The Independent
Grand Island, Nebraska
Monday, June 04, 2012
by Robert Poore

A parade of antique tractors celebrating Nebraska's agricultural legacy rolled into Grand Island Monday afternoon.

Nearly 40 antique tractors arrived in Grand Island from York as part of the Tractor Relay Across Nebraska. The event started in Plattsmouth and will end its nearly 500-mile journey at Lyman, which is near the Wyoming border, west of Scottsbluff.

Similar in concept to the old Pony Express, on each leg of the relay, members of various antique tractor clubs in Nebraska join the procession. Tuesday at about 9 a.m., more than 30 antique tractors will take off on the next leg of the relay in Kearney.

Along for the entire journey are Charlie and Diane CASE of Ellston, Iowa. Charlie CASE has been driving a 1962 310 John Deere tractor. He said the tractor he is driving has been in his family since the day his father bought it in 1962.

CASE said they hope to get to the Wyoming border by Sunday afternoon.

Also participating in the relay from Grand Island to Kearney today is Skip MEYER of Worms, who is driving a 1968 Minneapolis-Moline G900.

MEYER said one of the reasons for doing the relay is, "We like to promote our tractors and our hobby."

"The car clubs have their car shows and this is a good chance to show off our collections and a chance for us to do something to promote that spirit of the Pony Express," he said.

The route is divided into nine one-day segments. The relay started from Plattsmouth on Saturday. The Nebraska Antique Farming Association is sponsoring the event. MEYER said more than 180 tractors are expected to participate.

Back in the 1860s, before the advent of the railroad and telegraph, Pony Express riders took a similar route across Nebraska on the way to California in delivering the mail. Along the route, fresh horses and riders were part of the relay across the state.

For CASE, the relay is not only about promoting their hobby and agriculture's mechanized legacy, but also a chance to "meet a lot of nice people."

"You get to like them all," CASE said. "They are all friends."

Once in Grand Island, they gathered in the parking lot of Orscheln Farm and Home. There, new friendships were made as they discussed the relay and shared stories about the tractors they drive.

From Cortland, driving a 706 Farmall tractor, Donelle MOORMEIER and her husband, Ron, who is driving a 806 Farmall tractor, plan to make the entire journey, "If we don't break down," she said.

With temperatures in the 90s, these old tractors don't have air-conditioned cabs and only have the breeze of going 30 mph and an umbrella to protect the driver from the sun.

For many of these antique tractor enthusiasts, that was how they farmed anyway, "back in the day."

"It is not too bad," Donelle MOORMEIER said. "You get a little sun."

She said the 806 Farmall tractor her husband is driving was a Christmas gift from his dad in 1966.

"We farmed with this tractor up to three years ago," she said. "We retired it then and now we drive it in the memory of his dad."

These tractor enthusiasts are proud of their tractors after all of these years of faithful service.

"These are still running and those (today's modern behemoths) won't last near that many years," said CASE, whose tractor has been steadily on the job for 50 years.

MOORMEIER said it has been a wonderful experience so far.

"This has been really neat because you get to meet all the tractor clubs across Nebraska and you get to meet a lot of neat people," she said. "It is all about the camaraderie and knowledge they have."

And there are a lot of stories, some of which are true, she said with a wink and a laugh.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2012