The 4th annual New Holland/Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race was another rousing success at the CMA Music Festival. Not only is it a great promotion for New Holland and a fun way for fans to see some of their favorite stars in the tractor seat, it also raises money for the National FFA.
“The tractor is going to be sold at auction this year, as it has been for the last four years, at the National FFA Convention,” Michael said. “Fifty percent of the proceeds go to the charity of the driver’s choice and the other 50 percent goes to support FFA programs.”
Michael is pictured here with this year’s winner for the second year in a row, Darby Ledbetter, who is not only a great tractor driver, but also a singer/songwriter and proud member of the National Guard! Michael is on the right, by the way, Darby on the left – and that guy in the middle is the famous host of AgriTalk, Mike Adams, who was the announcer for the race once again this year.
Here are two biofuels promoters. Chuck Leavell, Rolling Stones (left) and Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. They were race contestants in the New Holland/Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race.
I caught both of them in the tent for a short interview. It was very noisy. They were having a lot of fun. Of course when I interviewed them Chuck had just completed his race. Joe says we had biodiesel in the tank of the New Holland Boomer that was being used for the race. He says, “Hats off to New Holland, Michael Peterson and Chuck Leavell.” Chuck not only supports biodiesel but ethanol as well since he’s a tree farmer and very interested in cellulosic ethanol production.
The CMA Music Festival in Nashville featured some well-known country legends like Reba McEntire and the Judds, so it was a perfect place for New Holland to display its own country classic, the Boomer 8N.
“It’s a retro going back to the Ford 8N and we are very proud of that heritage of ours going back to the 40s and 50s,” said Clint Erickson, New Holland business manager for Tennessee, Alabama and Florida. The tractor, which was just launched earlier this year at the National Farm Machinery Show, was on display for all four days of the CMA Music Fest and at the New Holland/Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race on Sunday.
The slogan for the 8N is “The Legend Returns” and Clint says it attracted a lot of attention at the festival with many posing for pictures with the shiny, sweet ride. Find out more at www.8n.com.
Listen to or download my interview with Clint here:
Michael Waddell is the star of Bone Collectors on the Outdoor Channel. He was one of the competitors in the New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race, hosted by Michael Peterson.
Waddell gave it a valiant effort and hopefully will compete again next year.
I don’t know how many of you have had a chance to see Michael Peterson perform. With his permission I shot a video of him singing one of his biggest hits, “Drink Swear Steal & Lie” at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville last night. He was being backed up by the band Stony Run.
The 2009 New Holland Celebrity Tractor Show, hosted by Michael Peterson, has concluded and we have a two time winner!
He’s Darby Ledbetter, seen here with his wife, being interviewed by Cindy. I think Darby was pretty excited and did a victory lap with the checkered flag. I’ve updated the online photo album for your viewing pleasure. I’ll be posting more over the next couple days since I’m heading off to Denver immediately for the AFBF Public Relations conference. It’s going to be a busy week for AgWired.
Thank you Gene Hemphill, Dawn Fox, New Holland and Holly and John Fritz, H. B. Fritz & Associates for another fantastic week in country music city.
It has been a great day of country music at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, TN. We got to watch Michael Peterson perform at Hard Rock Cafe before heading over to LP Field for the evening concert.
Tonight we had a very special performance by Wynonna and then she was joined on stage by her Mom, Naomi. It was a real emotional reunion and there are pictures in the photo album.
You’ll also find photos from other performers tonight like Trace Adkins.
This year being not only my first CMA Music Festival but also my first time In Nashville, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew there would be country music stars but was unaware of all the other attractions going on downtown. This festival brings in so many companies with booths and prizes that one day really isn’t enough! There is so much to do from watching the flying dog show to watching street performers like the Naked Cowboy. In addition to the already booming downtown, the festival brings in around 200,000 people to the area over four days! That is amazing.
Most people come to watch performances throughout the day. Stars perform on many stages around downtown, from the Hard Rock to the waterfront to the main stage at LP Field. Entering LP Field for the first night of performances I could not believe the amount of people in the stands and on the field. I had never seen anything like it and was thrilled to be apart of that. Not only were so many people sweating it out in the stands for their beloved performers but they even toughed it out through the rain delay and stayed to watch til 3 in the morning! Now that is real country music dedication!
