Tractors and toys at FFA’s 26th Annual Farm Toy Show and Auction

PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains FFA was in good spirits as its members hosted a Farm Toy Show and Auction on Saturday, March 18.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents from Dutchess County and beyond met in the gymnasium of Stissing Mountain Middle/High School to see what the FFA’s 26th Annual Farm Toy Show and Auction had to offer. General admission was priced at $3 per person while children under five were free of charge. Prizes were offered at the door and lunch was made available later on in the day.

Walking into the gymnasium, attendees met an array of tables that showcased different farm scenes. Among the show tables that were judged at the event, one display by Mark and Judy Germand of Standfordville captured a moment in 1963 with the arrival of a new tractor. Another arranged one-third of a farm display that had been designed and built by Lee Bush of Middletown.

For the Farm Toy Show, several tables and bins held a collection of farm toys for the children’s delight, from model tractors to farm animal Beanie Babies. To the side of the gym, student members of the Pine Plains FFA sold T-shirts that read “No Farms, No Food” and had the group’s logo printed on the back. A toy tractor raffle took place at a price of $1 per ticket and $5 for six tickets.

For the event’s annual auction, attendees observed a variety of farm machinery and construction equipment put up for bidding in the afternoon. 

As told by show superintendent John Boadle, the FFA will receive 10 percent of the proceeds generated from toy sales as well as all proceeds from the event’s donations.

With the strike of noon, the event held a kiddie pedal tractor pull and the children were offered trophies and ribbons for their participation. By 2 p.m., attendees gathered together as DeLos Luther lead the auction. 

At this present time, the Pine Plains FFA has about 40 active members. In addition to the annual Farm Toy Show and Auction, the organization has previously participated in exhibits at the Dutchess County Fair and hosts the FFA Fall Festival every Columbus Day weekend. Scheduled for this spring, the FFA expects to host a banquet for its student members. 

“It seemed like a cool experience,” said seventh-grader Annette Prezzano on her decision to join the FFA, “and I know about the hard work that goes into it.”

“We’re also both looking forward to going into an agricultural job in the future,” added Prezzano’s younger sister, sixth-grader, Autumn. Following their experiences with the Pine Plains FFA, Annette Prezzano expressed her interest in acting as Dutchess County officer of agriculture while her sister plans to become a florist with a focus on peonies.