An Historic State of Kansas First!
Proclamation issued on behalf of the people of Kansas, commemorating the state’s renowned agricultural heritage, and Kansas resident Michael Hinton’s passion for classic tractors.
HUTCHINSON, KANS. (July 29, 2024) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has awarded Michael Hinton a prestigious state of Kansas Proclamation, in connection with the website that he
and his daughter Melissa (Hinton) Bledsoe [West Plains, MO], created: www.TalkingTractors.com, which serves as a ‘virtual educational resource’ for those who share a like passion for preserving America’s heritage farm machinery for future generations.
Hinton explained the Governor’s Proclamation is both significant and “good for Kansas” for many reasons: The Proclamation is issued by the state of Kansas – Where his family’s story
and agriculture heritage resonates; Secondly, it is issued to the people of Kansas – many of whom (if not most), have farming ancestors and/or current relations to farmers. Thirdly, it
reflects Hinton’s desire to leave a legacy for tomorrows successors (consistent with the framed print on his home office wall); through the sharing of memories and stories of tractors long ago manufactured and used to farm with during a given era.”
Hinton added there is also “historical relevance” in regard to the Proclamation’s August date – “Farming in Kansas during the last two decades of the nineteenth century and first
decades of the twentieth, was a matter of horsepower and wheeled machinery. In 1914, under horse and mule power, Kansas farmers planted nine million acres and harvested 181,000,000 bushels of wheat. Tractors began to replace draft animals in 1915, and the number of all kinds of tractors steadily increased. In August 1917, a small tent city was erected in Fremont, NE. Under the canvas, forty-eight tractor companies exhibited their machinery with over three hundred tractor models on display. But that was only a fraction of the tractors offered to farmers. The number of tractor manufacturers peaked in 1921 when there were 186 different firms looking to entice farmers to buy their tractors.”
ABOUT MICHAEL HINTON:
An alum of America’s heartland, Michael has been fortunate to have his agricultural upbringing evolve into a career, hobby, and passion. He proudly serves as an unwavering advocate for agriculture and the state of Kansas, continuously working to generate National awareness about the ways the tractor transformed American farming, while educating that tractors are more than just imperative farm machinery used for agriculture production, stating: “They are part of our core heritage. A cherished family keepsake, handed down from one generationnto another, engrained with acres of stories. They create friendships that span fields near and far, and memories that last one’s lifetime.” In addition to his predominant distinction as “America’s Premier Antique Tractor Enthusiast;” Michael is employed in a leadership capacity as Director of Sales & Marketing at AgTrax, a global leader in the agribusiness software technology field, headquartered in downtown Hutchinson, Kans.
Michael’s passion for tractors first began during his youth, growing up in rural Newton, Kans. where his boyhood home was landscaped in every direction with wheat fields. The same affection was rekindled when he married his wife, Tonya in 1989 and he took a keen interest in his father-in-law’s International Harvester tractors. It was not until 16 years ago, whilenliving in the Ozarks, that Hinton acquired his first vintage Farmall tractor. That spark led him to further expanding his classic tractor collection, developing an antique tractor show website and spearheading several local/national events, which culminated in the Governor of the state of Missouri bestowing him Proclamations spanning three consecutive years (2010, 2011, and 2012) – an historical Nationwide first! Additionally, Hinton was recognized with a statement in the Congressional Record, and awarded two United States Post Office Commemorative Pictorial Postmarks.
“I cannot imagine a better life than being born a Kansan, raised a Kansan, and calling Kansas home…”where a short drive in any direction can find you in the countryside and subsequently eyeing a classic tractor – it’s nostalgic, stated Hinton. My hope is to serve and be identified as a distinguished representative of the Kansas heartland who brought attention to our country’s esteemed farm machinery history, as well as a genuine friend to all – like the late Roger Welsch (Senior correspondent, CBS News Sunday Morning “Postcards from Nebraska” segment), whose own history has helped frame the architecture of my efforts.” Hinton further credits his wife and daughter who assist behind-the-scenes with his heritage tractor projects, along with acknowledging their family, and a network of countless friends and colleagues.
