Stretch your imagination a bit and you can think of the Dean farming operation as an interstate highway. When one family member signals an intention to move to the slow lane, another family member moves into the fast lane.

As children grow, they experience many firsts -- their first word, their first step, their first day of school. But for Willie Agner Jr., the most memorable first for him was purchasing his very own tractor.

More than 1,000 miles, major mountain ranges, and several rivers separated Ryan and Hope Pjesky as youngsters. But, their upbringings -- rooted in self-reliance -- mirrored each other.

Functioning within multigenerational family businesses can pose challenges. But the McNeelys' history tells their successful track record in dealing with these.

By American standards, Erich Decker is sitting pretty. And while he may seem young and his future is set, the transition on his family's farm has stipulations -- both educational and legal -- that Erich must meet.

Scott Sibbel's knowledge of hog production comes from both his late grandfather, Ray Sibbel, and his father, Tom. But raising hogs for Niman is more than nostalgia. It's a practical way to begin farming on his own.

The summer of 2008 was almost storybook perfect at the Hayek family's farm. None of it would have been possible without spreading machinery costs, teamwork and generosity with the younger generations.

When Neal and Jennifer Smith joined his parents' farm near Pendleton, Indiana, in 1992, it was already being squeezed by Indianapolis. But Neal and Jennifer were optimistic about their chances for success.

Trapped in traffic in Denver a decade ago, Greg McClure realized he was a long way from his home farm in Lawrence County, Illinois. In 1997, he and wife Amy felt the timing was right to move back to the family farm near St. Francisville.

After hearing that his father wanted to sell some of his cows, Mike Orwig decided it was time he carry on the family tradition. He moved his family from a suburb in Des Moines to 70 acres of land in rural Iowa and started with nine of his father's cows, a number that has jumped to 37.

Earlier this year, Josh and Jeremy Gerwin of Bradner, Ohio, closed on 78 acres of flat, tiled land about 25 miles south of Lake Erie. If all goes well, it could be the start of another generation of Gerwins on northwest Ohio land they've farmed since after the Civil War.

Andy Bettencourt has been a farmer in training for most of his 25 years. As a young boy he would follow his dad and the hired hands around the Crows Landing, California, farm, eager to learn all aspects of the operation.

Ben and Stella Elgorriaga know how difficult some situations can really be. In the early 1980s, they went through a rough stretch financially. That led Ben and Stella to take steps to make their business and family stronger.

Howard Wuertz and his wife, Jewell, have two sons and two daughters. All but one work in the business. Today they're facing a new era of looming water shortages and explosive urban development.

In almost eight years of farming, Jeremy Heitmann has experienced a lot: Lucky breaks. Unlucky ones. Mediocre crop prices. Today's boom. Land prices that make auctions frustrating for younger growers.

At seven years old, Bruce Langley had a question his father, Doug, didn't anticipate. "What's going to be left for me?" His young son was referring to the disappearing land base around his family's farm in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

The endgame for enterprising young men like 29-year-old Paul Hargus is to eventually turn the first shift of their career entirely over to farming. Reaching that goal, Paul testifies, takes a well-devised plan supported by optimism.

Bradley Kalt, 19, is the fourth generation of his family to farm. Like previous generations, Bradley is making opportunities out of adversity. That played a part in how he built the farm's cow herd. "There are always lots of opportunities," says Bradley.

Some might not call it farming to raise 1 acre of produce and 1/4 acre of pumpkins in central Iowa corn and soybean country. But Drew Scott and Lance Moeller learned a lot while planting and managing 10 tons of vegetables in a season, then marketing to local stores and two universities each week.

The challenges that Roger and Lois Zeedyk face are primarily good ones because they are dealing with a successful operation. But they are challenges nonetheless. They have adult children, landlords, and their own needs to consider.

FarmStart, a new seed capital program, doesn't actually own a stake in new businesses, as a true venture capitalist would. But it requires no down payment or equity for five-year loans up to $50,000 -- if the business cash flows and seems to have a good chance of succeeding.

The younger generation of the Dammann family farm is on the way to one day taking the farm's reins. This introduction into the farm was originally made possible by Dan Dammann's planning for his oldest son's return to the farm well ahead of Justin's graduation from college.

With 33 years farming experience under his belt and an innovative spirit to guide him, Dan Middendorf has become a leader to a new way of dairying. His guidance has not only helped his two sons get started in farming, but also has influenced at least two neighbors to get back into diarying.

The Henrekins weren't planning to open their Deer Grove, Illinois, farm to visitors when they bought a few elk in 1999. But, when 800 people from a 175-mile radius showed up for an open house in 2002, they saw an opportunity to turn their hobby into an agricultural tourism business.

Loren Van Wyk grew up in his dad's shadow in a farm shop near Pella, Iowa. Today a third generation of Van Wyks is building on a solid farm foundation, using new tools to create a more diversified base.

The Van Gorden family has been farming for seven generations. But when development meant his grandfather's farm wasn't available to be passed along to him, Zack Van Gorden was faced with the challenge of finding another place to milk cows.

It's never been easy farming near Ness City in western Kansas. But as spring approaches, Tyler Rider, who returned to his family's farm in 2003. has a lot to be thankful for. He feels fortunate just to be farming.

Luke Linnenbringer's full-time arrival on the farm coincided with the retirement of his grandfather, Hadley Sr. At that time, Hadley Sr. and Hadley Jr. dissolved their partnership. In January 2002, Luke and his father reorganized the business structure.

A cowboy, some horses, a herd of cattle, and wide-open spaces. There is a place in Hyannis, Nebraska, where all of these came together thanks to an agreement between a retiring rancher and an aspiring cowboy.

Since they earned their master's degrees in ag economics in 2003, Aaron and Holly Beaton have been farming the land Aaron's great-grandfather homesteaded in 1904. They are the fifth Beaton generation to farm in Kansas.

Anthony Anderson grew up in Pennsylvania, but spent several summers on relatives' farms in Montana and North Dakota. He planned to become a veterinarian, but his passion for farming won out, and now he farms in southeastern North Dakota, not far from where his ancestors homesteaded 100 years ago.

Ron Mapes of Stockton, Illinois, has heard it said, "You really don't own the land, you just use it so you can pass it on to the next generation in better condition than you received it." After 47 years in farming, it's his turn to pass the family's fourth-generation farm down to his son, Brad.

John I. and Mary Ellen Kauffman are retired from active dairying, but in many ways they're more involved than ever. By mentoring beginning producers and renting their dairy farm and facilities, the Kauffmans give young families the leg up needed to eventually go it alone.

Every young farmer experiences bumps on the road to success. That's just a fact of life. But for Jacob and Danielle Larson of Okeechobee, Florida, some of those bumps had names -- Charley, Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma.

When Jill Koch was just seven years old, her father was killed in a farm accident. Her mother, Jean, was determined to keep the family's Indiana farm going, and years later, Jill and husband Jeff became the fifth generation to farm the land and raise livestock there.

Thanks to Lyle and Pearl Guralski, Enos and Phebe Martin now have their own dairy. It was a risky, sometimes stressful experiment that began soon after Martin started working for them eight years ago. See what steps these neighbors took to ensure a smooth transition for the farm.

Take a look back into the Successful Farming archives and meet young and beginning farmers from our "Transitions" and "Up by their bootstraps" series.