OCTOBER 2005


For the second year, New Holland will be supporting future leaders by donating a season's use of a tractor/round baler haymaking combo to the FFA Foundation for its annual Alumni Auction.

The highest bidder will receive up to 300 hours use of a 105 PTO-hp TS125A tractor, plus a season's use (up to 3,000 bales) of a New Holland round baler. The tractor/round baler combo will be made available for use between 4/1/06 and 10/31/06.

The auction, which raises funds for the FFA Foundation, is scheduled for Thursday, October 27 at the annual FFA convention in Louisville, Kentucky. To allow more FFA alumni and others who cannot attend the live auction to bid on this haymaking combo, the National FFA will also be accepting proxy bids.

A proxy bid is an automatic bid that increases incrementally each time someone outbids you until you win or reach your maximum bid. All you need to do is decide the maximum you're willing to pay. During the auction, if no other bidders outbid your maximum, you win, and the final price may even be less than the maximum you were willing to spend.

To submit a proxy bid, go to www.ffa.org/convention/html/conv_alumni.htm., contact Amber Smyer, National FFA Program Coordinator, at (317) 802-4294 or asmyer@ffa.org to request a proxy form.

Ranch 'Special' to Western Broadcaster

Popular broadcaster Taylor Brown of Billings, MT was key in enlisting New Holland to fill a need for what Brown sees as a very special Montana ranch. Adults with developmental disabilities call the Special K Ranch home, noted Brown, who didn't hesitate to throw his support behind the donation of the ranch's very first piece of new equipment.

Residents who live and work in the family atmosphere of this ranch learn independent living and vocational skills doing their daily home and ranch duties such as raising livestock and tending to bedding plants, nursery trees and shrubs, and hothouse tomatoes.

Special K Ranch executive director Larry Goehner said the New Holland donation of a needed spreader will help better handle manure from their livestock program. The spreader is the first new piece of equipment on the non-profit ranch since it opened in 1986

Taylor Brown, president and owner of the Northern Broadcasting System based in Billings, Montana, was one of the first to contact New Holland in support of the ranch and was on hand when the official presentation was made. With perhaps one of the most recognized voices in the intermountain west, Brown has played a huge role as an advocate for western agriculture since he joined the Northern Broadcasting System as a regional farm broadcaster in 1979. Today as its owner, he heads up a team that every market day produces over three dozen news, market, weather and sports information programs for over 80 affiliated radio stations in six states; plus two daily ag television programs that are seen on nine Montana and Wyoming TV stations.