ChevronTexaco Products Co. announced the Grand Prize winners at its 9th annual ChevronTexaco Tractor Restoration Competition.

The Future Farmers of America team from Cotton Center, Texas won the grand prize in the chapter competition for its restoration of a 1939 John Deere. H. Tabetha Salsbury of Pueblo, Colo., won the Grand Prize in the Individual competition for her restoration of a 1928 John Deere D.
Since 1995 the ChevronTexaco Tractor Restoration Competition has rewarded the determination, mechanical skill and business savvy of high school-aged FFA members.
Through the restoration of an antique tractor, participants develop skills applicable to the modern business word. The skills needed to be successful in the program - equipment maintenance, teamwork, project management, budgeting, planning and marketing - help develop the participants into future leaders in the agriculture community.
All entrants were required to submit a workbook that detailed the entire tractor restoration process, from mechanical overhauls of the engine, transmission and auxiliary and ancillary systems, to the external appearance of the tractors. Entries were narrowed down to eight finalists in the individual competition and six finalists in the chapter competition. These finalists were invited to the national FFA convention in Louisville, Ky. to present their projects to a panel of five professional tractor restorers.
Projects were graded on restoration process, results and documentation, as well as oral resentation and safety precautions.
Individual Winners, their FFA chapter and project were:
- Grand Prize: Tabetha Salsbury, Pueblo County FFA, Pueblo, Colo. - 1928 John Deere D
- 1st Runner-Up: Randolph Haass, Devine FFA, Devine, Texas - 1941 Case SC
- 2nd Runner-Up: Jordan Tate, West Prairie FFA, Good Hope, Ill. - 1949 John Deere A
Chapter Winners, their ocation and project were:
- Grand Prize: Cotton Center FFA, Cotton Center, Texas - 1939 John Deere H.
-- Cotton Center FFA Team: Jesse Masters, Heath Reeves, Sara Barr, Jessica Caswell, Nikki Edwards, Brittany Swoap, KC Garcia, Toby Castilleja, Amy Davis, Cody Heath, Jennifer Heath, Julie Heath, Brenda Marquez
- 1st Runner-Up: Decatur FFA, Decatur, Texas - 1966 John Deere
-- Decatur FFA Team: Cody Hubbard, Billy O'Connor, Laramie Redwine, Neal Llewellyn, Shane Raney, Tanner Slagle, Mitch Bradford, Ben Saunders, Kris Handlon, Logan Park, Scotty Moore, Yates McCurdy
- 2nd Runner-Up: Abernathy FFA, Abernathy, Texas - 1955 Oliver Super 88
--Abernathy FFA Team: Chase Watson, Tuson Speer, J.P. Montgomery, Mychal Littlecreek, Roger May, Bergan Bybee, David Mendoza
The prizes in each category (individual and chapter) are:
- Grand Prize: $2,500
- First Runner Up: $1,500
- Second Runner Up: $1,000
FFA is a national youth organization of 461,043 student members preparing for careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture with 7,308 local chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
For more information, visit www.chevrontexaco.com.