![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/3-12-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cEvery year, he likes to use Tractor Day to give a scholarship to a student. This year’s recipient was Hillary Heffington. She’s our tractor president,\u201d said Burnum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Burnum added that students are ecstatic to participate in the parade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor some of them, it’s the main reason they take an [agriculture] class,\u201d she said. \u201cFor others, they’ve watched their aunts, uncles, grandparents, and parents drive. It’s following in those footsteps and knowing that they’re doing something that their parents or grandparents did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event began over four decades ago with Stan Golden and Tim Redd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe invite them every year, and they often come back and celebrate with us,\u201d she said. \u201cThey help us judge our tractors and hand out awards. They are great guys, and we enjoy them participating with us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Burnum said that the event takes place each year during FFA week, which celebrates the National FFA organization throughout the nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe always plan for it to be the Friday of National FFA Week,” she explained. \u201cThis year, we had [over] 250 members. Every student that sits in an agriculture classroom is able to participate and drive a tractor. We had between 25 and 30 tractors this year. We also opened the event to LCHS [alum]. [Any] former member could come back and drive this year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n New this year was the addition of an invitation for local producers to participate in the parade and festivities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur reasoning behind that was to show just how diverse the agriculture industry is in the county and around the country,\u201d said Burnum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through events such as Tractor Day, Burnum hopes to educate students and the community that FFA is more than just being a farmer. While farming is an essential aspect of the organization, one can gain so much more through involvement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was an FFA member, and I know full well what this program can do for kids,\u201d she explained. \u201cPeople like to think of it as Future Farmers of America. In 1988 that name changed, and it’s just the letters now. While we continue to recognize our history with FFA, the number one thing our students are doing by being involved in FFA is that they’re building leadership skills. They’re not necessarily going into farming. Agriculture is a hugely diverse industry. So the biggest thing we can offer our community is the development of leadership skills that these students can build and use in their careers, families, businesses, and our community. We want students to walk away with an appreciation of where their food, clothing, and housing come from and how all those necessities funnel back to the agricultural industry in some form or fashion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about Lincoln County\u2019s FFA Chapter, email Burnum at jburnum@lcdoe.org. GN\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AS THE sun breaks the horizon to begin the day, many can hear the rough but rhythmic sounds of a tractor approaching the parking lot of Lincoln County High School (LCHS).\u00a0 Its appearance is a sign to those awaiting that the day\u2019s festivities for the annual Lincoln County Tractor Day are underway. For the last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":17733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-14-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/2-13-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n