July 12-15, 2018

July 12-15, 2018 I&I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club Show Grounds 309 Busey St. | Penfield, Ill.

Featuring

Oliver and Hart Parr Special Section

2 Friday, July 6, 2018

| HISTORIC FARM DAYS | www.agrinews-pubs.com

President Chuck Stelter (217) 497-7686 Vice-President Jon Fourez (217) 397-2683 Dean Blackford (217) 397-2963 Secretary J.C. Reitmeier (217) 694-4192 Treasurer Gene Schmidt (217) 568-7149 Directors John Bensyl (217) 840-1728 Dave Bosch (217) 841-0194 Kenny Knight (217) 569-2248 Barry Maury (217) 202-0967 Roger Musson (217) 369-2383 Carl Vandevender (765) 659-1917 Membership Jim Rein (217) 582-2364 Secretary J.C. Reitmeier (217) 694-4192 Activity Directors Russell Buhr (217) 694-4551 Marvin Johnson (217) 568-7856 John Schmidt (217) 778-3775

SHOW SCHEDULE

ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES All Events Illinois Time

THURSDAY

Mini Rods/Antique Classes - 6pm Tractor Pull

FRIDAY “KIDS DAY” - North of Log Cabin Obstacle Course & Putt-Putt Golf - 12 noon - 7pm Tractor Games - Grandstand - 10 am Bingo - School Cafeteria - 2-4pm Marvin Lee Country Music Show - Pavilion - 6:30-8:30 pm Saturday

Tractor Games - Grandstand - 10 am Kid’s Obstacle Course & Putt-Putt Golf North of Log Cabin - 12 noon - 7 pm Wes Wheeler Battle Creek Band - Pavilion - 3-6 pm Sanctioned Tractor Pull - Grandstand - 6 pm Steam Engine Spark Show at Dusk & Fireworks After Dark

SUNDAY

Marvin Lee Gospel Music Old Penfield Church - 9:30-11 am (Schedule subject to change)

www.agrinews-pubs.com | HISTORIC FARM DAYS | Friday, July 6, 2018

Crank it up

3

Tractor show will salute history of ag equipment By Martha Blum

AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

PENFIELD, Ill. — Numerous green tractors will be on display during the Historic Farm Days. Organized by the I&I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club, the event is set for July 12-15. The featured tractors this year are Oliver, Hart Parr, Cockshutt and White. “These tractors go hand in hand because the Oliver tractors came from Hart Parr tractors, and the White company bought the Oliver and Cockshutt companies,” explained Chuck Stelter, president of the I&I club. “I’m hoping we will see 200

The general merchandise store is one of many displays that have been developed in the Historic Farm Museum, which was officially opened to visitors in 2003. to 250 Hart Parr, Oliver, Cockshutt and White tractors.” Many other brands of tractors will be on display in addition to the featured tractors. “There will probably be from 350 to 400 non-feature tractors,” Stelter predicted. “All brands of tractors, equipment and

The Historic Farm Museum is in the former Penfield school. The museum features many exhibits and will be open throughout the four-day Historic Farm Days event. garden tractors are welcome besides the “There will be combining of wheat, feature tractors.” threshing of wheat and baling of straw,” The I&I event is much more than Stelter said. a tractor show. Numerous events are planned throughout the four days. See SHOW, Page 4

Oliver/Hart Parr White Cockshutt

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SHOW FROM PAGE 3

“The corn sheller will also be running during the show, and the blacksmith shop will be open throughout the show.” A tractor parade will be held daily, and the sawmill will be in

operation each day of the show. The Twilight Tractor Drive will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 12. It will depart from the show grounds, and drivers will complete a 19-mile drive. Cost for the tractor drive is $20. Music will be provided on both Friday and Saturday, starting at 6 p.m. The Marvin Lee & Logan Kirby Country Show will

The household exhibit in the museum gives a glimpse into the past of some of the items that once were commonly used in homes.

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entertain the show visitors on Friday, and Saturday music will be presented by Wes Wheeler & the Battle Creek Band. The IPA Sanctioned Tractor Pull is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the Steam Engine Spark Show and the fireworks display. The I&I club is raffling a 1968 Oliver 1950-T tractor at the show. A ticket costs $100, and 250 tickets will be sold. “The tractor has been restored and runs excellent,” Stelter said. “We still have a few tickets available.” The tickets from the raffle, as well as all the money raised during the show, is used by the club towards next year’s show, as well as to maintain the show grounds. “In 1996, the club bought the former Penfield Grade School, and that became our show ground headquarters,” Stelter explained. “We’ve picked up more land to go with that, and now we have over 100 acres,” he said. “We have plenty of space for truck

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and trailer parking.” In 2015, the club moved a oneroom school house from near Rantoul to the show grounds, and club members currently are working to restore the building. “We had to put in new floor joists, the floor and strip the plaster and lathe off the walls,” Stelter said. “The guys are here today installing a handicap accessible ramp so that people can enter the school.” The one-room building was in poor condition when the club acquired it. “Basically, we had the four outer walls and the roof that was useable,” Stelter said. “We will have the school open for the show, but it won’t be finished inside,” he said. “We have the plywood flooring down on the new floor joists, but the actual flooring has not been installed yet, and we’re also working on getting the walls covered.” All the work on the show grounds, as well as during the

annual Historic Farm Days, is done by volunteers. “We have about 400 members in our club,” Stelter said. “We will have volunteers at our show that aren’t even members of our club.” See SHOW, Page 5

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The museum’s IH room features a replica of a parts counter in a dealership. The museum has a variety of exhibits, including an IH turbine tractor that has an experimental engine and a 1902 Hart Parr No. 3 tractor.

