Collecting, preserving, and using vintage farm machinery unites members of the Nebraska Antique Farming Association (NAFA). Established in November 2011 with 10 members, the group now works to raise awareness of Nebraska’s agricultural heritage by promoting demonstrations, exhibits, and tractor drives such as their upcoming June 2025 “Tractor Relay Across Nebraska.” Typically, 35 to 40 riders participate in the annual event.
Relay Coordinator Donelle Moormeier said the group’s annual relay events began in June 2012.
“For the first relay, which was a nine-day event, participants wrote letters to themselves, which we carried as we followed the segment of the Pony Express trail that winds through Nebraska for nine days,” Moormeier said. “It was designed for riders to go as few or as many days as they wanted.”
The Pony Express Trail begins in St. Joseph, Missouri, and ends in Sacramento, California. In their day, riders crossed 1,966 miles in 10 days. Much of the Pony Express Trail through Nebraska followed the natural road created by the Platte River Valley, the same trail used by those following the Oregon Trail. Although the Pony Express was in operation for only 18 months between April 3, 1860, and October 24, 1861, the daring and courage of those first riders is commemorated through the National Pony Express Association, Inc. In 1992, President George W. Bush authorized the addition of the Pony Express route to the National Trails System.
“That first year, the relay began in Plattsmouth and ended crossing the border at Lyman, Nebraska, into Wyoming,” Moormeier said. Each day was set up by a segment leader who guided the group to the next destination. Along the way, riders enjoyed meals in the small towns along the trail and visited entities such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and American Legions. They also conversed with local residents regarding their antique tractors.
Membership in NAFA is $20/year, which allows members to attend meetings throughout the year and receive the quarterly newsletter. It is an additional $25 to drive for one day of the Relay or $50 to drive for two or more days.
“Membership dues and registration for the relay are due May 1 of each year,” Moormeier said. “For the relay, support vehicles and/or buddy riders are subject to the same fees. Buddy seats are required to be approved by April 15.”
The June 2025 Relay Across Nebraska is scheduled for June 1-5 and includes these plans:
- Begin at Norfolk on Sunday, June 1. A church service and antique tractor collection tour will be held near Stanton, Nebraska.
- Monday, June 2, the group will tour the Elkhorn Valley Museum (where Johnny Carson memorabilia is housed), visit Norfolk Veterans Home, tour a local collection, drive to Pierce, and return to Norfolk.
- Tuesday, June 3, tour Larson Dairy, have lunch at Creston, and arrive in Columbus, where the group will stay overnight.
- Wednesday, June 4, drive to Bellwood to tour a 50-tractor collection, return to Columbus, and tour the Fire Truck Museum.
- Thursday, June 5, tour Tasty Toppings (home of Dorothy Lynch dressing), drive to Duncan, stop in Polk County, and return to Columbus, where the drive ends.
Along the way, the group will take their tractor parade to nursing homes and assisted living facilities and enjoy meals at American Legion or VFW Posts.
NAFA members and riders come from numerous states. Participants have come from Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, and New York.
“We welcome anyone from anywhere,” Moormeier said. “My co-relay coordinator, Diane Case, is from Iowa. She and her husband, Charlie, were the first relay participants we met in 2012. She and her husband rode the full nine days. That year, I told my husband that an Iowa couple couldn’t be the only people to make the nine-day drive, so we rode all those days, too. Charlie passed away in May 2016, but Diane continues to be involved with our drive and her own club in Iowa.”
Relay riders appreciate the well-organized event and the NAFA crew’s willingness to accommodate needs along the way.
“Prior to the drive, everyone receives an hour-by-hour schedule with detailed maps for the roads we drive,” Moormeier said. “Most people are surprised at the beautiful landscapes they see along the backroads. At 12mph, you’re able to take it all in. And contrary to what many people believe, Nebraska’s landscapes aren’t all flat!”
As they stop along their route, Moormeier said residents of the towns they visit “love the parade!”
“Children love the tractors, and it may be the only time some children have an opportunity to see these old tractors up close,” she said. “The elderly enjoy reminiscing about their experiences with the vintage tractors and enjoy sharing memories with riders. It’s not something they see every day and it brings the community together while teaching some of Nebraska’s history.”
NAFA also organizes a fundraiser each year. Initially, 100% of the funds were donated to the American Legion Program Operation Comfort Warriors. In 2022, the group added Gifts for Yanks as a fund recipient. The organization is a Nebraska-specific American Legion Program that provides funds to veterans and/or their spouses who reside in the Nebraska Veterans Home.
Moormeier and her husband Ron exclusively collect International Harvester Corp. (IHC) tractors. In 2004, their son Troy and three friends decided to drive their antique tractors on the backroads of Nebraska.
“Their trip was very much on-the-fly vacation for four ‘guy’ friends,” Moormeier said. “We restored my dad’s 1953 Super H, which was the beginning of the itch! We began restoring family tractors we had, then started collecting models that had been in the family. We don’t have a large collection, around 30. Not all our tractors are restored. However, they all hold a special place in our hearts and have a story to tell.”
From what her family has experienced through NAFA, Moormeier believes antique farming equipment collections in Nebraska are “going strong.”
“Those who are still farming are collecting tractors and vintage equipment and passing that passion on to their children and/or grandchildren,” she said. “As family farm numbers decrease, this passion may disappear. But it is important to keep the history of our farming legacies alive and available for future generations to enjoy.”
As for what motivates her to take on the work of organizing the annual relay, Moormeier said, “I like to organize!”
“After the 2012 event, I helped brainstorm ideas for how we could get more people interested in participating in the drive,” she said. “We set up our website, a Facebook page, and advertised on our local radio and anywhere else we could get the word out. This group has become a wonderful gathering of people with the same interests. We have a ‘tractor family’ we met through the relay, and we all look forward to spending time with each other each summer.
“We’re also happy to raise funds for Operation Comfort Warriors and the Gifts for Yanks,” she added. “Our vets are important, and we’re proud to have raised more than $60,000 for these organizations over the past 10 years.” FC
If you want to participate in this mobile tractor show, contact Moormeier at dmoor53@yahoo.com or 402-429-2480.
Loretta Sorensen is a lifelong resident of southeast South Dakota. She and her husband farm with Belgian draft horses and collect vintage farm equipment.
Email her at sorensenlms@gmail.com.
