About Nathan Michael Smith
Nathan Smith of North Dakota is the President of Smith Farms, Ltd., and a Managing Partner at Caliber, a real estate development company with projects in the Western portions of the United States. For over two decades, Smith has proudly carried on the family farming legacy, which dates back over five generations. Since taking the helm of Smith Farms in 1999, Nathan has grown the company over forty times its original size, from 460 leased acres to over 30,000 total farm acres today.
Nathan attributes much of his farming success to his father and grandfather, who taught him the hard work and dedication required to operate the family’s grain and cattle enterprise in Minot, ND. A multidimensional businessman, in 2014, Nathan took an interest in real estate development and launched Heartland Developers, LLC. He aims to bring a unique housing product to market in high-quality residential properties with an energy-saving infrastructure that could benefit from special financing and government incentives.
In 2024, Smith decided to expand on this venture and became the Managing Partner of Caliber. His success as a land developer is distinguished by two subdivisions his company has spearheaded within the Minot community. His role includes being the company’s financial and business analyst, responsible for researching real estate opportunities and monitoring economic trends to help the company make wise investment decisions and reduce risks.
Legacy of a Family Farmer
Nathan Smith is the Owner and Operator of Smith Farms, Ltd., a large cow, calf, and cattle feeding operation that he grew with the knowledge and expertise passed on from previous generations of Smith family farmers. The original farm is the current headquarters, located outside Minot, North Dakota. Under the helm of Smith and his ability to forge key relationships with local landowners, Smith Farms has expanded tremendously with a recent acquisition of 1,800 acres of farm ground in the state of Montana.
Growing up on his family’s grain and cattle ranch, Nathan learned the value of hard work and determination from his father and grandfather. He observed how they maintained a strong landlord relationship with other community farmers, and as he gained more experience, Nathan was given more responsibilities to lead significant operations on the farm.
Michael went on to attend North Dakota State University, where he graduated with a degree in Agricultural Economics. His tenacity for the business side of agriculture and his ability to recognize opportunities became evident very quickly. While still in high school, he launched his own business, importing trucks from Canada for resell. By the age of 20, Smith was selling up to 20 refurbished trucks per month when he was presented with an opportunity to rent 462 acres of ground north of Minot.
Nathan kickstarted this small beginning with other business opportunities that he took on. He would soon expand into hauling gravel, reselling farm equipment, flipping residential properties for profit, and mastering the art of winning bids at farm consignment auctions. By the year 2000, two of Smith’s neighbors offered a collective of 2,100 acres at a competitive price, which is now Smith Farms. During that decade, Nathan continued to expand Smith Farms’ acreage from local farmers looking to retire and buying previously leased land.
Real Estate and Land Developer
Nathan Smith is well-known in the North-Central region of North Dakota as a real estate and land developer with a gift for identifying and acquiring land and properties that are highly feasible for development. Smith is able to leverage his extensive network of local business partnerships and government entities to secure financing, procure building materials, manage construction, and perform due diligence in legal requirements to bring quality residential projects to a wide range of communities from low-income to upper-middle-class.
As the oil and agriculture economy receded in 2011, Nathan Smith launched his first real estate and development company, Heartland Developers, LLC, with a significant community project called 55th Crossing in Minot. This aggressive residential project is slated to include at least 12 townhomes initially, with the goal of building out 50 to 60 new duplexes each year. In this role, he has also overseen a number of local Minot development projects, including Stonehaven and Highlander projects. Smith has always been adept at problem-solving, so when the country started experiencing a housing crisis, Nathan envisioned an opportunity to develop unused land to build new communities.
As President of Heartland Developers, LLC, Smith is helping to build quality communities by providing affordable home rental opportunities that are more spacious and modern than the competition. Many of his developments are built to house the seasonal agriculture workforce required to keep commercial farmers successful during the harvest and processing seasons. Under Heartland Developers, Smith has completed projects in North Dakota, Colorado, Montana, and Idaho.
Smith is also a developer of mountain luxury properties.
Strong Community Advocate
Nathan Smith certainly pours an extreme amount of energy into Smith Farm’s operations, where he is determined to use resources efficiently and manage risk by using the Elliott wave principle and hedge accounts to mitigate market downturns and price fluctuations. He has four children, and he enjoys skiing and supporting local and national non-profits. Nathan is a board member of the Trinity Hospital Foundation and a member of the local Chamber of Commerce.
Smith is an active member of both the state and national levels of the Wheat Growers Association, which advocates for statewide wheat growers by highlighting and promoting policy efforts that unite and create a supportive environment for wheat farming. Nathan has always been active in local, state, and national politics, aiming to incentivize the next generation of commercial growers.
Smith is a former member of the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation and a current member of the Big Sky Free Ride Committee Board. He also serves as a current board member at McCall Winter Sports.