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A log cabin restored by club members sits on the show grounds in The one-room school was moved to the club’s show grounds in 2015. Penfield, Ill.

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SHOW FROM PAGE 4

Although many antique tractor clubs struggle to find new members to join their group, that is not the case for the I&I club. “One thing that has helped us gain some younger membership is letting some of the tractors in from the ‘80s,” Stelter said. “To some of our older members,

The Penfield church was donated to the I&I club after the church merged with two other local churches.

these tractors are not antiques yet.” But, Stelter added, the younger guys in the club grew up on tractors like the International 966, John Deere 4020 or a Case 970. “These tractors are getting to be antiques also,” he said. “We don’t see many of the steel wheel tractors at the shows anymore because they’re difficult to move around, and finding parts is getting harder and

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harder,” he said. “Grandpa may have had one, and they still have it in their collection, but they don’t take it out.” STEEL WHEEL TRACTOR Stelter has a steel wheel tractor in his collection. “It hasn’t been out of the shed in years,” said the collector, who enjoys restoring tractors. “I’ve got four Case tractors — a VAC, SC, DC4 and 830 that are all restored and a few more that I haven’t got around to yet.” Camping is available on the show grounds, and visitors are welcome to bring their golf carts or other utility vehicles to the show. “There is a $20 registration fee for those who bring their own vehicles,” Stelter said. “We also have golf car ts that will be available for rent,” he said. “And we have people movers that go around the grounds that are pulled by antique tractors.” Admission to the show is $10 per person, children 10 and under are free and a multi-day pass costs $25. In addition to the annual Farm Days in July, the I&I Club hosts an annual swap meet and auction in March at the I&I Club Hall at Penfield. Martha Blum can be reached at 815-223-2558, ext. 117, or marthablum@agrinews-pubs. com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Blum.



Family feels the pull of old-time Oliver tractors By Martha Blum

The 1902 Hart Parr No. 3 tractor is on display in the Historic Farm Museum located in the former Penfield school. This school now serves as the headquarters of the I&I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club.


Hundreds of tractors will be on display during the Historic Farm Days, including the Cockshutt tractors that will be part of the featured tractor section. The White Motors company acquired the Cockshutt of Canada company in 1962, just two years after purchasing the Oliver Corp.

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HOMER, Ill. — Oliver tractors have been part of the Steve Messman’s family farm operation for several generations. “My grandfather farmed with Oliver tractors, and now my dad, Jerry, and I restore them,” said Steve Messman, who is a fourthgeneration farmer. “Currently, we have 12 tractors that were family tractors that are restored.” T he father-and-son team typically restore a tractor during the winter. “We have three sitting there to do, so we’re not out of work,” Messman said. “A couple of winters ago, we restored a 1950 Oliver 88 diesel that was actually one of the first Oliver tractors to be delivered to Illinois from the plant in Iowa,” he said. ALL IN THE FAMILY Since Oliver is the featured tractor at the Historic Farm Days in Penfield this year, Messman said his dad plans to take the 88 diesel tractor to the show. “He will probably participate in the antique tractor pull at the show,” he added about the fourday event organized by the I&I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club. Messman recently purchased a 1952 Oliver 88 tractor that came from the factory powered by propane. “I am working on getting it put back together, and I found that there is a turbo kit that can be added, which will give it 100 more horsepower, which will be good for the antique tractor pulls,” he said. “My dad is a diesel mechanic, so we do the mechanical work on the tractors, and then we have a friend who owns a local body shop that paints the hoods and fenders for us,” Messman said. “Working on these tractors is something we enjoy. It’s fun to tune up an old tractor,” he said. “And it’s still fairly affordable to get parts.” See OLIVER, Page 8


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Oliver tractors will be featured this year at the Historic Farm Days event in Penfield, Ill. The show will include daily tractor parades, as well as field demonstrations where visitors can see plowing, wheat combining and baling PROVIDED PHOTOS

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This 1968 Oliver 1950-T tractor will be given to the winner of the tractor raffle during the final day of the show. The tractor has been restored, and tickets are available at $100. Only 250 raffle tickets will be sold.

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OLIVER FROM PAGE 6

Although Oliver tractors may not be as popular to collect as some other brands, Messman said the company was ahead of its time with some of the features and there also was a really good dealer network. In 1960, White Motors acquired the Oliver Corp., and the last Oliver green tractor to roll off the assembly line bearing the Oliver name was in 1976. Messman and his dad farm together and grow seed corn and seed beans on their Champaign County farm. “My g randfather star ted growing seed corn and beans for a local company that was only four or five miles from our farm,” he said. “We have some good ground, and it works out good because in the fall they pick and harvest the crops.”


