Charles Crane/MDN Cooper Pedie of Bottineau stands next to his John Deere 50th Anniversary 9600 combine in a wheat field he was harvesting outside of Souris.

BOTTINEAU — Summer jobs are a time-honored tradition for high schoolers across the country. While his peers put in shifts at fast-food joints and brick-and-mortar retail stores, Cooper Pedie, 15, of Bottineau took a different path, buying a used combine and going into business as a custom harvester.

“I saw a combine at my neighbor’s place for sale. I wasn’t really too interested but then my dad sort of talked me into it,” Pedie said, which was disputed by his father, Rob Pedie.

“I didn’t have to talk you into it,” Rob Pedie said with a chuckle. “He’s been farming and ranching since he was five.”

Cooper conceded that maybe he didn’t need that much convincing to purchase the John Deere 50th Anniversary 9600 Combine. His mother Ashley Pedie said that her son has always had an interest in everything mechanical. While Cooper’s focus jumped around to boats and planes over the years, leading to him taking flying lessons at one point, Ashley noted he always came back to tractors and combines.

Rob Pedie recalled one incident when Cooper was 6, in which he took control of a small dozer and operated it like a pro.

“His feet wouldn’t even reach the floor. He’s standing up in there, running the controls, and he drove it over to where I was and started pushing dirt,” Rob Pedie said.

Cooper Pedie said his first harvest has been going “pretty good.” So far, he has two customers and has harvested around 240 acres. Pedie expects to work around 1,000 acres by the end of harvest, but isn’t in a hurry to upgrade quite yet. Despite being 10 years older than he is, Pedie’s acquisition is serving him well and is the first step toward the dream of owning and working his own land one day. Currently a sophomore at Bottineau High School, Pedie plans to attend North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton after he graduates.