One of the great things about the CMA Music Festival is the opportunity to meet stars of the stage. Michael Peterson introduced me to Ricochet. They were in the kickoff parade and will be competing in the New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race on Sunday.
I spoke with Troy, Greg, Heath and Robert after the parade. They said riding in the parade, “beat hauling hay.” They’ve got a new album out called “Ricochet Reloaded.”
They’re looking forward to racing tractors on Sunday since at least one of them “is an old tractor jockey from way back.” They think country music fans would be good tractor race fans. It only makes sense.
“New Holland is one of our corporate sponsors, which we are very proud to have on board, so we are happy to be here sharing a booth with them talking about horses while they talk about tractors,” says Ginger Walker, APHA director of special events.
APHA is the second largest horse breed registry in the United States with nearly 100,000 members and Ginger says they are a very exceptional horse. “The color really sets them apart, they’re basically a stock horse with color and each one is unique – no two are alike, they’re like a snowflake,” said Ginger. “They’re very fun to ride and they can do all sorts of things.”
Visitors to the New Holland/APHA booth get to play Wii games to win Michael Peterson CDs. Ginger is shown here congratulating one young visitor on his Wii bowling score.
Listen to or download my interview with Ginger here:
Truckers and others learned about biodiesel on the Dave Nemo Show yesterday when NBB CEO, Joe Jobe, got behind the microphone with him and Michael Peterson. I recorded a segment for you on video. With support from New Holland, this program has been an annual deal. Perhaps Joe and Dave can get together more often now since fuel has become such an important issue, especially with the price volatility we’ve seen in the last couple years.
Hello from the Chevy Sports Zone at the CMA Music Festival. We’ve been streaming live from the New Holland booth. We’ve also got the American Paint Horse Association sharing space with us.
I was testing out our live feed in advance of Sunday’s New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race, hosted by Michael Peterson. Thanks to everyone who tuned in. We’ve got a special internet access set up that didn’t reach our tent so I was just borrowing some local bandwidth. That’s why the feed was going in and out but I hope you got a flavor of the booth. We’re looking forward to being live Sunday morning starting at 10:30am central for the race!
For the third year in a row I got to sit in the studio with Joe Jobe, National Biodiesel Board (left) and Michael Peterson (right) while they were guests on the Dave Nemo Show. This year the show is on both XM and Sirius.
They talked biodiesel and sang some songs during the show. I’ve got video that will be showing up later. Right now I’m heading downtown to see what’s going on at the CMA Music Festival.
This evening the CMA Music Festival had a storm issue at the LP Field concert. The second act was Reba McEntire and she was just getting started when they had to clear the field. We got to see Brooks & Dunn and then a couple songs by Reba. It was very disappointing and I’m sure most fans stayed underneath the stands in the hopes that they might restart the program. We decided not to wait and returned to our hotel. It was a nasty storm and we had tornado watch to go with it.
In the morning I’ll join Michael Peterson, Joe Jobe and Gene Hemphill as we go visit Dave Nemo for his show on XM/Sirius Radio so there will be a lot more to come from this year’s Fan Fair!
Post Update: The show did restart long after we left, probably around midnight and finished before 3am. I’m pretty sure it was only the hard
In this week’s program we’re going to hear all about how well the New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race, hosted by Michael Peterson, is working for the company. I sat down with Gene Hemphill, New Holland Public Affairs, and we talked about this project that we’ve been involved with for 4 years now. Gene says he and Michael took the idea to the CMA about a year before the first tractor race and were welcomed to become CMA Music Festival participants. The event has grown to the point that, outside of the evening concerts, it’s now one of the top attended events during the festival.
You’ll hear Gene say that this project has accomplished a lot of things for New Holland as it has developed. Besides just the race event and all the celebrities New Holland is also able to support the FFA, work with Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board and Chuck Leavell, keyboardist for the Rolling Stones and interact with people who fit the ideal demographics for the company and its products.
Cindy was with us so she got a photo of Gene talking to the ZimmComm Golden Microphone.
This week’s program ends with some Michael Peterson music. It’s a song titled, “Down On The Farm” and even if you’ve heard it before, it’s worth hearing again. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes
Michael Peterson recruited Carly to ride on in the parade with him here at the CMA Music Festival.
