Palmer streets turn John Deere green for Drive Your Tractor to Work Day

PALMER — As 42 local farmers drove their noisy, slow moving tractors along two of Palmer’s busiest streets on Monday morning, Palmer residents welcomed the delay in traffic during the fourth annual Drive your Tractor to Work Day.

Sponsored by Alaska Farmland Trust, Matanuska Electric Association, Glacier Valley Farm and the city of Palmer and organized by Arthur Keyes, the parade of farming equipment varied from older equipment sporting decades of rust and high-tech tractors in shimmering John Deere green. Local farmer Bryan Scoresby drove in a parade for the first time on his John Deere 950.

“It’s important to know where your food comes from and all these farmers here and these tractors help grow that food that we eat,” said Scoresby.

Tractor driving farmers were met with cheers and waved at residents who lined the streets to show support to their local agricultural businesses on Monday and will also celebrate Alaskan Agriculture Day on Tuesday as their equipment returns to its natural habitat in farming fields. Let out of the legislative session early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rep. DeLena Johnson and Gerann Tarr were able to see the parade of tractors in person for the first time, and Johnson said that the pandemic has highlighted the importance of local agriculture.

“Now we’re really aware of why having a local dairy, why having local food, I mean I think it’s now been highlighted more than ever,” said Johnson. “People really do enjoy seeing the tractors and knowing they’re in a farm town in Palmer.”

While the Legislative Budget and Audit’s continuing work to disperse funds directed for COVID-19 relief in Alaska remains yet to be finished, legislators are watching closely to determine if a return to Juneau for additional action will become necessary. In the meantime, Johnson and Tarr were joined by candidate for United States Congress Alyse Galvin and candidate for United States Senate Dr. Al Gross.

“Right now we have this major budget challenge and agriculture is a bright spot in our economy and we should do everything we can to encourage growth and support the people doing it,” said Tarr.

Tractors departed from the Alaska State Fairgrounds at 9 a.m., and took nearly 15 minutes before they were greeted by adoring agriculture fans along the parade route on Valley Way and Alaska Street. Director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Experiment Farm and Extension Center Jodie Anderson noted that despite bare store shelves, Alaskans will have locally grown fresh produce this summer thanks to local farmers.

“My heart melted when I saw the number of people that were just hanging out on the sides of the road in their cars on the sides with masks with their children. It was just so wonderful and if we get that much support to farmers by purchasing the food that they’re growing,” said Anderson.

Keyes served as the Director of the Alaska Division of Agriculture from 2016 to 2018 and led the parade of heavy equipment through downtown Palmer. After the farmers had taken their time moving up and down the parade route, Keyes took some time to marvel at antique farming machines parked near the Palmer pavilion alongside newer models equipped with satellite tracking, laser tracking, and GPS steering systems that represent the new generation of agriculture equipment.

“We’ve got the ancient stuff that was the advent of modern agriculture, these old old tractors and then you’ve got the brand new stuff that you know, it’s next level and it’s how we’re going to feed the world going forward and we’re doing it right here in Palmer Alaska, crazy,” said Keyes.

Farmers favorite Mike Pollock drove his 1942 Massey-Harris 101 Junior in the parade that features the original 78-year-old front tires. Pollock purchased the antique tractor in Wisconsin in 2000 and says it runs quietly like a Swiss watch. Pollock belongs to the Antique Power Club and enjoys promoting the importance of local farmers, but said that his favorite machine is his friend Ken Schellenberg’s John Deere 420 that was driven by Nick Schellenberg in the parade.

“I think it’s a very nice way to give support to local farmers,” said Pollock.

Keyes was happy to lead the parade of farmers through town to have appreciation shown by local residents who rely on local food production. Some tractors fastened fresh produce to the front of their rigs to show off what will be the result of miles of operation in fields just beginning to ramp up for the summer growing season.

“Especially in light of the current situation with you know the quarantine and really the national, the world crisis we’re going through, there’s never been a more important time for farming, especially local farming,” said Keyes. “The farmers really ramped up when that happened. The orders started coming in and you had farmers working triple time you know, working all weekend working double shifts all day long to get the product from the barns to the grocery stores to feed Alaskans.”