LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Dec. 5, 2019) - AGCO Corporation (NYSE:AGCO) announces the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Committee, of Santa Maria, California, as the 2019 Sowing Good Deeds award winner. AGCO’s Sowing Good Deeds program, in its third year, showcases rodeo committees throughout North America and the positive impact they have in their local communities. The winner is announced each year during the PRCA Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Most people don’t realize how much rodeo committees throughout the country give back to their local communities. That’s why AGCO brands Massey Ferguson® and Hesston® created the Sowing Good Deeds program,” says Darren Parker, director, Marketing Communications and Massey Ferguson at AGCO. “We want to showcase their tireless devotion to the sport and the many contributions and services they provide youth, elderly and others in need within their hometowns.”
As part of the award, AGCO, a longtime sponsor of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) through its Hesston and Massey Ferguson brands, will award a Massey Ferguson tractor, valued at more than $50,000, to the Santa Maria Rodeo Committee. The Massey Ferguson model 4710 with loader, which will replace the rodeo’s 30-year-old tractor, will be presented in Santa Maria later in December.
“Winning this award is the culmination of what has been a Cinderella story for our rodeo,” says Peter Sterling, president of the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Committee. “The relentless dedication and commitment of our rodeo family in Santa Maria has put an entirely new face on the Santa Maria PRCA Rodeo. We have a first-class facility and have been honored to host events such as the CBS Wrangler Champions Challenge. Winning this award is due entirely to the commitment and creativity of our team and the more than 500 volunteers who work tirelessly throughout the year. This award proves determination and hope pay off.”
In addition to holding four rodeo performances, Santa Maria Elks also offer the Elks Minetti Mini Rodeo attended by 6,000 third graders from throughout the community as an opportunity to help them learn about rodeo, the western way of life and agriculture. The Elks Rodeo queen contest has given more than $13 million to youth recreation programs and facilities throughout the Santa Maria community, and the annual Golden Circle of Champions project was created to bring awareness to childhood cancer. Each year, the Santa Maria Rodeo brings 25 children with life-threatening illnesses and their families to the rodeo for special activities. The Golden Circle program is now showcased among the programs at the WNFR. In 2019, the Santa Maria rodeo raised a record $800,000 for charitable causes during its four-day run.
“The PRCA was excited when AGCO approached us in 2017 about the Sowing Good Deeds award program to reward and recognize one of our deserving rodeo committees each year,” says George Taylor, CEO of the PRCA. “We are very happy for the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Committee. Their scrappy determination, bold marketing and fearless commitment to trying new things has revived the Santa Maria rodeo. Today it is a model for committees throughout the country and an example of a rodeo community that truly embodies the rodeo spirit.”
A committee of judges selected by AGCO and the PRCA evaluated the applicants based on three key criteria: community impact, innovation and overcoming adversity. These criteria highlight work that improves the local community, exemplifies the spirit of entrepreneurship within the non-profit sector, and has initiated change or responded to significant challenges to build a stronger more sustainable organization.
For more information, please visit hesston.com/sowinggooddeeds.
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©2019 AGCO Corporation. Massey Ferguson and Hesston by Massey Ferguson are registered trademarks of AGCO.
About Santa Maria Elks Rodeo and Parade
The Elks Recreation Inc was established in 1943 when it held its first fundraising event, a dance at the Veteran’s Memorial Building. They used the funds raised from that event to stage the first Elks Rodeo in 1944. The initial two-day event was preceded each day by a mounted parade from the Vet’s Memorial Building to the Santa Maria Fairgrounds. The first Rodeo netted Elks Recreation nearly $3000, and a long history of fundraising to support local youth sports and recreation was born. Since that time, over $13 million has been distributed to local youth recreation programs through the Annual Elks Rodeo Queen Contest.
About PRCA:
The Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA), headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., is recognized as the unsurpassed leader in sanctioning the sport of professional rodeo. The PRCA's mission is to unify membership in providing an innovative fan experience, to grow the sport of professional rodeo and provide new expanded opportunities for our membership and sponsors. Since 1986, the PRCA has paid out more than $1 billion in prize money to its contestants. The PRCA offers the best cowboys and the best rodeos; delivering the best fan experience while positively impacting our communities and embracing the Spirit of the West. A membership-based organization, the PRCA sanctioned more than 700 rodeos in 2019, and there are more than 40 million rodeo fans in the U.S. The PRCA televises the sport's premier events, with the world-renowned Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on CBS Sports Network for 2019 and streaming on ProRodeoTV.com. The PRORODEO® Tour and RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo will air on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV beginning in January 2020, and the Wrangler NFR will make its debut on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV in December 2020. PRCA-sanctioned rodeos donate more than $40 million to local and national charities every year. For comprehensive coverage of the cowboy sport, read the ProRodeo Sports News, the official publication of the PRCA, and make sure to check out the digital edition of the PSN. The digital PSN and daily updates of news and results can be found on the PRCA's official website, www.prorodeo.com.
About AGCO
AGCO (NYSE:AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural solutions and delivers high-tech solutions for farmers feeding the world through its full line of equipment and related services. AGCO products are sold through five core brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®, supported by Fuse® smart farming solutions. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of $9.4 billion in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.AGCOcorp.com. For company news, information and events, please follow us on Twitter: @AGCOCorp. For financial news on Twitter, please follow the hashtag #AGCOIR.