By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The weather rose above zero just in time for the Rock Island Quad Cities Farm Show in late January. This northern Illinois show, while not a huge venue, packed plenty of punch for farmers in the area.

The QCCA center was filled with farmers and featured tractors, tools, lawn and garden items, trucks and many other ag-related items – such as the Walinga AgriVac.

Randy Bradfield, one of the sales representatives for Walinga, said the company has been dealing with pneumatics for 50 years. Fred Koch, the local dealer for Walinga, added, “This is a safe way to move grain. It makes for healthier air for farmers.”

The dynamics of the AgriVac decrease the dust and pollen the farmer breathes. According to customer literature, “The Walinga AgriVac puts an end to legs, augers, sweeps and shovels. Grain handling has never been simpler, safer or healthier.”

Longtime customer and former salesman, Harlan Meier, sold the equipment for years. “I did it 30 years ago,” he added, attending his second day at the show.

Tom Heller of the John Deere dealership River Valley Turf Lawn and Garden was  also set up, in a corner of the show, and while he had a variety of machinery, visitors were drawn to the Special Edition JDXUV620.

“This is a JD Gator,” he explained. “They have made it for two years, but this one has special paint; it is usually John Deere green.”

Besides the black metallic paint, it also comes specialized in silver. “It has automotive type seats and is used for activities such as hauling seed bags and bales of hay,” Heller said. “It is a recreation vehicle as well. It is a multipurpose four-wheel drive with four-wheel drive suspension.”

On down the row not far from Heller was Mike Franzen of Franzen Family Tractors. He had examples of Mahindra and TYM tractors. These little machines are 23-100 hp turbo tractors that incorporate Caterpillar engines.

“We have a used tractor and combine yard,” Franzen said, near Monmouth, Iowa. “We sell parts for them.”

Besides the huge salvage yard where parts for a variety of tractor and combines can be found, Franzen is also part of an auction business located three miles outside Baldwin, Iowa. His son and son-in-law also have a unique venture turning lawn and garden tractors into pulling tractors.

“They take a one-cylinder engine and rework and rebuild it for 50 to 80-plus horsepower,” he explained.

One example he pointed to was a Cub Cadet that had been converted. “One of their pullers won best of show at Des Moines last year,” Franzen added.

The Antique Engine & Tractor Assoc. cornered the market on old equipment at the show. It has been around since 1959 and prides itself each year on having a working show with farm demonstrations of the 1940s and 1950s.

The association is dedicated to preserving the historic value of antique power-driven farm equipment, from early horse-drawn plows to gasoline and steam tractors, to equipment decades old. Ernest Telkemeyer of Geneseo, Ill., has been a member for 16 years. His antique tractor collection includes a variety of brands, but he said they all represent the first in machinery advancements.
The association, Telkemeyer explained, is undergoing changes. “This is our last year at the Atkinson, Illinois, site,” he said. “We are moving and we are building a new barn for our club; it will be the club building.”

 The planned site is 40 acres that was donated to the club for the purpose of building a permanent location, eight miles north of Geneseo and one mile west on Illinois Route 92. At this point it has a pole barn and corn crib that have been cleaned up, and members plan to build a new multi-use club building.

The association is an independent nonprofit organization; for information or to make a donation, write: Antique Engine & Tractor Assoc., Inc., P.O. Box 267, Atkinson, IL  61235.

While many business groups were at the farm show, the Rock Island Soil and Water Conservation District was on hand as well. Besides offering trees for sale, it was promoting continuing education workshops, such as the Forest Management Workshop in September. For more information, call 309-756-9978.