RACINE, Wis. — As part of its ongoing commitment to help agriculture producers be ready to address the challenges and opportunities confronting the industry, Case IH awarded nine new Farmall^® tractors to the runners-up of the 2012 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) awards. One of those tractors was delivered to Travis and Renae Gebhart of Meadow, S.D., for being a national finalist in the YF&R Achievement Award. The Gebharts chose an optimized Farmall 45 compact tractor to better meet their growing operation’s needs.

The winners, announced at the AFBF’s 93rd Annual Meeting on Jan. 9 in Honolulu, Hawaii, were selected based on the success of their operation combined with the strength of leadership skills they demonstrated.

“These finalists truly represent the kind of leadership that farmers will need to keep up with the evolving agriculture industry,” says Scott Raber, Case IH Regional Sales Director. “We are proud to sponsor them as they continue growing in this rewarding business.”

The Gebharts have been expanding their operation since 2002. Along with their three children, Shannon, Katelyn and Kyle, the Gebharts manage several thousand acres of pasture land, hay, corn, sunflowers and wheat, along with several beef cattle. They own a commercial cow/calf operation where they retain ownership through finishing at a custom feedlot.

“Our experiences in Farm Bureau certainly gave us a better perspective on the world of agriculture versus local agriculture,” says Travis Gebhart. “Becoming an Achievement Award recipient has been rewarding. We spent a lot of time getting to this point and it’s rewarding to look back and see how well we have done.”

Case IH dealer West Plains, Inc. in Hettinger, N.D., delivered the new Case IH Farmall tractor to the Gebharts on April 13. They plan to use their new tractor for grain augers, large mowing tasks and general yard work.

“I’m a loyal Case IH person to start with and this certainly solidifies that,” says Gebhart.

The Gebhart’s local Farm Bureau insurance agent convinced them to get involved in the organization and they soon joined the state Young Farmer and Rancher committee. Both Travis and Renae have competed in the Discussion Meet, with Renae finishing in the Sweet 16 a couple of years ago.

Active in their community, the Gebharts are involved in FFA and 4-H. Travis volunteers with the Glad Valley Fire Department, and he serves on the dean’s advisory board for South Dakota State University’s College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. Renae is on the Jr. Livestock Board and volunteers at the local school. They are also both active in their county Farm Bureau and are past state YF&R committee members and the state YF&R chair.