By Susan Barnard

    Several retired farmers and tractor enthusiasts who are members of the Nebraska Antique Farming Association are gearing up to travel the Nebraska countryside in June from the seat of their favorite antique tractor.
    Founded in 2011, the Nebraska Antique Farming Association is a group that unites fellow Nebraskans who are interested in collecting, preserving, and using older farm machinery. The group’s first official meeting was held in Lexington at Dawson Public Power District in November of 2011. The group strives to raise awareness of Nebraska’s Agriculture heritage through the promotion of demonstrations, exhibits, and tractor drives. Their first “Tractor Relay Across Nebraska” occurred in June of 2012. This year’s relay will take place June 3 - 7 beginning in Gothenburg, Nebraska, and ending in Wauneta. The group follows a different route in Nebraska every year and has visited 88 of the 93 counties across the great state of Nebraska.
    Organizing an event such as this takes considerable planning and is no easy task. Ron and Donelle Moormeier, Norris Public Power District customers of rural Cortland, have been participating in the relay for years. Donelle is the relay coordinator for the group.  
    Almost every community visit includes a stop at the American Legion if the town has one, for meals and fellowship. The group also gets to enjoy visiting historical sites and often local farmers who have collections of tractors will host the group for tours along the way. According to Moormeier, she and other group members will reach out to local Chamber of Commerce groups or American Legions for suggestions on places to tour along the routes, which makes for interesting stops along the way.
    This year’s tractor drive will include stops at the Heartland Museum, a winery in Lexington, the original Pony Express in Gothenburg, a Sunday church service, and several museums in Cozad and Fort McPherson National Cemetery. A highlight of the drive will be a tour of Nebraska Public Power District’s Gerald Gentleman Station at Sutherland. Gerald Gentleman Station is Nebraska’s largest electric generating facility, supplying enough electricity to serve 600,000 Nebraskans.
    Gene and Pat Penner of rural Beatrice, also Norris Public Power customers, have been participating in the tractor drives since 2015. The couple enjoys loading up one of their John Deere 4020 tractors each summer to not only travel to new parts of Nebraska but to reconnect with others that they have formed lifelong friendships as a result of the tractor drives. The Penners both agree that the landscapes of Nebraska that they have seen while participating in the tractor drives are simply amazing.
    “You definitely miss the beauty of the landscape when you are just traveling the interstate by car,” said Pat. Another favorite activity that Gene and Pat enjoy on the tractor drives is “tractor church” on Sundays, led by two members of the group, Steven Fisher and Scotty Andreasen. “They always have a good message and it’s a way for all of us to unite for fellowship,” said Pat.
    The group’s mission is not just to drive around the countryside, they also have been proud to raise thousands of dollars each year since 2014 for Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) and Gifts for Yanks.   Operation Comfort Warriors is a program dedicated to meeting the needs of wounded, injured, or ill military personnel by providing them with comfort items not usually supplied by the government. U. S. military patients receive items such as sweat suits, puzzles, electronic devices, DVDs, books, calling cards, and more. OCW also provides larger items such as ping pong tables, computers, entertainment centers, etc. for use by wounded warriors in common areas of military hospitals or warrior transition units.
    Gifts for Yanks is a program that was started by the Nebraska American Legion back in the 1930s. Its purpose was to ensure every veteran and/or spouse, residing in either a Nebraska VA medical facility or State Veteran’s Home was provided a monetary gift during the holiday season. Nebraska American Legion members travel to the Nebraska facilities in Bellevue, Norfolk, Kearney, Grand Island, Omaha, and Scottsbluff to deliver monetary gifts each year. The group raised $6,080 on last year’s drive which was divided equally between OCW and Gifts for Yanks.
    The tractor relays are essentially a rolling tractor show, enjoyed by both participants and the public along the routes. The group has driven through parking lots of many nursing homes and assisted living facilities in towns across Nebraska.
    To learn more about the Nebraska Antique Farming Association, visit them at www.antiquefarming.org. They are always looking for new members and welcome anyone who would like to participate in a future tractor relay.