Gift of Grain pits favorite tractors against one another

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Tribune staff reports

Tractor lovers and Jackson County farmers are invited to participate in the annual Giving a Gift of Grain program and the Head-to-Head: Green vs. Red contest.

Donations can support the Green or Red team and benefit the community forever through funds administered by the Community Foundation of Jackson County, according to a news release from the foundation.

Donors can again take sides in the program this year in a good-natured competition by registering for the Green or Red team — that is those farmers who use John Deere equipment versus those who use Case I-H equipment.

Deer Country and Jacobi Sales Inc., both of Seymour, have teamed again to park equipment pitting Green vs. Red in the foundation’s parking lot at 107 Community Drive in Seymour to remind farmers about the Gift of Grain program.

The Red team won last year.

The Red team will receive a boost from farmer Ed Engelau this fall, just as it did last year with his gift of grain.

“I see it as a good way to help others,” Engelau said of the program. “I’ve been blessed, and this feels like a good way of paying that forward.”

Hamilton Township farmer Kevin Burbrink donated a gift of grain the past two years and intends to participate again this fall.

“It’s for a good cause, and I’ve always wanted to help the community and people who can benefit from that help,” Burbrink said. His vote will back the Green Team again this fall.

The process is simple. Farmers can tell their grain elevator that a particular load of grain is being donated to the foundation. The elevator in turn sells the grain for the foundation. Donors can benefit by avoiding the sale of the donated grain in their farm income, which can provide a savings in their federal and state income tax bills.

Participating grain elevators include Bundy Brothers in Medora, Jackson-Jennings Co-op in Brownstown and Cortland, Tampico Grain near Crothersville and Rose Acre Farms west of Cortland.

Farmers can contribute their gifts of grain to benefit the area’s agricultural community through the Jackson-Jennings Co-op/Bob Myers Memorial Scholarship, the C.B. Hess 4-H Memorial Scholarship or the Jackson County Veterinary Scholarship.

Or they can donate to the Jackson County Community Endowment, which helps the fall grant cycle, said Dan Davis, president and CEO of the foundation.

“The fall grant cycle benefits people and programs across Jackson County, responding to emerging needs and program designed to help nonprofits assist folks in need,” Davis said.

Tractor enthusiasts who don’t have grain to donate to the program may cast a ballot in the Head-to-Head Green vs. Red competition. A $20 donation to the Jackson County Community Endowment entitles the donor to cast one vote for their favorite equipment line. A $100 donation entitles the donor to six votes. Such gifts will benefit the community endowment.

Earnings on gifts finance the grant-making abilities of the foundation.

“The prudent stewardship of the seed money donated to the endowments is what funds our grants, including Classroom Education grants, scholarships and community impact grants,” Davis said.

Another option available to donors is to create a new unrestricted endowment in the name of themselves, their family or their farm that also would provide income for the fall grant cycle.

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For information about the Head-to-Head Green vs. Red program, the Giving a Gift of Grain program or its companion program, Giving a Gift of Livestock, contact Dan Davis at the Community Foundation of Jackson County at 812-523-4483 or send an email to [email protected].

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