Oliver S. Clay, who at 80 years of age is one of the oldest active auctioneers in the country, called his 9,000th sale in Shelbyville. Last month he marked his 56th year as an auctioneer.

Eddie Stoner, 9, escaped serious injury while riding on a tractor with his father, Orndorph Stoner, north of Mohawk. The youth fell off unnoticed while his father was pulling a sprayer behind the tractor and watching it, when he saw the rear wheel of the tractor passing alongside Eddie’s head. Before he could stop the empty sprayer passed over Eddie’s hand. The only injury to the youth was a slightly bruised cheek.

The theft of a new tractor was aborted recently when a farmer pursued the stolen vehicle some six miles into Centerville, where the thief abandoned it and fled. The big 1973 model machine was stolen from beside a barn at the Frank Westover residence at Willow Grove and Potter Shop roads, southwest of Centerville.

A building that will incorporate the latest advancements in engineering is being built on Route 46 west of Greensburg, to house the 18th Heinold hog market in Indiana. The building is expected to be ready by early fall. Randall Hanna will manage the market. The building is being constructed by Morton Buildings of Rushville.

The Hoffman farm five miles east of Lebanon will be the site of the Farm Progress Show for this year. The 775-acre farm will be expanded to 895 acres with the rental of a neighboring 120 acres. Six hundred acres will be put into corn, 40 acres in soybeans, 100 acres for parking, 50 acres for an airplane landing strip and 50 acres for commercial exhibits. Nearly 400 corn varieties have been planted in special plots by 39 hybrid corn companies.

Purdue entomology professor Peter Dunn received the Purdue Agricultural Research Award for his research on insects’ immune systems. He has identified antibiotic-type substances from insects that potentially could control some diseases and one day, “insect antibiotics” may help control human, animal and plant disease.

Used combines for sale: JD 8820 1985, 680 hours, $63,500; JD7720D 1985, 200 hours, $65,000; JD 6620D 1980, 1,560 hours, $25,500; JD6600D 1976, 2,460 hours, $12,500; JD4400D 1974, 2,150 hours, $7,000 – Smith Implements, Greenfield, Ind.

The nation’s cattlemen overwhelmingly approved the $1 per-head beef checkoff, which passed the referendum by a 78.9 percent margin.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has named State Rep. Chuck Hartke (D-Teutopolis) as director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. He will be paid $113,200 annually for his position. Besides serving as state representative, Hartke and his wife, Kathy, have farmed together with their son, Chris, on the family’s 800-acre farm, and lease two hog barns.

The oldest known tractor in Ohio was also made in Ohio, in Akron. It’s a 1908 International Harvester, 20-hp friction drive that is owned by tractor collector, repairer and restorer Wendell Kelch of Bethel.

Sheridan and Associates ran a successful auction for Virgil and Virginia Ferguson of Xenia, Ohio. Sold were several pieces of farm machinery bringing high bids, including: JD 4840 D tractor, average condition, $16,250; JD 4440 D tractor, average condition, $14,100; JD 2440 D tractor with JD 146 front loader, $10,400; and White 2-60 D tractor, rough, $4,700.