By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

TRAFALGAR, Ind. — When a volunteer for the Indiana FFA came up with the idea of doing an annual tractor drive, the goal was threefold: raise some money for the FFA, get a little publicity and have a lot of fun. Now in its fourth year, the event is managing to accomplish all three.

“Our goal is for it to grow into a larger fundraiser and every year, we’ve been getting a bit bigger,” said Brian Buchanan, executive director of the Indiana FFA.

This year’s event will take place April 10; drivers will gather at the Johnson County Fairgrounds at 9:30 a.m. “The fairgrounds are easy to get to, there’s a lot of open space and it’s close to town in case anybody needs anything,” Buchanan said.

The tractors will cruise through the countryside at a comfortable 13 mph, stop for lunch at the Indiana FFA Leadership Center in Trafalgar, Ind., and head back to the fairgrounds following a different route. The organizers expect the drive to wrap up around 4:30 p.m.

Last year, the youngest participant was 16 years old, and the oldest was 74. “We have a wide range of participants,” Buchanan said. “A lot of them are current or former FFA members, some are antique enthusiasts, some are retired and some are not. But they’re all people with a passion for tractors.”

Buchanan said most of the tractors are antique, but all types of tractors are welcome to participate. The first year, there were 14 in the drive, but the event has been growing steadily since then.
“We’re hoping to get 50 or 60 tractors this year, we’ll see if we get there or not,” said Buchanan. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
Early bird registration for the tractor drive is a $40 donation. The deadline for early bird registration is April 2; after that, registrations are a $50 donation. Registrations the day of the event are accepted, but pre-registration is preferred.

For more information and to obtain a registration form, visit www.indianaffa.org and for questions, contact Brian Buchanan at 317-878-4178 or e-mail brianwbuchanan@yahoo.com