By CINDY LADAGE
Wrenching Tales
Rodney Miller is an antique tractor collector who was at this year’s Red Power Round Up in Sedalia, Mo., because International Harvester is his brand. Rodney and Jann Carl host the hit RFD-TV show "Small Town Big Deal," which covers stories about real people in real towns.
They were also at the Red Power Winter Show and offered a presentation about their program and how their farm roots bond them to other collectors because they share their passion for old iron.
In January 2016, Rodney and Jann are taking their show to the ocean and offering the first Caribbean Vintage Tractor Cruise. "The thing I am most looking forward to," Rodney said, "is the fellowship with tractor enthusiasts and good wholesome folks across America who value their heritage and tractors in general. These are just good people, and I look forward to getting to know each one of them."
Rodney has his late father, Gene’s, 1978 International 1086. "The tractor was purchased new in 1979 from my uncle Charles Miller, who was an IH dealer in McLeansboro, Illinois," he said. "I was with my father the day he bought the tractor and got to drive it home." His father bought what he called the last of "the black seat models made."
This was the only tractor his father bought that had a cab. After locating the tractor, which had been sold after his father’s death, Rodney had it restored. George Glasscock restored the tractor starting in December 2008 and finishing the following May, and they brought it to the Half Century of Progress in 2009. Rodney has been showing it ever since.
While having the tractor was a big deal for this farm boy, it is the sentimental tug that roots Rodney to the tractor because, "My dad, Gene, simply put, was absolutely the greatest man I have ever known."
He grew up on a farm in southern Illinois outside the little town of Benton where he did the typical things that farm kids do: he drove tractors, took care of cattle, cut hay, plowed, disked, planted and harvested crops. This background gave Rodney a love of agriculture and Midwest values.
After leaving Illinois, his work took him to Arkansas and then Georgia. His career has included farm machinery manufacturing and sales. He served as CEO of both McCormick International and Montana, and said he was instrumental in establishing U.S. operations for Valtra Tractors and was in territory management for Long and Mahindra Tractors.
Rodney still maintains a 1,000-acre row crop operation in the Benton area and a small operation in Georgia, as well as owning/operating a large corn maze in the Atlanta metro area.
The idea of having an antique tractor cruise is credited to "Small Town Big Deal" co-owner Stew Paquette.
An antique tractor cruise makes sense because Stew has his own Farmall museum in Leesburg, Fla. Collectors will be excited to know he has donated something special to the cruise: A beautifully restored 1955 Farmall Cub.
"Every person who buys a ticket for the cruise will have a chance to win the Cub." said Stew. "It’s a real beauty and one lucky person will not only be enjoying a vacation of a lifetime, but they’ll be getting a new tractor for their collection."
The cruise is sponsored by Nationwide/Hagerty and will be featured on an episode of "Small Town Big Deal." Organizers invite tractor collectors and folks who love rural America to join them on this seven-night western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. The cruise departs Port Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 10 with a stop along the way at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, for an optional one-of-a-kind agricultural excursion. There will also be a stop at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, and CocoCay, Bahamas.
The cruise cost begins at $999 per person and includes seven nights’ accommodations and all meals aboard ship including coffee, tea and juice. Log onto www.smalltownbigdeal.com for more information and to book online, or call 866-653-6779. This should be the perfect delayed holiday celebration for antique tractor collectors of any brand.