9

INNOVATION REVOLUTION

AGCO Acceleration Center opens at U of I Research Park By Tom C. Doran


CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Another company became part of the University of Illinois Research Park family with the grand opening of the AGCO Acceleration Center. The center will apply an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on developing new-tomarket solutions and advanced technologies to help farmers. U of I students will team up with AGCO professionals to further the company’s capabilities in areas such as data science, web and mobile development and machine learning and bring next generation monitoring and management tools to market for grain and livestock producers. The Acceleration Center will advance technology innovation for AGCO’s grain, seed processing, swine and poultry production equipment brands, which include GSI, Cimbria, AP and Cumberland. University and company representatives were on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the center. Susan Martinis, U of I vice

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ries then translate that experience and knowledge into a professional context in an incubator such as the new AGCO facility. “There aren’t many places in the world where you can actually have the expertise at the faculty level that we have at this university combined so closely with some of the leaders in industry, and that’s what makes this so special, so spectacular to me,” said Kim Kidwell, College AGRINEWS PHOTO/TOM C. DORAN of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences dean. AGCO and University of Illinois administrators marked the opening of the company’s Acceleration Center at Research “To be able to take the content Park. Ribbon-cutting participants were Adam Weiss (from left), GSI global product management and technology that we learn in the classroom and director; Tom Welke, GSI senior VP of global grain and protein; Lena Swearingen-Head, site manager; Kim Kidwell, College of ACES dean; Susan Martinis, U of I vice chancellor for research; Pradeep Khanna, U of I corporate relations and put it into a context that’s real, inspires the leaders of tomorrow. economic development associate vice chancellor; and Laura Frerichs, Research Park director. “To have access to a portal where experts from industry are tile as our prairie soil.” chancellor for research, noted revolution,” Martinis said. this close to us, that we can partThe new norm in this era of ed- ner with and work together to the university is celebrating its “Ag tech is an emerging area sesquicentennial as a land-grant and as such it’s very competi- ucation at U of I is the opportu- solve problems is really a gift,” institution with a rich history of tive. Many regions are trying to nity for students to not only learn she said. supporting agriculture and engi- take ownership of this space, in classrooms, but also through See AGCO, Page 10 neering since its founding. and there are certainly many hands-on learning in laborato“Back then, the university was contenders, but it’s clear to me supporting an industrial revolu- and I believe it’s clear to you that tion. Today, those same strengths the best home for ag tech is right that we value and that are part here in the Midwest, right here HERE ARE SOME OF OUR RENTAL ITEMS: of us are attracting corporations at the University of Illinois, right to partner with us in a different here in the Research Park, where Bounce House • Mini Excavator • Zahn Ditch Witch • Dump Trailer kind of revolution, an innovation our innovation ground is as fer-

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“We are so grateful to you for coming here and trusting the process and being part of what I think is actually the innovative future for agriculture and food production and food systems all over the world.” Tom Welke, GSI senior vice president of global grain and protein, said GSI, AGCO and he deeply care about understanding farmers’ problems around the globe. “Being here gives us an opportunity to tap into the experiences, the knowledge that professors have, that the students have or will gain and what we can bring to connect our customers back in with this innovation center,” Welke said. “We’re excited, we want to partner, we want to grow, we want to grow our employment here, we want to grow the value that we’re going to get from here and I feel very, very confident on behalf of AGCO and GSI that we can get there.” There are two main focuses at the Acceleration Center, according to Adam Weiss, GSI director of global product management and technology. A short-term focus is on developing products that can be sold specifically around web development. Another focus is on research with a “big swing” approach. “Research on things that in a public company you traditionally wouldn’t spend the time or resources to focus on long-term strategic things that may not even pan out,” Weiss said. “We’re going to take big swings and explore things that we typically wouldn’t. “To get an idea of some of the things that we might look at is material science. We build a lot of things, and we buy a lot of steel. “Is there something else that we could use to make our farmers more productive? Are there fundamentally different ways to condition grain and store it that would use less energy and be more environmentally friendly and save our farmers resources?” Tom C. Doran can be reached at 815-780-7894 or tdoran@ agrinews-pubs.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @AgNews_Doran.


Amish attraction could boost region’s tourism CHESTERVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Organizers of a planned Amishthemed attraction in east-central Illinois are hoping the project can boost the region’s tourism. The Illinois Amish Heritage Center will sit on five acres along Illinois Route 133, near Chesterville and Arthur. Project organizers hope the living-his-

“We need a place of solace. We need a place to come and think about the past.” Richard Harshmann, retired businessman SULLIVAN, ILL.

tory Amish farm and museum will give visitors a better understanding of the life and culture of the Amish, The News-Gazette reported. “We need a place of solace. We need a place to come and think about the past,” said retired Sullivan businessman Richard

Harshman. Harshman, who’s a board member of the Illinois Amish Heritage Preser vation Foundation, said the nonprofit group is more than halfway to its goal of raising $1.7 million for the project this year. Three buildings, including two houses from the late 1800s and a workshop, he said. The heritage center initially could draw 20,000 visitors annually, according to the project’s business plan. That amount could double by 2022. The attraction would generate income from admission charges, gift shop and books sales, tours and fundraising. Arthur Area Tourism Director Christy Miller said it will take some time to raise public awareness of the Amish attraction. Once the center is fully operational, she said it likely will serve as a major tourism draw in the area. “I think it’s a great adventure, and it’s going to enhance what this area already has to offer,” she said.

