Emigrating from Denmark in 1867, and initially moving to Iowa, Lars Peter Anderson's first born Nelson C. Anderson made front page news at the time by hiring a train to transfer all his holdings to North Dakota, starting Anderson Family Farms in Englevale, North Dakota in 1915. Nelson started a large diversified farm producing corn, wheat and other cereals, as well as livestock.

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Born 1910, Nelson's oldest son Leo, after completing his studies at the Land Grant College in Fargo N.D - now NDSU - started working for the U.S Department of Agriculture as a soil conservationist in Washington and Idaho states. In 1945 Leo was recruited to manage Newday Seedsmen Inc. in Fargo, which he operated until 1959 when he became Chief Agriculturist for Development and Resource Corp. in Iran, where he developed the Dez Dam project. As an international consultant, he started working on World Bank and Occidental Petroleum projects taking him to 41 different countries.

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In 1918 brother Nelson C. Anderson Jr. was born. After graduating from North Dakota State in 1940 he was assigned to assist in food security for the WWII effort. After the war, he moved to Heppner, Oregon to fill a position as County Extension agent in Morrow, County. His experience with animals also made him the area veterinarian. Encouraged by his older brother's international work, Nels took a leave of absence from the extension service to develop an agriculture training program, funded by USAID in Niger, Africa. He built an agriculture school with dormitories on the banks of the Niger River and then recruited two of the best and the brightest from every village to train them in modern farming practices. In 1974 he accepted an assignment to work in Botswana, Africa and the Kalahari Desert where he developed a range management program for local farmers and ranchers to practice sustainable cattle production. His next assignment was training Peace Corps volunteers in India in agricultural practices. After returning from India he retired as county extension agent and then continued as an agricultural consultant.  

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After selling land in North Dakota, and purchasing land in Canby OR, three generations later Anderson Family Farms continues to operate - now as a sod farm and wholesale nursery growing and supplying trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, and fruit bearing plants to customers both near and far. Anderson Family Farms also contract grows specific varieties in large quantities to meet customer needs. Anderson Family Farms has consulted and supplied nursery stock to projects all around the world.

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