The Anderson Farms story begins in 1911 when Swedish emigrants August and Josephine Anderson purchased a farm south of Mead, Colorado. They lived there with their four children, Albert, Mildred, Edwin and Laurine. August and Josephine died when the children were young, so Albert and Edwin took over the farm. Over the years they grew corn, sugar beets, barley, alfalfa, wheat and in the 1930's began raising cattle. Edwin married Louise Johnson, a Longmont farming native, in 1946. Her father, Emil Johnson, was also a Swedish emigrant. Emil and his wife Esther spent many years farming near Highway 287 and Lookout Road south of Longmont.
In 1958, as Interstate 25 was being built, the government purchased some of the Anderson property for the highway project. The money Edwin and Albert received from this purchase was used to buy the current Anderson Farms property near Erie. Until 1996, the South Farm, as it is known, was a tenant farm. Other families, including the Walkers and Rasmussens lived and worked on the farm.
Edwin and Louise had three children Barbara, Jody and Jim. Barbara and her husband Randy, three children and four grandchildren now live in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jody lives on the farm near Mead. Jim and his wife, Brenda live near the South Farm. They have two daughters Rachelle, who is actively involved with the farm and Megan who lives and studies in the Front Range area.