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GIBSON CITY, Ill. — RhinoAg focuses on the quality of its equipment from the inside out. “It’s not any one thing that makes Rhino better; it’s all the little things,” said Warren Evans, marketing manager for RhinoAg. “The grease and lubricants we put in our gearbox are Lucas Oil, and our tires are foamed-filled, so you won’t get a flat.” In addition, solid welds are used and gussets are added for strength on the mower decks. “Rear blades are the core product that Rhino built its reputation on,” Evans said. “Blades were one of the first products that Rhino ever made.” RhinoAg offers rear blades that fit tractors from 70 to 275 horsepower. “The 1540 blade is our No. 1 seller, and it’s the first blade that has a full range of hydraulic motion,” Evans said. This blade is user friendly for farmers that want to plow snow,

GORDYVILLE • USA clean up roadside ditches or maintain waterways. “With the swing arm, you can move the right edge of the blade to the center of the chassis of the tractor for plowing snow off a driveway,” Evans said. “Or you can move the tip on the right side of the blade up or down to create a waterway in fields.” Rhino blades range in widths from 7 to 14 feet, and the 1540 blade is available in 8- and 10foot widths. “The 1540 with a 10-foot blade is the most popular,” Evans said. The blades have a gauge wheel option. “The gauge wheel option takes the bumps out and allows you to grade your driveway very smooth,” Evans said.

BIG OR SMALL RhinoAg offers numerous mower options that will fit a wide variety of needs for farmers who operate all sizes of operations. “Rotary cutters are rated for the cut capacity,” Evans said. “The new design for our Twister series includes a domed deck so all the water rolls off, and it has a deep design so you get a good quality of cut,” he said. “The cutter is triangulated so you can back into areas to mow, and the hitch is very easy to hook up.” The Twister series is the lightest duty cutters offered by RhinoAg. See RHINOAG, Page 13

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RHINOAG FROM PAGE 12

“These cutters are for someone with five to 10 acres that has a pasture or fencerows to maintain,” Evans said. In the single spindle series, the 400 Series includes the 472 with a 72-inch cut width and the 484 that cuts 84 inches wide. “The 484 has a 4.5-inch cut capacity, and that is our beast,” Evans said. RhinoAg multi-spindle rotary cutters are for those who want to cut wider widths without adding a wing. “The TW Series and Turbo Series are the most popular, and cutting 10-foot widths is not uncommon,” Evans said. The TS12 flex-wing cutter can be operated by a 35- to 60-horsepower tractor, and it has a 1-inch cut capacity. “It is made for cutting grass, and you can also cut briars, but not necessarily drive into the woods,” Evans said.

“The 2150 is for the farmer who is mowing pastures, waterways and roadsides,” he said. “It is a really durable cutter.” The 3150 has a 3-inch cut capacity. “This mower requires a 50PTO horsepower tractor, and you can use it to start driving into woods to take out brush and turn it into tillable land,” Evans said. INDUSTRIAL DESIGN Slip-clutch protection is an important feature of RhinoAg cutters to protect the driveline from damage. “You have all this heavy mass rotating, and if it stops for any reason and you don’t have a slip clutch, it will wad up the driveline like twisting a towel,” Evans said. “A lot of times people don’t service the slip clutch properly, and if it rusts, corrodes or gets sticky, it might as well be a solid piece of steel,” he said. “You need to loosen the bolts and make the clutch slip once a season just to make sure it

works because if you neglect it and hit something, you will do hundreds of dollars worth of damage.” “We sell a lot of hydraulic ditch bank mowers, but we also have the MDB130, which is a single spindle mechanically-driven cutter that reaches out about 13 feet from the center of the tractor,” he said. “It is made for ditches, ponds and creeks where farmers need to reach down in places where they can’t put the tractor.” The MDB130 is reasonably priced. “It is about half the cost of a hydraulic boom cutter,” Evans said. “Not every farmer can justify a $25,000 boom mower to mow fencerows.” A gauge wheel is one option for the MDB130. “I recom mend ever yone puts the gauge wheel on it and let it set your height,” Evans said. “Otherwise, you have to manage where your cutter is, and if you just lay it down on the skid shoes, it will wear them out.”

