USAPO Newsletteer

Download the latest USAPO newsletter from the downloads page. JHW  – since the director’s meeting I’ve received notice the PA States will  be held at Jay Wickard’s farm in Boiling Springs, PA from July 15th to  July 17th. Contact Bob Miller at 717-692-2443. 

https://usapo.org/downloads

U.S.A. PLOWING ORGANIZATION

Pres: John Gaard Director: Robert Miller

46314 276th Street, Chancellor, SD 57015 548 Miller Rd., Millersburg, PA 17061

Phone: 605-201-1857 Phone: 717-692-2443

Vice-Pres: Mike Penas Director: Michael Fitz

18282 Lace Ave., Hutchinson, MN 55350 2071 290th Str., Melbourne IA, 50116

Phone: 320-296-9592 Phone: 641-751-9500

Sec’y-Treas: Joel Wagner Director: Don Klehm

203 Clearfield Rd., Wethersfield, CT 06109 13543 N 2700 E Rd., Forrest, IL 61741

Phone: 860-882-9731 Phone: 815-832-4449

Director: Michael Rhoades WPO Rep: Conrad Gruber

8572 Fisher Dangler Rd., Union City, OH 45390 33009 Co. Rd. 14, Paynesville, MN 56362

Phone: 937-423-0668 Phone: 320-249-9310

WEB SITE FOR USAPO: http://usapo.org

https://usapo.org/downloads

National Open National Antique

1st Paytyn Hiestand OH (208pts) 1st Richard Opdahl IA (228pts)

2nd Jacob Loehr MN (205pts) 2nd David Gaard SD (208pts)

3rd Aaron Egeberg SD (203pts) 3rd Corey Goehring SD (204pts)

National Small Plow Vintage National Small Plow

1st Joel Wagner CT (274+259=533pts) 1st John Gaard SD (262+251=513pts)

2nd Ray Elsberry IA (259+227=486pts) 2nd Joe Loehr MN (257+244=501pts)

3rd Mike Rhoades OH (240+227=467pts) 3rd Jask Olson SD (242+241=483pts)

National Junior Open National Reversible

1st Colton Hiestand OH (205pts) 1st Kevin Albrecht SD (95+205=300pts

USAPO Directors Meeting Minutes

July 10, 2024

A USAPO board of directors meeting was held in Arlington just prior to the 2024 National Meet.

Called to order by Pres. John Gaard at 8:20pm Central time on July 10th, 2024. Directors present

were: John Gaard-SD, Robert Miller-PA, Joel Wagner-CT, Mike Fitz-IA, Gene Gruber for Mike Penas-

MN, and Michael Rhoades-OH.

John Gaard handed out proposed USAPO rule changes for the directors to review.

Previous Minutes - Previous Director’s Meeting minutes from March 18th, 2024 were reviewed. Bob

Miller moved to approve the minutes and the financial report, Mike Rhoades seconded. Passed

Financial Report - The financial report from the last general membership meeting till the present was

read. (Please see the financial report for the General Membership Meeting following these minutes.)

Mike Rhoades moved to accept the treasurers report. Mike Fitz seconded. Passed

JHW recommended to roll the USAPO’s CD into another CD when the current CD time is elapsed.

Mike Rhoades moved to negotiate the CD interest rate when rolling over the current CD to a new

term. Mike Fitz seconded. Passed

Director’s Reports –

IA – Mike Fitz. IA is still looking for a new site for the IA championship due to recent flooding.

IL – Don Klehm. No report.

MN – Gene Gruber. MN State match will be on August 23-24. Jeremy Nietfeld and Gene Gruber

leaving Aug 1st for Estonia with Hailey Gruber, Kevin Albrecht, and Conrad Gruber.

OH – Mike Rhoades. The 2025 National will be in OH August 8-9 on the Dircksen Farm. The OH

State and National will be about 7 miles from Greenville, OH. OH State Championship will be in a

few weeks. Expect 37 contestants with 5 new plowpersons.

SD – John Gaard. Welcome to the USAPO Nationals. There has been lots of rain so plowing

conditions should be good.

PA – Bob Miller. PA States were in May this year. Down a little bit in attendance but a good group of

plowmen.

CT – Joel Wagner. No report.

WPO Report – Gene Gruber. Nothing to report. The WPO is considering a 23 and under class for

the Worlds. More to come.

New Business:

• New apparel report for the 2024 World Ploughing Meet. The USAPO representatives to the

world meet in Estonia will have new jackets and t-shirts for 2024.

• Reviewed a 2010 USAPO financial report that included giving the USAPO world plowmen

$5000 for some expenses that also covered some land rental for prepractice. This practice of

5

supporting the USAPO world plowpersons has apparently been discontinued. However, about

this time two containers with a conventional and reversable plow in each were fabricated so

that USA plowmen could use good plowing equipment with borrowed or rented tractors at the

world meets. In recent years our USA plowmen have been shipping personal tractors to the

world meets and we have been paying minimal storage fees for the two containers still located

in Germany.

• Gene Gruber recommends prepaying the container rental cost to keep in good standing. Gene

provided a history of the containers. Additionally, Gene suggests that shipping personal plows

to the world meets costs about the same as shipping the USAPO containers to the world

meets with USAPO funding. This cost of shipping the containers maybe should be donated to

the USAPO plowmen to help offset the cost of shipping personal equipment.

• John Gaard reviewed the updated rule changes – adding juniors and vintage classes and how

to break ties. The tie-breaking process would be similar to that of the World Ploughing

Organization and the Ontario International Plowing Match rules. Gene Gruber moves to

accept the rules changes. Mike Rhoades seconded subject to review at the next board

meeting. Passed.

• Need to approve the IA, IL, and OH directors for 2-year appointments. Joel Wagner moves to

approve. Mike Fitz seconded. Passed.

• Election of USAPO officers was discussed. Mike Fitz moved to accept the existing officers.

Bob Miller seconded. Joel Wagner suggests each director go back to their state memberships

to see if anyone wants to be the USAPO Sec/Treas or help out the existing Sec/Treas. It was

noted that the USAPO officers were elected from the Board of Directors. Passed.

Old Business: None

Adjourn –

Mike Fitz moved to adjourn. Mike Rhoades seconded. Passed.

Adjourned at 9:40pm.