Like most guys named Bubba, my brother is one of those that everybody knows. He's got a day job as a supervisor at a local industry, but at night he's either working at the liquor store or running his nightclub. Plus helping my Daddy with the farm.

Last year he wrote a letter to compalain about something or other to the John Deere Company, and before he knew it they were wining and dining him as part of a focus group/advisory board working on the prototype for the new 5025 Series tractor. He took several trips at their expense to give input on the design.

When the time came to get ready for the marketing blitz, their folks hit up the ones they'd wined and dined to be real live photo-op subjects on the new tractor. SOOOOO....in August, during the hottest part of West Tennessee weather, the crew arrived here on the farm to do the shoot. They were here for 3 or 4 days and it was all very secretive...like tractor spies might be around to see the new model before it was introduced! The project manager came from Georgia, the photographer from St.Louis, videographer from Memphis, other team members from Kansas and Iowa.

Did I mention that Bubba has THREE jobs? Well, most of the shots were made close to sundown because of the lighting. Poor Bubba found himself sweatin' on a tractor every late afternoon as payback. The funniest day of all was the day that I modeled on the tractor in the barn lot..by the cow pond...with sweat drippin'....while the cows gathered as if on cue around the hay ring that had been placed there for the shot. The photographer had his ladder perched right on the edge of that cow-pond and I kept waiting for him to tumble into the muck! Instead, my choco lab Faith picked that opportunity to take her very first dip ever and came back to get in the shot with Momma. No dogs allowed. Only cows :)

Just a little background on this glorious shot of the "Farmer's Daughter".

^j^