FOR YOUR FORAGE RhinoAg offers both Patriot rakes and hay tedders. “We have center pull rakes with adjustable wheels that rake as much as a 30-foot width,” Evans said. “Since transporting has become an issue, we make sure they transition from use to transpor t ver y rapidly and easily,” he said. “The controls are in the cab so you don’t have to get in and out to prepare the rake for transport.” RhinoAg tedders are infinitely adjustable and heavy-built, with a slip clutch. “They are pretty much bulletproof, so we don’t normally sell another tedder to a farmer,” Evans said, “since you only use it once or twice a summer in each field.” For more information about RhinoAg products, go to: www. rhinoag.com. Martha Blum can be reached at 815-223-2558, ext. 117, or marthablum@agrinews-pubs. com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Blum.

13

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Firefighter restores engine with son LIMESTONE, Ill. (AP) — When Mike Whalen looks out his window, the 44-year-old Limestone fire chief remembers the times he would sprint down Limestone School Road to watch a fleet of fire engines race to a brush fire. As a kid, he would watch the big red four-wheel drive engine leave the roadway and take off into the field. It was the first fire truck his father gave him a ride in. It was the truck he played on when he visited his grandpa at the fire station. Now, it’s in his driveway. Some parts are scattered around the 900-square-foot garage he built to restore the 1968 International Harvester Alexis. It’s a father-son project for him and his 15-yearold son, Luke. Soon, it will dust off the nostalgia and bring back memories to the old-timers who once used that engine for work. Soon, it will be a traveling piece of history that parades through towns. And it all happened because Whalen went on vacation a year ago to French Lick, Indiana, to take pictures of the second fire engine the Limestone Fire Protection District bought in 1968 and sold to a fire department in Plainville, Indiana, in 1991. After Whalen snapped a few

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photos of the old engine, the Plainville fire chief said his department planned to get rid of it. Whalen offered him $500. Shortly after, he and a friend drove it back to Limestone on a flatbed. “I think they were a little shocked when I made my offer,” Whalen said with a laugh. “I just couldn’t stand to know that this thing was going to end up in a scrapyard or in someone’s farm field bailing hay. With all its sentimental value, I couldn’t see anything bad happen to it.” ‘A UNIQUE TRUCK’ Whalen’s grandfather, Edwin, was Limestone’s fire chief when the department purchased the 1968 International Harvester new. His father, Jerry, had been on the department for two years at the time. “It was our first four-wheel drive unit,” Jerry Whalen recalled. “It was much easier to go through cornfields. We were much more rural during that time than we are now. Now, some of the places we used to fight brush fires are subdivisions.” The engine didn’t exactly get off to a hot start, however. Jerry and another firefighter took it on its first battle, a brush fire at

Lehigh quarry. They successfully extinguished the fire, but fractured the engine’s pump mount while going through a road ditch. “We notified the manufacturer right away, and they came out the next morning and redid the mount,” Jerry said with a laugh. The engine’s most infamous battle took place on Dec. 14, 1991, when the Phillips Petroleum Co. pipeline caught on fire. For 87 consecutive hours, the engine pumped a total of 2,610,000 gallons of water. “We put another pumper in tandem with it so we could shut down the engine, change the oil and put it back online,” Jerry recalled. “It did a very fine job.” It also caught Mike’s eye as a kid. “It was the first fire truck I ever took a ride in as a kid,” Mike said. “I remember vividly playing on that front bumper when I visited the station. I always loved this truck.” “A lot of people used the Harvester for farming,” Mike said. “Then, fire departments started turning them into fire apparatuses. This one is a really unique truck, though. Not a lot of them were made with four-wheel drive when this one came out. As a kid, I enjoyed watching it take off into a field.”

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ZETOR

Czech out new tractor

The Zetor Major 80HS tractor features a new design that was inspired by a concept prepared by the Pininfarina studio. Several models of Zetor tractors are available to U.S. producers, including two new tractors in the 45 to 55 horsepower range. PROVIDED PHOTO

By Martha Blum AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new Zetor Major 80HS tractor was introduced to the U.S. market during the National Farm Machinery Show. “Two years ago, we entered into an agreement with Pininfarina, an Italian design studio that is probably best known for its design of Ferrari cars and this new design came out of that,” said Gary Bogart, marketing manager for Zetor North America. “This tractor is the center showpiece for us at the Louisville show,” Bogart said. In addition, the Zetor company recently introduced the Major HT 45 and 55 and the Major HS 65. “Our three smaller tractors get us into a whole new realm of hobby farmer clients,” Bogart said. “Our Major 80 tractors were too big for the farmers who have 10 acres.” Zetor offers three lines of trac-

tors to U.S. farmers. “The Major line includes tractors from 45 to 80 horsepower, the Proxima tractors are the middle range from 85 to 100 horsepower and our largest tractors are the Forterra that have 100 to 150 horsepower,” Bogart said. The Major HS tractors have 24 forward and 24 reverse speeds and an electro-hydraulic control of the PTO clutch. Zetor tractors do not use power boost; the engines have full power available regardless of what speed the tractor is traveling or if the PTO is engaged. Excellent torque characteristics

give the engines resilience and the capability to work at low speeds with heavy loads, without the need for frequent shifting. All Zetor tractors are manufactured at the company facility in Brno, Czech Republic. “Our company was started in 1946, and it has a fascinating history,” Bogart said. “The factory originally made firearms during World War II, and by the end of the war, it had been bombed to where just one or two buildings were left,” he said. See ZETOR, Page 17

