Six area youth receive scholarships at the Farm Bureau Scholarship Breakfast
Jim Drew recognized for 45 years with the Farm Bureau

 

[April 04, 2023] 

Thursday morning, the Logan County Farm Bureau hosted its annual Ag Scholarship Breakfast. Scholarships were awarded to six local students who aim to pursue agriculture in their higher education and into their adult careers.

In addition, Jim Drew was recognized for his 45 years of service as the local Farm Bureau Office Director, and a special guest speaker, Greg Peterson aka Machinery Pete addressed the audience of well over 100 people.

Prior to the official business of the day, guests enjoyed a breakfast catered by Flossie and Delzina’s which was provided by Lincoln Memorial Hospital.





As guests came into the ballroom at the Lincoln American Legion Post 263, they were greeted by Sam Opperman, handing out information about the Farm Bureau Young Leaders group, and Karen Hargis Castelein passing out the annual Spring Farm Outlook Magazine published by Lincoln Daily News.

Coffee and juice was provided upon arrival and most guests wasted no time in grabbing a great cup of coffee before networking around the room, talking with fellow farmers, agriculture business managers, and members of local FFA’s.



At 7 a.m. Jim Drew welcomed all who were in attendance and asked Farm Bureau Member David Opperman to deliver a morning prayer. Then guests were encouraged to take advantage of the scrambled egg casserole, biscuits and gravy, fruit and a hefty supply of sweet treats provided by Flossie and Delzina’s.



When everyone had made their first trip through the breakfast buffet line, Drew said that to expedite the morning of events he would get the program started by introducing Farm Bureau member Derrick Martin who would host the remainder of the day.

The first order of business was to recognize the sponsors of the 2023 scholarships. Martin called on each one and Drew handed each a certificate of recognition.

Martin was responsible for introducing local state legislators, Representative Bill Hauter and speaking on behalf of Senator Sally Turner, Renee Martin, the Senator’s Chief of Staff.



Representative Hauter was the first to take the podium. He introduced himself and explained that he was the replacement for Tim Butler. He explained his role in the state and talked briefly about his professional career as a doctor and an anesthesiologist. He also mentioned that he was a cousin to Dr. Drew Hauter that has a practice in Lincoln. He said that he was a great supporter of Senator Turner and used her as his mentor and guide. He shared that he was also preparing to take an office in the Farm Bureau building in Lincoln and looked forward to serving the agriculture community.



Renee Martin was next to speak and sent apologies for the absence of Senator Turner who was in Springfield on Thursday morning prepping for a meeting later in the morning with the Senate Agricultural Committee of which she is a member. Martin went on to speak about some of the house bills that Senator Turner has supported or opposed because of the impact the bills would have on local farmers.



Derek Martin returned to the podium and said that he was going to part from the agenda for a special presentation unknown to Jim Drew. The presentation was a plaque recognizing Drew for 45 years of service to the local agricultural community via his commitment to the Farm Bureau. He spoke about Drews support of the community, his work on the scholarship program and many other services that Drew has worked to provide in the community.

After the plaque presentation the scholarships were awarded.

Recipients are as follows:

Walker Allen, Mt. Pulaski, $5,000
Clay Aylesworth, Mt. Pulaski, $5,000
Evan Cooper, Mt. Pulaski, $3,500
Abigail Montgomery, Hartsburg, $3,500
Blaine Halley, Atlanta, $2,500
Gavin Smith, Mt Pulaski, $2,500


Left to right: Gavin Smith, Clay Aylesworth, Walker Allen Abigail Montgomery, Blaine Halley, and Evan Cooper.

Following the scholarship presentations, the final event of the day was guest speaker Machinery Pete.

Greg Peterson, aka Machinery Pete has built a career for himself tracking machinery auction results. He explained how he built his career from watching auction sale bills and calling auctioneers after the fact to find out what the high bids were on farm equipment sold at a specific auction. He said he worked to compile a listing of sales results that was available to the public. He began the work prior to internet access being a universal thing, and then grew his business and his livelihood as the internet and other forms of technology took shape.

Putting together his auction tracker has over the years enabled him to make many good contacts including with people like local auctioneers Mike Maske and Dan Naughton who were both in attendance at the breakfast. He said Maske had always been eager to share information about his auctions, and over the years, the two have become good friends. He said it was Maske who invited him to come speak at the breakfast.

Peterson went on to talk about how his career had grown from being the auction tracker guy to being a guest speaker, and blogger, you tuber and even holding spots on certain television shows such as Market to Market that is produced and broadcast via PBS.

He spoke directly to the scholarship recipients when he said that the key to doing well in life is to be a good listener, starting with listening to parents and grandparents. He said that the generations prior have accumulated wisdom and knowledge and have a lot to offer to the young and upcoming farmer who will take the time to listen.

He also commented that being a good listener with personal interaction skills and professional knowledge of your trade or field are great keys to success.



Peterson talked about some of the farm sales he has tracked and the value of equipment in various states of condition. He said there were people out there who would observe a bid and comment afterward that the winner got a very good deal, the tractor for example was worth a lot more than the winning bid. Then others would say a bidder got snookered because they paid way more than a specific piece of equipment was worth. Peterson said that neither observation was really correct. He said on any given day at any given auction, a piece of equipment is worth what it brings. The value is established by the bid, not the bid by the value.

He did go on to say that currently prices are being driven upward because of the issues with supply and demand following the pandemic. He showed a chart that reflects the supply status of 175 horsepower tractors over a one year period in 2021/2022.



The chart was pretty clear, supply is reaching all-time lows while demand for equipment is on the rise. This will increase the bids at auctions and thus as he said earlier, the value of that tractor will be determined by the winning bid.

Peterson said he tracks many auctions across the country, and finds some amazing results, such as tractors with low hours parked in sheds as collectables with farmers using them as an investment with hopes that the older it gets the more it will bring on the auction block.

Peterson said that he had been lucky and happy to have the career he has had. He was already staying at home when the pandemic hit, he had the privilege of being an involved parent helping to care for his children while still providing for his family and he had experiences with his children that were priceless.

He also spoke about selling equipment. He explained that as he grew and technology grew, he began making short videos using his cellphone. He said it had proven to be very good for his career, and it can also be good for the future sale of farm equipment.

He said with drone technology and cellphone video capabilities, when the farmer is out in the field with a piece of equipment, they will do well to do some shorts of the equipment in auction. He said conversations in the video are also good as it makes the seller a part of the sale. He explained that when folks are viewing an auction, they will relate to the video, will watch it and will have an emotional attachment to the ones who are speaking to them.

This makes the item memorable and makes the sale more likely.

Finally, Peterson spoke about his website, blogs, podcasts and television appearances and encouraged all those who were interested to visit his website for the auction tracker. He said all the information on the website is free to the public and he hopes it will help farmers know what to expect when they attend local auctions or hope to sell equipment on the block.

When Peterson was finished, the day was called to its conclusion. Guests were encouraged to congratulate the scholarship recipients who would be gathering at the front of the room for photo ops and possible interviews.



As the day ended, Martin returned to the podium and said one last sincere thank you to the sponsors of the Agriculture Scholarships. He said the Farm Bureau has been doing this for the past six years and as of the 2023 awards have given out $127,500 in scholarships.


Drew also provided some last-minute information based on questions he had been asked during breakfast. How do we do the judging? The Farm Bureau accepts the applications and takes them to Heartland Community College in Bloomington/Normal where a third part committee does the judging for the awards.

Another question was about funding. Drew said 100 percent of the money that the sponsors give goes to scholarships.

[Nila Smith]