The 2024 FFA Tractor Operator’s Contest was won by Grant Belleville of Otsego FFA. Konner Chambers of Bowling Green FFA was second; followed by Drew Vollmar of Otsego FFA, third; Ali Strausbaugh of Elmwood FFA, fourth; Cole Brokaw of BG FFA, fifth, and Landen Naus of BG FFA, sixth.
The contest is a favorite of fairgoers who watch FFA members attempt to drive and back two- and four-wheeled farm implements through an obstacle course. The contest consists of three areas. In the two-wheeled event, the contestant must drive a tractor and manure spreader out of a shed, back down a 50-foot alleyway and then manipulate the unit through a series of stakes without touching them.
In the four-wheeled event, the contestant must back a tractor up to a wagon and drop in a hitch pin without moving either the tractor or wagon by hand. Then the wagon is pulled forward with the tractor and backed into a different shed.
The two- and four-wheeled events are timed.
The third area is safety, where contestants are penalized for any safety infractions during the operation of the tractor and implements. The contest requires a lot of skill and ability, which must be practiced.
The Ed and Denise Foos Family sponsored the trophies for the top three places. Truland Equipment furnished the tractors, the Hoile/Hanna family furnished the wagon, the Eastwood and Otsego FFA chapters furnished the course markers, and the BG Agricultural Education Department furnished the manure spreader. Judges for the contest were Jacob Brown, Mark Wensink, Tom Stearns, and Nick Eckel.