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ZETOR FROM PAGE 16

“Now, our tractors are sold around the world under different names, and we actually built tractors for John Deere at one point that were sold in Mexico.” Zetor tractors have been sold to U.S. farmers for the past 40 years. “We sell in all of North America and we’re expanding into South America and that is all handled by Zetor North America from Jacksonville, Fla.,” Bogart said. Farmers will find that Zetor tractors have easy access for basic maintenance. “Our tractors are easy to work on since our engines and drivetrains are mechanical,” Bogart said. “That’s a big selling point.” Zetor tractors are robust, solid

machines. “The tractors are heavier compared to other models with the same horsepower,” Bogart said. “The tractors have cushion, air-ride seats and a jump seat for your helper,” he said. “There are ergonomically designed controls that are easy to locate with the levers and buttons within your reach.” MODERN AMENITIES Cabs are equipped with air conditioning, and the steering column includes a height adjustable steering wheel. Two models of front loaders — ZL and ZQ — are available for Zetor tractors. “We sell 85 percent or more of our tractors with front loaders,” Bogart said. “The front loaders are a pretty simple design and are currently made by a loader

“The factory originally made firearms during World War II, and by the end of the war, it had been bombed to where just one or two buildings were left.”

ers also can choose from several additional tools, including pallet forks, grapples, bale grippers and bale forks. Spare parts for Zetor tractors can be ordered from the company’s Florida facility. “We have a very well respected spare parts department that we’re very proud of,” Bogart said. “Even though we’re a European company, it would be fairly rare Gary Bogart, marketing manager for us to not have parts for any of our tractors,” he said. “We have ZETOR NORTH AMERICA a very quick turnaround, and we keep a very large inventory.” builder in Europe.” For more information about The loaders are quick and sim- Zetor Tractors, go to: www.zetor. ple to connect and disconnect com. without the requirement of a tool. Loaders feature a mechani- Martha Blum can be reached cal self-leveling system that keep at 815-223-2558, ext. 117, or the front attachment parallel to marthablum@agrinews-pubs. the ground as the boom is raised. com. Follow her on Twitter at: In addition to a bucket, farm- @AgNews_Blum.

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Zetor Major List Price: $37,000 to $52,000 Features:

n The four-cylinder engine is excellent for its low fuel consumption, high reliability and simple construction. n Cab provides an excellent view all-round, and the digital dashboard displays all important information required for the smooth operation and control of the tractor. n Mechanically regulated hydraulics feature not only high lifting capacity, but also smooth starting control, including a hydraulic lock function for transporting implements.

Zetor Proxima List Price: $70,000 to $81,000 Features:

n Excellent torque rise allows the engine to operate at low speeds with high loads and without the need of frequent gear shifting. n Gearboxes are manufactured by Zetor using high-quality materials to guarantee a long life. n Two types of cab roof are available — the standard equipment is a roof with sight glass and a reinforced roof without sight glass that is suitable for tractors equipped with a front loader.

Zetor Forterra List Price: $76,000 to $127,000 Features:

n Choose from a four- or fivespeed gearbox, both with two travel ranges and a three-stage torque multiplier. n The efficiency of the Forterra’s hydraulics is based on the unique HitchTronic function — automatic regulation of the rear three-point hitch. n The Forterra HD is equipped with a multifunctional panel on which all the important controls are combined so the driver has everything at hand.



Located between Patterson and Barrow in northwest Greene County, this barn photo was one that photographer Teresa Hamilton especially enjoyed working with the colors on the roof.

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Photographer chronicles local history barn by barn Illinois barns have stories behind each door, in the stalls or up in the haylofts. JONESBORO, Ill. — All of Photographer Teresa Hamilton This barn at sunset is in northern these calendar-perfect photo- of Salvaged Memories in JonesJersey County. graphs of southern and central boro could use some help identifying the owners and history of these barns. Recently retired from the Travel Discoveries II Illinois State Police, Hamilton 129 East Walnut St. now is focused on her barn phoWatseka, IL 60970 tography. 815-432-6121 “I grew up on a farm, so I have an interest in barns,” she said. F Full service travel agency specializing in While Hamilton has been out custom travel and group tours on her “barn hunts,” she’s realized how much she enjoys drivLocally grown & owned for over 35 years ing through the countryside and then the pleasure of going home Upcoming 2018 & 2019 Group Trips: to see how the pictures turn out on the computer. x All Inclusive Beach Vacation Her editing is limited to “enx Cruise to Cuba hancing” the images by intensifying colors or focusing on unique x South Africa qualities. x Walking in Memphis “But the best part is sharing them with other people who love x Portugal, Spain & The Douro River Cruise barns and rural history, as well,” Hamilton said. x Cubs Games At first, she’d stop along the x Scotland & Northern Ireland roads to snap the images, sometimes doing what she calls a Stop in and see us Monday - Friday from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm “Hail Mary” by shooting pictures from her vehicle. Julie • Amy • Taylor • Lori By Karen Binder


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19

BARN

FROM PAGE 18

As her interest in the barns has grown, so have all of her questions about who built them, how old they are, how they were used and other questions. In the future, Hamilton will be knocking on doors and asking owners for permission to take photos of their barns and hopefully learn the stories behind each one. Also in the future, Hamilton hopes to work on photo books by county. But for now if anyone knows these barns, Hamilton asks that you email the information to her at [email protected]. It’s her practice On Kratzinger Hollow Road between Anna and Cobden in Union County in far to share a photograph with each southern Illinois, this was one of Teresa Hamilton’s first photos, and she almost didn’t photograph it. Now, it’s a favorite. owner.