So she hopped on and joined the FFA members who rode in the sunshine as we kicked off another country music extravaganza.
While Carly was riding, Cindy was multitasking in the back.
Here in the picture you can see her shooting with my Flip Mino HD while shooting some still photos.
In case you’re wondering if that really works, there are pictures in the photo album from Cindy when I took this photo of her.
Then you can watch a clip of the video she was shooting below. In it Michael hops off the trailer for a quick live interview.
We’ll be on location here all week so you can expect to see and hear more interviews when and where we find them. We’re taking it slow this morning though since a major storm just moved through and it was not a good time to be outside. Hopefully it all clears up soon.
New Holland and Michael Peterson showed their support for the FFA here at the CMA Music Festival once again. The officers of the Westmoreland FFA chapter rode with Michael in the kickoff parade. Before we got started I interviewed them. They’re north of Nashville about 45 minutes.
They were pretty excited to ride along with Michael behind a new New Holland tractor. They describe the FFA as a basic youth organization for agricultural education. They’re happy to have the chance to promote their program and show their support for agriculture. They’ll be working in the New Holland booth in the Chevy Sports Zone during the rest of the Festival.
You can listen to my interview with Westmoreland FFA here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The CMA Music Festival is underway in Nashville, TN. My good friend Michael Peterson was a crowd pleaser in the opening parade this afternoon. He and I found a cool place for an interview after the parade.
Michael and I agree that it seems like there are even more people here than last year. It was a big crowd lining Broadway for the parade in the heat and humidity. He’s looking forward to another great New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race on Sunday.
You can listen to my interview with Michael here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Or watch the interview here:
I’ve got over a hundred photos being uploaded to Flickr right now and I’ll be posting a link to it soon in an online photo album. Check them out: 2009 CMA Music Festival Photo Album
AgWired goes country this week at the 2009 Country Music Association’s annual summer Music Fest, commonly known as Fan Fair. Once again we’re sponsored by New Holland to cover their activities which culminate on Sunday with the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race. You’ll be able to watch live video of the race, announced by AgriTalk’s Mike Adams, here via AgWired Live TV starting at 10:30am this Sunday.
It looks like the competition for the race is already heating up as evidenced by this excerpt from the latest National Biodiesel Board news release:
National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe returns for his third appearance in the New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race, now in its fourth year as a popular feature of the Country Music Association’s (CMA) 2009 Music Festival, June 10-14, 2009 in Nashville, TN. The race involves “celebrities” from many professions driving a New Holland compact tractor through an obstacle course of road cones, each trying to complete the course in the least amount of seconds.
Jobe, who placed 3rd in the 2008 race, has his eyes set on moving higher in the ratings. One of his main challengers from 2008 is his friend and biodiesel supporter Chuck Leavell, environmentalist, conservationist, author, and 27-year keyboardist for the Rolling Stones. Leavell placed 5th in 2008, but only seconds on the clock separated the two friends. His eyes are also set on placing higher. Adding to the action is country music artist Michael Peterson, also a strong biodiesel supporter, who is hosting the competition for New Holland.
“New Holland is once again taking an industry-leading role in its support of biodiesel,” said Jobe. “They have already led the industry in supporting 100% biodiesel in all of the engines they manufacture, but they are not resting on those achievements. They continue to promote the biodiesel for its benefits to the nation’s energy supply, food supply, and agricultural sector.”
Cindy, Carly and I will all be on location starting this evening so you can count on lots of photos, interviews and videos this week from the home of country music.
We certainly had a little bit of rock and roll getting together with country at the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race. One of the contestants who held the lead for a while was Rolling Stones keyboardist, Chuck Leavell (left), seen here with Michael Peterson.
Chuck is a central Georgia tree farmer where he and his wife have 2,500 acres. He’s the proud owner of a New Holland 2410. I asked him why he participated and one of the things he likes is supporting FFA, which he feels strongly about. As far as a celebrity tractor race goes, he thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world. When he’s not on the road rocking and rolling with the Stones, he says you’ll find him on his New Holland out in the woods.
He’s also a big believer in biofuels like biodiesel and has a special interest in cellulosic ethanol production. That makes sense for a tree farmer.
