Photo: Rusty Halvorson/KFGO Ag News
Emerging Prairie will host “The Never-Quitters: An Evening with Howard Dahl and Friends” on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm) at the Grand Farm Innovation Campus, 3717 153rd Avenue Southeast, Wheatland, North Dakota. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required and available through Eventbrite.
The evening celebrates the career of Howard Dahl, an entrepreneur and agricultural innovator whose family has shaped modern farm equipment for three generations. Dahl is the grandson of E.G. Melroe, founder of Melroe Manufacturing, whose inventions — including an early skid-steer loader concept — became the foundation of the Bobcat brand. Dahl went on to build his own legacy in the industry, co-founding Concord Inc. with his brother Brian to pioneer air seeder technology that advanced no-till and direct-seeding farming practices worldwide. After Concord was sold to Case IH in 1996, Dahl founded Amity Technology, where he continues to serve as founder, president and CEO.
The gathering coincides with the release of Dahl’s new book, “The Never-Quitters: The E.G. Melroe Legacy,” co-authored with Patrick McCloskey. The book traces the Melroe family’s multigenerational contributions to agricultural innovation and the persistence that drove them.
Guests will also enjoy a live musical performance by Leoncarlo Canlas, a classically trained violinist, composer and music educator from Denton, Texas, and a past TEDxFargo speaker.
“The Never-Quitters” precedes Autonomous Nation, Grand Farm’s conference exploring the advancement of autonomous and agricultural technology.
An Evening with Howard Dahl and Friends opens the Never-Quitters series, a conversation series hosted by Emerging Prairie and inspired by Dahl’s book of the same name — a tribute to the people who built companies, took risks and imagined something bigger for North Dakota, and an invitation for the next generation to ask who might be the state’s next Never-Quitter.
This year’s series continues Wednesday, October 28, with Ron Offutt, founder and Chairman Emeritus of R.D. Offutt Company and RDO Equipment Co., moderated by his grandson, Connor McGovern, and again Tuesday, November 24, with former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, moderated by her brother, Joel Heitkamp. Both events are free and open to the public at the Grand Farm Innovation Campus; details are below.
Event Details
The Never-Quitters: An Evening with Howard Dahl and Friends
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When: Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
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Where: Grand Farm Innovation Campus
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Cost: Free (registration required)
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Register: eventbrite.com – The Never-Quitters
Coming This Fall in the Never-Quitters Series
The Never Quitters: An Evening with Ron Offutt and Friends
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When: Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
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Where: Grand Farm Innovation Campus
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Cost: Free (registration required)
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Register: eventbrite.com – The Never-Quitters
The Never-Quitters: An Evening with Heidi Heitkamp and Friends
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When: Tuesday, November 24, 2026 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
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Where: Grand Farm Innovation Campus
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Cost: Free (registration required)
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Register: eventbrite.com – The Never-Quitters
Emerging Prairie news release
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