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This barn can be found off Dexter Road in Alexander County at the southernmost tip of Illinois.

Illinois photographer Teresa Hamilton said this small, different style of barn has what appears to be a corn crib built into the center. It’s located near Barrow in northern Greene County.

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Deep roots keep farming firm for Union County family By Karen Binder AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

JONESBORO, Ill. — Every time Gerald Brown makes the curve on Old Cape Road, he thinks about all of the work and sweat his great-great-greatgrandfather put into clearing his first farm acres. It’s atop the first rolling knoll on 145-acre plot that Abraham Brown II built the original farmstead in 1816. While the cabin and livestock pen have been replaced with corn and soybeans, future generations of Brown farmers will have been born, lived and worked in a second farmstead on the next knoll. Gerald was born in that white

farmhouse built in 1948, where his son, Todd, lives today with his family. The nearby barn is more than 100 years old. Todd now is the sixth generation to farm the land, and Gerald hopes his granddaughters become the seventh-generation farmers. Gerald and Betty’s other children — Tim and Kim Bartruff — also live in Union County. Thanks to Gerald’s interest in his family history, he and his wife, Betty, along with their family, traveled earlier this month to Springfield to celebrate their honor as the first certified bicentennial farm in Illinois. This occasion fell within two

weeks of Gerald’s 80th birthday. The Browns now are considering where to post their new bicentennial farm sign — probably next to their centennial and sesquicentennial signs. “My ancestors go way back. It’s always been an interest to me, and I’m very proud of it,” Gerald said. GOING WEST Abraham Brown loaded up his family in a wagon and hitched up his livestock for what was believed to be at least a two- or three-month trek from Logan County, North Carolina, to Union County. Abraham bought the original AGRINEWS PHOTOS/KAREN BINDER plot from the U.S. government. Gerald and Betty Brown stand where the ancestral homestead was built on their farm five generations ago. It was in 1816 that Abraham Brown arrived by wagon with his family from North Carolina to Jonesboro, Ill. While other parcels were bought the farmland from his parents, and some sold, the farm acreage Ralph C. and Gladys Brown. totals 145 acres today. Gerald See FAMILY, Page 23 first rented and then bought

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FAMILY FROM PAGE 22

Sixth-generation farmer Todd Brown currently lives on bicentennial farm with his family, while his parents, Gerald and Betty, live about five minutes away on south Illinois 127. land with help from his son, Todd. “I took over the farming when my dad was not able to do it anymore,” Gerald said. “Like my grandpa, my dad never used a tractor.” The farm was mostly a no-till operation, and a ripper was applied every two or three years to loosen up the soil. The farm previously had cattle. They rotate corn and soybeans. Perhaps the most innovative equipment Gerald welcomed into his farming practices was a tractor with a cab, allowing him

“to work way too long” against his sinus issues. The Browns sell most of their grain to ADM in Mound City. Todd, too, has a haul truck business and transports grain for ADM. “All of this with our farm was a real surprise. We didn’t expect to go to Springfield. It was nice. It was really nice,” Gerald said. Karen Binder can be reached at 618-534-0614 or kbinder@ agrinews-pubs.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_ Binder.

This photograph of the Brown farm was taken in 1915. Little has changed over the last century to the farmstead, except the addition of a trucking business started by Gerald.

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“That’s how our family always handled the land. It was always bought; it was never given away,” Gerald recalled. A genealogical history prepared by one of the Brown’s kin recalled how Abraham received from his father a hollow gourd filled with seeds to start the new Illinois farm. That gourd is has been on display since 1961 at the Cobden Museum in Union County. The Brown family was among many families in the early 1800s heading west from North Carolina, the book said. Others settling in Union County included families by the name of Lingle, Lyerla, Lemly, Eddleman, Dillow, Hartline, Cruse, Treece, Miller, Hileman, Lentz, Rinehart, Corezine and Fisher. Although Gerald technically is retired from an over-the-road trucking and truck repair business, he continues to farm the

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AGRICULTURE HISTORY

Staley helped Illinois become ‘Soybean Capital of the World’ By Tom C. Doran


The role of A.E. Staley in corn and soybean processing innovations and his contributions to Decatur are preserved at the Staley Museum.

