In 1998, the story goes that Tom Furlong looked across his farmland near Hastings, considered the crop prices, and thought maybe he’d rather mow greens and fairways than plow cornfields.

The Apple Auto Group, which owns Ford dealerships in Apple Valley and Shakopee, is purchasing Furlong Chevrolet and Buick in Northfield. According to the Northfield News, Tom Furlong recently sold ...