Boonsboro's FFA members take tractors to school

Tractor Day is a time for machines to shine

February 29, 2008|By ERIN JULIUS

BOONSBORO - Cody Palmer stalled out five times Thursday morning as he drove his rusted red 1939 Farmall H tractor to Boonsboro High School for Tractor Day.

Tractor Day judges later called Palmer's rig the "steel beam" and officially pronounced it the ugliest of 14 tractors in competition.

For decades, Boonsboro High School students have driven their tractors to school for an annual contest crowning the prettiest tractor.

This year, organizers added the "ugliest tractor" category, said Erin Canfield, 16, the FFA's president.

The judges wanted to find the oldest tractor for the "ugliest" award, said Boonsboro High School teacher Brad Delauter, one of the Tractor Day judges.

Delauter awarded ribbons and shook hands with all six winners - three in each category - and presented the two first-place winners with gift cards donated by Tractor Supply Co.

Tractor Day is part of FFA week, meant "to show everybody what we do, and the equipment that we drive," Canfield said.

National FFA week was last week, but Tractor Day had to be postponed because of bad weather.

Canfield's John Deere tractor was honored as the third-most ugly, and she thought the judges got it about right, she said.

Canfield lives in Sharpsburg, and it took her more than 30 minutes on her tractor Thursday morning to make a trip that usually takes about five minutes in a car, she said.

Brittany Bowman's shiny red Massey Ferguson was named the prettiest tractor. She drove the tractor, which had no cab, to school Thursday morning despite the biting wind.

"She drove it to school in the wind. That deserves some points," Delauter said.

Bowman, 18, also powerwashed the mud off her tractor before chug-a-lugging to school Thursday, she said.

The judges were looking for more modern tractors to honor with the "pretty" awards, said Mark Wadel, another judge.

Boonsboro High School has a strong agricultural background, and a lot of students interested in pursuing agriculture-related careers when they graduate, said William Heavner, one of the school's FFA advisers.

The school's FFA chapter has about 55 members, he said.

· To see a slideshow of Tractor Day at Boonsboro High School, go to http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=187279&format=html

|

|

|