By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

RANTOUL, Ill. — The Half Century of Progress Show was filled with an array of FFA clubs raffling off beautifully restored antique tractors.

The Charleston FFA had a 1956 Farmall 400 and Jerry Thomas, the parent in charge of the project, said it was his son, Justin, who talked ag teacher Julie Nemerg into doing the project.

The Farmall was originally purchased to help with another project: “We bought it as a parts tractor for a Super M project.”

The Charleston FFA used the head from the Farmall 400 for their Super M, but then decided to go ahead and finish up the 400 for their next venture. “It took us a year. We have 1,500 hours in it, counting students’ time,” Thomas explained.

“I came in two or three days a week for two hours or so after school, except for harvest and planting time.”

While many students may not have wanted the extra school time, that wasn’t the case with this club. “That was the best part of the day for several of those kids. All the work was done at the Charleston High School. This tractor raffle finished and the tractor winner was selected the week after the Half Century of Progress,” Thomas said.

“The money stays in the chapter and goes to help students attend the FFA state conventions, judging and restoring other tractors.”

Past Charleston FFA projects have fared well. The Farmall H they restored made it in the top 10 of the Dello/Chevron contest. In the past they also restored the Super M and an Allis Chalmers C.

Justin and John Thomas, Dakota Lowery, Corrine Stevens, Dillon Morton, Cordy Horn, Nathan Hendrin, Zack Klingler and Hayden Haney were the core group who worked on the Farmall 400. The next project will soon be under way and anyone interested in tickets or details can contact Jerry at 217-345-7858 or email him at tfarms@consolidated.net

Next to the Charleston group was the Heyworth FFA. Justin Nutter, the ag teacher, said his group restored a 1948 8 N Ford.

“It came from Indiana. We found it at this show (the Half Century of Progress) two years ago,” he said. “It took us a year to restore it. We do one tractor ever year.”

Nutter is becoming a pro at the tractor restoration game. He assisted his students with it when teaching in Missouri for five years and has been working with the Heyworth group for the past seven. In the past the Heyworth FFA has restored a Farmall M, John Deere 520, Case CC and Ford 8N, and an Allis Chalmers C is in the shop right now.

Tickets for the 1948 Ford are still available, and the group will be set up at the Prairie Land Heritage Museum Institute Fall Festival Days and Steam Show Days in Jacksonville, Sept. 23-25. Tickets are $5 and for information on obtaining tickets, call the Heyworth High School at 217-651-3523.

“Money from the sale is for senior scholarships and to fund next year’s projects,” Nutter added.

Tanner Stout headed up the project and worked as Justin’s right-hand man. Evan Patrick also spent several ours working on the tractor, along with many other Heyworth students.

The Tuscola FFA had a Farmall H they were raffling off. Jordyn Martin, Lisa Bonder and Eric Bonder were on hand selling tickets.

“We got it and restored it last winter,” Lisa Bonder said. “We worked on it at school with our ag teacher, Mrs. (Callie) Parr.”

She added the group worked long hours to complete the H. Tickets for it are still available, at $10 each, until Oct. 21; call Tuscola High School at 217-253-3277 for details and ask for the ag teacher.

The last Illinois club was the Orangeville FFA. Larry Lartz, a retired mechanic and the advisor, said the restoration was done at his place. “This is the first one,” he said. “Nick Gimple, the FFA president, took it on to get this done.”
The tractor was donated by Les Neilson from Lena, Ill. “It was in sad shape. We had to take it all apart and had to get the parts from Ron Jones,” Lartz explained.

He said Jones was reasonable with the club and accommodated it on price. “Tires were donated by Firestone through Bushman’s tire service in Millageville, Illinois, and the paint was donated by Larry Cornelius.”

Seven students worked on the tractor: Nick Gimple, Larry Hinrichs, Rick Strossner, Luke and Zack Jeffries, Eddie Smith and Cody Vandenburg. “They started on this two years ago. Last September, we had to tear the donated tractor apart. The tractor was complete the second week of June 2011, in time for the Orangeville Fireman’s Festival,” Lartz said.

For information about this tractor and tickets, call him at 815-831-2263. Tickets are available until Sept. 30 and the winner will be drawn at the homecoming game.