Jefferson, Wisconsin — The 4th annual Blessing of the Tractors occurs on Saturday, April 11th at 9am at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church at 324 S. Sanborn Ave. “The Blessing of the Tractors is a celebration of our agriculture community —which we are all a part of,” said, Dale Gaugert, organizer of the event which first started in 2013.
The Blessing of the Tractors began to bring people together, who otherwise may not have been aware of our church community. Gaugert made a career in agriculture and thought the big tractor equipment would be a draw. In 2025, 70 people gathered outside of St. Mark’s among 27 tractors of all colors driven by local farmers.
Pastor Raiford of St. Mark’s will host the blessing. He shared this scripture from [James 5:7–11 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.]
Gaugert says, “generations ago communities gathered in town halls and churches—and the skylines were dotted with silos & steeples.”
“It’s a great opportunity to uplift the ‘Faith of a Farmer’ who puts ones trust in God and Mother Nature to bring life to tiny seeds planted each spring.” Said Pastor Raiford. Each tractor attending will have a sign on it noting the Family who runs the farm.
Farmers are asked to bring their tractors to the church by 8:45am. And, aspiring young farmers with their push and peddle tractors, or toy tractors are encouraged to bring their rig and line it up along side the others. Coffee and coffee cakes and other baked goods will be provided by the St. Mark’s Ladies group after the blessing.
According to ThriveED, a public-private economic development organization the Jefferson County area creates $2 billion dollars from agriculture and agri-business. There are 7,000 people who work in agriculture businesses. And Jefferson County is the number one producer of poultry and egg industry. There are about 1,098 farms in Jefferson county on more than 190,000 acres. The most widely planted crops in the county are corn and soybeans. And, 96% of the farms are family-owned.
To Learn more about agriculture education contact Jefferson County 4-H via the Extension office website: jefferson.extension.wisc.edu or FFA Chapters organized in our schools. Visit: wisconsinaged.org.
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