Kerens students finalists in national tractor competition

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Courtesy photo Pictured from left to right are: Owner: Sonny Bancroft, George Mc, Rheanan Ward, William B, Jake Mc, Josh Gordon and Ag teacher Ed Strange (not pictured Casey Brumbelow).

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September 23, 2010

By Janet Jacobs Corsicana Daily Sun The Corsicana Daily Sun Thu Sep 23, 2010, 10:00 PM CDT

Corsicana — Four Kerens High School students and two recent Kerens graduates will be driving to Indianapolis, Ind., in October to compete in the national tractor restoration finals, one of only 12 finalist teams in the nation.

“This will be the fourth time in five years we’ve made the national finals,” said Brad Atkeisson, co-teacher with Ed Strange, who initiated the tractor projects in Kerens.

The students made the finals by rebuilding a 1945 Farmall M last spring in their advanced agricultural mechanics class at the high school. Two of the students who worked on the project have since graduated and are in college, but they’ll get to go with the team to Indiana also, Atkeisson said.

John Gordon, who graduated in May, is in the John Deere program at Navarro College, while Rheanan Ward is at Sam Houston State University. Both have already gotten permission from their professors to take off a week for the competition, according to Strange. Also on the team are Kerens seniors William Bobbitt, George McClure, Jake McClure and Casey Brumbelow.

The finalists were announced at 6 p.m. through Facebook Wednesday. The Kerens students were on their way back from a district FFA meeting in Rice, and pulled up to the ag building just as the announcement was going to be made, so ended up watching the announcement on their Internet-compatible cell phones rather than go inside the building and turning in on the computers, Strange said.

Kerens’ was the first name to appear.

“We were really excited,” Strange said. “I didn’t get to see it immediately. William said ‘we were the first ones picked,’ which was pretty cool. It’s a random order, but it’s neat to see.”

The annual tractor restoration projects began as a way to introduce students to a challenge that wouldn’t be too expensive, Atkeisson said.

The old tractors are loaned by local farmers, and the students provide the free labor and the owners pay for the parts. The owners then have to allow the students to keep the tractor for at least another year while it’s taken to various shows. The 1945 Farmall M, owned by Sonny Bancroft, is going to a show in Alvaredo this weekend, then it’s off to the Texas State Fair Oct. 4 and 5, then it will make some local appearances in Kerens, at homecoming on Oct. 8 and 9, and at the Cotton Harvest Festival on Oct. 16.

The contest is sponsored by Delo, a lubricant company and subsidiary of Chevron. The event brings the kids to Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention, and there they will be asked to make a presentation, including photos, a record book and even video, of their restoration work.

Not only do they learn mechanics, electrical, hydraulics, but also about team-work, record-keeping, budgeting, planning, photography and public speaking.

Since 1995, the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition has rewarded the determination, mechanical skills and business savvy of high school aged FFA members from around the country, according to a press release from Delo.

All contestants to the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition have to present a workbook outlining the whole tractor restoration process, from mechanical overhauls of the engine, transmission and auxiliary and ancillary systems, to the external appearance of the tractors. Projects will be graded on restoration process, results and documentation, as well as oral presentation and safety precautions, according to Delo.

Kerens didn’t make the finalist list last year, but some of the current team were sophomores who attended the year before last, Strange said.

“They went once, so they know what it takes now,” he said.

The champion FFA chapter receives $5,000, while reserve champion gets $3,000. Each finalist team receives $250. The highest Kerens has placed so far is fourth.

In order to pay for the trip, the students will be selling meat or cheese, the typical high school sales, Atkeisson said.

The team will drive up to Indiana as a group, and compete at the national FFA convention.

The students were notified Wednesday night on Facebook, and the Kerens students gathered for a small party to hear the news.

“They went pretty nuts,” Atkeisson said.

They also started calling the other Texas teams to check on their status.

Of the 12 finalist teams, eight are from Texas. Other Texas teams making the finalist list were Abernathy, Devine, El Campo (with two tractors), Hondo, Cotton Center and Decatur.

The students will leave for Indiana on Oct. 17, and the winners will be announced on Oct. 20.

“We missed last year, but we went three previous years,” Strange said. “We were always right there in the thick of everything. We haven’t won it yet, but we’re working towards that.”

—————

Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “sound off” to this article? E-mail: Soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com

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Kerens students finalists in national tractor competition

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