Ethan Lulich, 11-Year-Old Collecting Dynamo

by Larry LeMasters

Ethan Lulich of Lyndon Station, Wis., is a well-rounded model tractor collector. He has a passion for Minneapolis-Moline (M-M), even though he was raised around Oliver tractors. He collects and restores antique tractors, has an extensive M-M model tractor collection and serves as an auctioneer at toy tractor sales. And he is 11 years old-an 11-year-old dynamo. Makes you wonder what he'll do when he grows up.

For now, Ethan is busy being a kid. He mom and dad, Lori and Dave Lulich, own a 23-acre "farmette," where Ethan raises show market lambs. Dave Lulich also owns an auction business and a landscaping company, and Ethan works for both companies.

A sixth-grader at St. Patrick's School in Mauston, Wis., Ethan enjoys playing basketball and running track and is a member of the Lyndon Pioneers 4-H Club and the Juneau County Youth Livestock Association.

"In my spare time," he says, "I have been an active pedal tractor puller and recently I competed in the state livestock judging contest, where we judged beef cattle, hogs and sheep. Our team placed third overall, and I was ranked ninth individually, which I thought was pretty good considering I was the youngest member on the team." Ethan anticipates doing more judging in the future, since it "definitely helps me prepare my lams for the show ring."

Compared to those who have been collecting fore decades, Ethan's collection might be considered small. But when you consider his age and his 175 or so model farm tractors, his collecting endeavor seems huge, especially when you also consider his models are collectibles, not toys for the sandbox.

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