Listen to my interview with Chuck:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 6 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Commodity Classic took place in Anaheim, CA. You'll find all of Chuck, Cindy and Joanna's photos here.
Happy Ag Week
It's time to thank our farmers and ranchers for all their hard work to feed us.
In this week's program I interview Linda Tank, CHS, Inc., who is Chair of the Agriculture Council of America, the group coordinating National Ag Day. Learn more about their activities, especially this week in Washington, DC.
The 4th annual New Holland/Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race was another rousing success at the CMA Music Festival. Not only is it a great promotion for New Holland and a fun way for fans to see some of their favorite stars in the tractor seat, it also raises money for the National FFA. 
Here are two biofuels promoters. Chuck Leavell, Rolling Stones (left) and Joe Jobe, CEO of the 
The CMA Music Festival in Nashville featured some well-known country legends like Reba McEntire and the Judds, so it was a perfect place for New Holland to display its own country classic, the 
The 2009 New Holland Celebrity Tractor Show, hosted by Michael Peterson, has concluded and we have a two time winner!
It has been a great day of country music at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, TN. We got to watch Michael Peterson perform at Hard Rock Cafe before heading over to LP Field for the evening concert.
This year being not only my first CMA Music Festival but also my first time In Nashville, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew there would be country music stars but was unaware of all the other attractions going on downtown. This festival brings in so many companies with booths and prizes that one day really isn’t enough! There is so much to do from watching the flying dog show to watching street performers like the 
One of the great things about the CMA Music Festival is the opportunity to meet stars of the stage. Michael Peterson introduced me to Ricochet. They were in the kickoff parade and will be competing in the New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race on Sunday.
Sharing a booth with New Holland at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville this year is the 
APHA is the second largest horse breed registry in the United States with nearly 100,000 members and Ginger says they are a very exceptional horse. “The color really sets them apart, they’re basically a stock horse with color and each one is unique – no two are alike, they’re like a snowflake,” said Ginger. “They’re very fun to ride and they can do all sorts of things.” 
For the third year in a row I got to sit in the studio with Joe Jobe, National Biodiesel Board (left) and Michael Peterson (right) while they were guests on the 
This evening the CMA Music Festival had a storm issue at the LP Field concert. The second act was Reba McEntire and she was just getting started when they had to clear the field. We got to see Brooks & Dunn and then a couple songs by Reba. It was very disappointing and I’m sure most fans stayed underneath the stands in the hopes that they might restart the program. We decided not to wait and returned to our hotel. It was a nasty storm and we had tornado watch to go with it.
In this week’s program we’re going to hear all about how well the New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race, hosted by Michael Peterson, is working for the company. I sat down with Gene Hemphill, New Holland Public Affairs, and we talked about this project that we’ve been involved with for 4 years now. Gene says he and Michael took the idea to the CMA about a year before the first tractor race and were welcomed to become CMA Music Festival participants. The event has grown to the point that, outside of the evening concerts, it’s now one of the top attended events during the festival.
You’ll hear Gene say that this project has accomplished a lot of things for New Holland as it has developed. Besides just the race event and all the celebrities New Holland is also able to support the FFA, work with Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board and Chuck Leavell, keyboardist for the Rolling Stones and interact with people who fit the ideal demographics for the company and its products.
Michael Peterson recruited Carly to ride on in the parade with him here at the CMA Music Festival. 
In case you’re wondering if that really works, there are pictures in the photo album from Cindy when I took this photo of her. 
New Holland and Michael Peterson showed their support for the FFA here at the CMA Music Festival once again. The officers of the Westmoreland FFA chapter rode with Michael in the kickoff parade. Before we got started I interviewed them. They’re north of Nashville about 45 minutes. 
The CMA Music Festival is underway in Nashville, TN. My good friend Michael Peterson was a crowd pleaser in the opening parade this afternoon. He and I found a cool place for an interview after the parade.
AgWired goes country this week at the 2009 Country Music Association’s annual summer Music Fest, commonly known as Fan Fair. Once again we’re sponsored by 
We certainly had a little bit of rock and roll getting together with country at the Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race. One of the contestants who held the lead for a while was Rolling Stones keyboardist, Chuck Leavell (left), seen here with Michael Peterson.
It's time to thank our farmers and ranchers for all their hard work to feed us.
