WHO Radio’s Tractor Ride Rolls through Franklin County
Tyden Farm #6, owned and preserved by Ted and Judi Pitzenberger of Dougherty, was the first stop last Tuesday during the WHO tractor ride. Read more here: http://bit.ly/VkPmGh
After spending recent weeks writing about ongoing debates over modern farming practices and biased media sources, I really wanted to post a fun blog this week. Old tractors is a fun topic – at least to an old farmer!
Why are old tractors top of mind? Last week WHO Radio hosted its 19th annual tractor ride across North Central Iowa, and one week ago today those riders made a stop in my home county! A steady stream of tractors paraded through the northern Franklin County town of Sheffield from about 10:30 AM until 3 PM. And these drivers came to town hungry, which is where I fit into the story…
The Franklin County Pork Producers were asked to serve a noon meal. Since I’m the guy with the grill, I got the call. I have a lot of practice grilling hundreds of pork burgers during the Franklin County Fair each July and the Franklin County 4-H Foundation Fundraiser each October.
So what’s a guy to do when he needs nearly 600 patties? I called my favorite supplier, Fareway in Hampton. Walt is meat manager extraordinaire, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with him for many years. Fortunately, he knows meat and he keeps a strong supply on hand!
During the tractor ride, Larry Sailer was live on “The Big Show” with WHO Radio farm broadcaster Mark Dorenkamp
The menu was rounded out, thanks to a great Franklin County restaurant. Mother’s Place from Latimer catered baked beans, potato salad and chocolate brownies. Plus, their staff did a fantastic job serving the food. We received many compliments, and some folks even said this was the best food served during the ride.
To make the day even better, I didn’t have to spend all of my time flipping burgers. I think it’s the first time ever that I didn’t flip one burger thanks to great help including: Ron and Cody from the Iowa Pork Producers Association; Cory and Zach Greiman from Latham Hi-Tech Seeds; fellow pig farmer, Paul; my wife, Janice; and two of our grandkids, Darin and Carlie. What a crew!
They hard work freed up my time, so I was able to be interviewed live by WHO Radio’s “The Big Show” with Mark Dorenkamp, who was broadcasting from Ridge Stone Golf Club in Sheffield where the lunch was served. It’s always fun to talk live on WHO Radio! We talked about my weekly blog and the beautiful weather we were having that day. We even talked about a few of the tractors.
There were more than 450 tractors, and I saw many brands that I hadn’t seen in years. Most of these tractors came from quite a distance. Some were trucked in from several states away just so these drivers could take in the scenic beauty of North Central Iowa!
All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better day. The WHO Tractor Ride visited Franklin County on a dry day when the sky was blue and the breeze was gentle. We hope folks from far and away will return again someday to visit our museums, golf at our local courses and shop our main streets. And if they ever have any questions about pork production, I hope they’ll ask me!
