac Models. He also has a private collection of 1/32 scale farm toys and a wall filled with sales brochures from all over the world.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the JUNE TF 2026 magazine!
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Builder Coaxes Steel into Masterpieces

4/16/2026

By Luann Dart
Note: This feature is in the May TF 2026 issue.

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First comes the vision, then the penciled sketch mapping geometry and numerals into the next creation. Finally, coaxing stubborn steel + brass into a new existence.
Ron Volesky, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has spent decades shaping steel into 1/16 scale masterpieces with working parts.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the MAY TF 2026 magazine!
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AGCOSTAR 8425 4WD

3/16/2026

By Kenneth Updike
Note: This feature is in the April TF 2026 issue.

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This year's National Farm Toy Show model is the AGCOSTAR 8425 four-wheel-drive tractor. Built in both 1/32 and 1/64 scales, the 8425 tractor made by the Ertl Company for the National Farm Toy Show.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the APRIL TF 2026 magazine!
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Builder puts Creativity onto Workbench

2/18/2026

By Larry LeMasters
Note: This feature is in the March TF 2026 issue.

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Growing up on a farm in the 1950s, I grew to enjoy anything with a motor attached to it, which, as it turns out, includes farm toys," says Batteen, who was raised on a 640-acre farm outside of Aberdeen, S.D.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the MARCH TF 2026 magazine!
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Emsweller Evolves from 'garden farmer to collector'

1/15/2026

By Larry LeMasters
Note: This feature is in the February TF 2026 issue.

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Gary Emsweller, Danville, Ind., not only is an avid farm toy collector, but he shares his love of farm toys with his son, Drew, and his grandson, Dane.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the FEBRUARY TF 2026 magazine!
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National Farm Toy Show® Draws Record Crowd

12/16/2025

By Luann Dart
Note: This feature is in the January TF 2026 issue.

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Newcomers and old-timers alike made the pilgrimage to the 48th Annual National Farm Toy Show in Dyersville, Iowa, seeking treasures among the A-to-Z list of vendors and venues buzzing with buyers.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the JANUARY TF 2026 magazine!
CLICK HERE to: SUBSCRIBE

Collector Fills Shelves with 1/8 Scale

11/17/2025

By Fred Hendricks
Note: This feature is in the December TF 2025 issue.

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Farm toy hobbyists often focus their collection on
models that replicate tractors and equipment used
on their farm. Terry Warren is an Illinois farmer
who started collecting replicas of his real equipment.
However, the scope of the family farm over three
generations represents a large number of tractors.

Want to read the story?
It's available in the DECEMBER TF 2025 magazine!
CLICK HERE to: SUBSCRIBE

<<Previous

Custom & Scratch Projects: Part Two

Farm Display Inspired by Imagination

Pulling for Pedals

American IRON from Switzerland

Builder Coaxes Steel into Masterpieces

AGCOSTAR 8425 4WD

Builder puts Creativity onto Workbench

Emsweller Evolves from 'garden farmer to collector'

National Farm Toy Show® Draws Record Crowd

Collector Fills Shelves with 1/8 Scale

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