For many of us, the image of the farm brings up visions of lush landscapes - green pastures and barns filled with cows - but for the last 60 years or so, farming has been as much about cold hard machinery as it has been about the land. For a farmer, the one piece of machinery that is absolutely indispensable is the tractor. Across the country there are legions of people who collect and restore old tractors. In this piece, two members of the "The Catskill Mountain Antique Engine & Machinery Club" explain what they look for in a tractor. Stub Ploutz is an Aliss Chalmer's man; he considers himself a preserver, not a collector - though he does have 18-20 tractors. By that he means - he likes to fix 'em so he can use 'em - it's important to use them - it's his way of keeping industrial age agriculture alive. As he says, "people don't know how a farm was operated." Now guys have new machines with cabs enclosed in glass, air conditioning and bucket seats, those guys are "so far away from the soil - it ain't even funny." Tom Hunt, the president of the club, is a John Deere man... He's has a sense of humor about the whole tractor obsession. "One day I had a young guy ask me what do you do with your tractor?" Tom explained (rather romantically) that if he's "stressed out, I'll ride up the hill and let the dog run along side." The guy replied, "you know what they say, if you live in Sidney Center and you drive your John Deere for entertainment, you may be a red neck." Originally aired on Studio 360 November 27, 2004.

For many of us, the image of the farm brings up visions of lush landscapes - green pastures and barns filled with cows - but for the last 60 years or so, farming has been as much about cold hard machinery as it has been about the land. For a farmer, the one piece of machinery that is absolutely indispensable is the tractor. Across the country there are legions of people who collect and restore old tractors. In this piece, two members of the "The Catskill Mountain Antique Engine & Machinery Club" explain what they look for in a tractor. Stub Ploutz is an Aliss Chalmer's man; he considers himself a preserver, not a collector - though he does have 18-20 tractors. By that he means - he likes to fix 'em so he can use 'em - it's important to use them - it's his way of keeping industrial age agriculture alive. As he says, "people don't know how a farm was operated." Now guys have new machines with cabs enclosed in glass, air conditioning and bucket seats, those guys are "so far away from the soil - it ain't even funny." Tom Hunt, the president of the club, is a John Deere man... He's has a sense of humor about the whole tractor obsession. "One day I had a young guy ask me what do you do with your tractor?" Tom explained (rather romantically) that if he's "stressed out, I'll ride up the hill and let the dog run along side." The guy replied, "you know what they say, if you live in Sidney Center and you drive your John Deere for entertainment, you may be a red neck." Originally aired on Studio 360 November 27, 2004.