FRUITLAND, Idaho—Fruitland High School’s FFA chapter is the surprise owner of a restored 1946 John Deere GM tractor that was raffled off to raise scholarship money for Idaho FFA students.
Instead of writing their own name on the back of the winning ticket, the person who purchased it wrote “Fruitland FFA chapter.”
That’s the first time that has happened during the tractor raffle’s five-year history and Fruitland ag science teacher Mike Tesnohlidek didn’t believe it at first when he received a text from a student telling him the school won the tractor.
“I was like, ‘whatever,’” he said. “Two minutes later I got a text from (fellow ag science teacher Troy Wright) and I realized it was true.”
Wright and Tesnohlidek said they considered selling the tractor but decided its sentimental value and practical uses would be more valuable to the school’s agricultural sciences program.
“There are all kinds of things we can use it for,” Wright said.
That includes raising awareness of the FFA program by showing it off during parades and community events, teaching non-farm students to drive it and educating students about basic tractor maintenance.
The tractor also has a sprayer and can be used to teach students about the basics of spraying.
“It would be pretty good to go through it with the students and teach them about the components and what it takes to drive a tractor,” Tesnohlidek said.
Twin Falls area farmer Ralph Breeding, who donated the tractor, said he was happy to hear it was put to good use.
“It’s nice to know it’s still in good hands,” he said. “They can keep it for awhile, do whatever they want with it, and then sell raffle tickets for it again if they want.”
The annual tractor raffle was started by Middleton farmer Sid Freeman and his wife, Pam, in 2011. Five tractors built in the 1940s and early 1950s have been raffled off since then and this year’s tractor raised $24,000.
That is enough to provide 14 $1,000 scholarships and two $2,000 scholarships for ag education majors. The rest of the money will go to support FFA programs.
The raffle has sold between 2,400 to 3,700 $10 tickets each year but the goal has always been 5,000, which would be enough to provide 30 scholarships, Freeman said.
Based on a survey of ag education teachers last year that asked them how that 5,000 ticket goal might be achieved, Freeman decided to buy a newer model with more practicable uses.
Next year’s tractor is an early 1980s model Massey Ferguson 275 with a loader and blade.
The ag education teachers “said, maybe if you used a little newer model, then you could sell more tickets,” Freeman said. “We’re going to see if that theory works.”
The $7,000 cost of the tractor and loader will be offset by business sponsorships the program has sold for each of the nine tractor banners used by FFA chapters during various events.
Source: www.capitalpress.com