‘Century of Farmalls’ planned for Half Century of Progress Show

RANTOUL, Ill. — Visitors to the Half Century of Progress Show and Farm Progress Show will be seeing plenty of red this year when “A Century of Farmalls” is celebrated.

The Central Illinois Chapter 10 IH Collectors is organizing a special display Aug. 24-27 at the Half Century of Progress Show at Rantoul to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Farmall brand names of IH tractors.

“We are working on a 99-tractor lineup, one model for every year between 1923 and 2023. Technically, it will be 1924 that would be the earliest possible regular. That’s when production started. That’s our goal and it all came about from a casual conversation with Max Armstrong,” said Rollie Moore of Central Illinois Chapter 10 IH Collectors.

“A couple of years ago we were looking in advance to the anniversary that is going to coincide with the next Half Century of Progress Show. I wondered if we could get a 100-tractor display. That’s kind of the genesis of the whole thing.”

An application to sign up and participate in the 100th anniversary display at Half Century of Progress is available on the Central Illinois Chapter 10 IH Collectors website.

“Antique tractors collectors just like to show up to shows and that’s great and I really like that. Unfortunately, when we’re trying to do a special display like this we have to do it in a managed situation. We call it a managed display, so they have to send in an application, otherwise we might end up with 30 Ms from 1939 and nothing else,” Moore said.

“It’s also a different thing because it’s obviously not all antique tractors. We’re looking for 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s right on up to the current ones in use. We think we’ve got a pretty good chance of getting some those from the local folks around there in Champaign and Vermilion County that are close to Rantoul that will just be driving it there, but we still need to go through the registration process.”

Farm Progress Show

The celebration will not conclude on the final day of the Half Century of Progress when the past will converge with the newest technology at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur.

On Monday, Aug. 28, a “red” only tractor drive will be held from Farmer City to the Farm Progress exhibit, led by Armstrong. The tractors will then be on display Aug. 29-31 for the duration of the Farm Progress Show.

The drive and display will be limited to 70 tractors. Participants in the Half Century of Progress “Century of Farmall” lineup will have first priority for those 70 spots.

Drive and display participants will receive an exhibitors pin and parking pass good for all three days of the Farm Progress Show.

An application for the tractor drive will be available on the Central Illinois Chapter 10 IH Collectors website in the near future.

Early Fan

Moore became a fan of the Farmalls early on.

“I’m just another one of these red tractor nuts. I was raised on a farm and that’s what was here when I was a kid. Like thousands of other farm kids, the first one you drove was that M back in the late 1940s, early 1950s. So, I’ve farmed with red stuff all of my life,” he said.

“As things kind of slowed down a little bit more for me, I joined the Collectors Club and got involved there.

“I started out being a toy collector many years ago and then in about 2000 I thought this antique tractor habit looks like might be kind of fun. So, I got bit by the bug in about 2001, with the tractor drives, tractor shows, some restorations and all kinds of different things.”

Moore has attended the Half Century of Progress Show since before it was officially a show when it was an exhibit adjacent to the Farm Progress Show.

“I participated in the genesis of it in 2003 when the 50th anniversary of the Farm Progress Show was held at Armstrong, and I had a tractor in what was then the 50-year lineup. I had a 1957 model representing that year in the lineup outside, and I’ve gone back every other year when they have it. It’s just a terrific show,” Moore said.

“Our Central Illinois Chapter 10 IH Collectors club has always had a pretty good size tent at the Half Century of Progress and have sort of been involved in the shepherding the official display of Case IH/IH Farmall tractors, although we don’t have all of them there. There are so many that show up, they’re kind of scattered all over the place. We’ve had some special tractors there in the tent over the years.”