DECATUR, Ill. — The ripples of seemingly simple act at a church camp meeting over 140 years ago still are being felt on farms today. A.E. “Gene” Staley was 6 or 7 years old attending the annual large “camp meeting” at the Shiloh United Methodist Church in Julian, North Carolina, where he met a group of missionaries who had just returned from Asia. The missionaries gave Staley a handful of beans they called “soya beans,” and they told him how they were a food staple in Asia. Once home, the youngster planted the beans in the back of the family garden on the family’s 265-acre red clay farm and watched them grow. He would recall the stories the missionaries told him later as an adult when expanding his central Illinois company and the markets for farmers to sell their crops. Staley was born Feb. 25, 1867, on the family farm in North Carolina. His par-

ents were farmers, raising tobacco, corn and cotton where Gene was engaged in farm chores from a very early age. He wasn’t too interested in school, but his mother did attempt to further his education at home with the help of Webster’s Blue Back Speller. It turned out to be the only textbook Gene would ever use. The young Staley wanted to go into business on his own and began working at several companies when he was 16 years old, traveling the sales circuit and carrying their products to far reaches of the settled territories. His employees included two baking power manufacturers and a flavor extract company. It was one of those baking powder companies that brought him first to Decatur. Staley was 30 years old when he began to focus on the starch business and noticed a high demand for the product. He began to develop the foundation of what would become A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co. The business was based in Baltimore, where he packaged and sold his own

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brand of starch. However, the larger businesses didn’t care for the new competition, and Staley anticipated his corn supply would be cut off. ILLINOIS CORN He began searching for a plant where he could establish his own business and have a plentiful supply of corn. That brought him to Decatur, where he bought a defunct corn starch plant in 1909 for $45,000 with capital he raised from stockholders. He began making improvements and opened the plant in 1912. The company produced many famous household brands including Staley Pancake and Waffle Syrup, Sta-Puf fabric softener and Sta-Flo liquid starch and became one of the largest corn processors in the country. By 1916, Staley became concerned that the Midwest corn supply would become limited as corn yields dropped from continuous plantings. See STALEY, Page 25

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STALEY FROM PAGE 24

It was then that he recalled those missionaries of his youth who spoke of “soya beans” as an Asian food staple. “He knew of soybeans. They weren’t very popular in the states other than for animal feed as a hay-type crop. So, I imagine that kind of just percolated in the back of his mind all through his life, and he had the gumption to say I think we can do something with this and Decatur benefited from it,” said Erynn Williams Burge, Staley Museum archivist and collection manager. SOYBEAN CAMPAIGN He began a campaign for

growing soybeans, and enough was harvested by 1922 for Staley to announce plans for the first soybean processing plant in the nation. The plant began processing soybeans on Sept. 30, 1922, giving farmers contracts guaranteeing to buy all the soybeans they would grow. The first Staley soybean plant used what was known as the expeller process which used hydraulic presses or screw presses to process the soybeans. As manufacturing began to increase, Staley persuaded manufacturers to use soybean meal in their mixed feed for livestock. Prior to that, soybeans were planted only as at type of hay forage for farm animals. Staley knew this would be a decisive strategy for the creation of a solid market for soy meal. According to the “History

of Soybeans and Soyfoods” by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi, Staley first purchased 1,547 bushels of soybeans at just under $1 a bushel from Andrews Grain Co. of Walker. He followed by purchasing 5,674 bushels from various sources. However, after operating for only 16 days and producing 209,300 pounds of meal and 42,036 pounds of oil, the expellers ran out of soybeans and had to be shutdown. More soybeans were eventually found, and soybean production and acres in Illinois grew rapidly. The company bought almost 70,000 bushels of soybeans for $1.30 a bushel and stayed in operation for seven months in 1925. This increased to eight months in 1926. Staley continued to buy all the soybeans that

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farmers brought him. Staley was manufacturing soy flour by 1927 and sold the first tank car of soy oil to a margarine manufacturer in 1930. EDUCATIONAL TRAIN Staley knew moving more farmers to soybean production would take education as part of the sales program. He used letters, bulletins, pamphlets, newspapers stories, farm journals and the Staley Journal to distribute information about soybean production. He also took the education one step further through the combined efforts of his company, the University of Illinois’ School of Agriculture, and the Illinois Central Railroad to begin the Soil and Soybean Special train. The educational train traveled throughout Illinois. The six cars included an office car for officials to eat and sleep, a car for exhibiting soybean products, a lecture car, two cars for motion pictures and a car to display soil, soybeans and European corn borer. It was documented that

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33,939 people passed through the train during the tour that traveled 2,478 miles. The education efforts worked. By the 1930s, Illinois produced more than 50 percent of the nation’s soybeans and earned the title of “Soybean Capital of the World.” In the years to follow, the Staley Co. continued to strive to create new products and ways of using soybeans. In the early 1930s, soy meal became accepted as a livestock feed. Staley developed soybean meal pellets, each the diameter of a broom handle and about 2 inches long, bound together with a little molasses. The pellets could be scattered over the snow across fields in the winter. SECOND GENERATION Gus Staley, Gene’s oldest son, took over as president of the company in 1932 and continued to expand research and development for ways to use soybeans and corn grown by Illinois farmers. Gene died in 1940. See STALEY, Page 26

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