HEATH, Mass. — Seventeen farmers paraded their tractors in Franklin County Farm Bureau’s Back 40 Tractor Ride on June 24 as part of the Franklin County 4-H Fair in Heath, Massachusetts, to create a conversation with the public about farming.

“This ride placed tractors, which are an economic image of farming, in front of the public,” said Franklin County Farm Bureau President Lenny Roberts. “By allowing consumers to get up-close to these machines and talk to farmers, we created a platform to answer their questions and build a relationship that will last a lifetime. That type of interaction is key to generating trust among our consumers.”

All ride proceeds will go to benefit the Colrain Volunteer Fire Department, Franklin County 4-H and Franklin County Farm Bureau.

Prizes were awarded, including:

• Oldest tractor, which was presented to John Sherman from Rowe, Massachusetts, who drove a 1945 Farmall MD;
• Youngest driver, which was presented to three participants, including Colby Martin from Colrain, Massachusetts, Jared Taylor from Ashfield, Massachusetts; Hunter Roberts from Ashfield, Massachusetts; and
• Farthest traveled, which was presented to Scott Craig from Quebec, Canada.

“We look forward to continuing this tractor ride in the future,” Roberts said. “We hope it will continue to grow in popularity and give consumers a larger base of farmers to converse with.”

Sponsors of the ride included the Franklin Land Trust, Padula Bros., Greenfield Farmers Cooperative Exchange, CaroVail, OESCO, Dillon Chevrolet, Tim Viles Insurance Agency and Bernardston Farmers Supply.

The Franklin County Farm Bureau belongs to the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, which represents nearly 6,000 family members across the Commonwealth.

–Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation

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