New $50,000 tractor won by SM Elks Rodeo in national contest has extra special meaning

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- Smiles filled the Santa Maria Elks Unocal Event Center early Monday morning.

Along with Santa Maria mayor Alice Patino, and five-time steer wrestling world champion Luke Branquinho, several members of Elks Recreation were there to receive an impressive early Christmas gift.

The Santa Maria Elks Rodeo was formally awarded a $50,000 Massey Ferguson tractor it had won earlier this month at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

"To have this tractor is going to help us tremendously," said Elks Recreation president Peter Sterling. "We're so fortunate and so happy that Massey Ferguson selected us as winner of the contest."

The tractor is set to replace an existing tractor that has long served the rodeo, but needed to be replaced.

"Our tractor was 25-30 years old," said Sterling. "Our tractor was on its last legs and we were wondering what do we do? Do we fix it up again and do we if we could borrow something that's a little bit better."

The Elks Rodeo won the tractor through AGCO's "Sowing Good Deeds," national contest.

The three-year contest recognizes and honors rodeos that create a positive impact in their communities.

Santa Maria beat out California Rodeo Salinas, Gunnison (Colo.) Cattleman's Days, Reno Rodeo and Home on the Range Champions Saddle Bronc Match (Sentinel Butte, ND).

"We thought we didn't stand a chance," Sterling said. "To have this happen, we got a call and said you won, and it was, like, wow, little Santa Maria, look what we did. All of it was based on what we do for the community and how much we give back. The queen contest for example, was about $800,000 this year that we gave back to the community."

While the Elks are thrilled to win the big prize, it also comes with a heavy heart.

Elks Recreation applied for the contest at about the same time Arena Ground Chairman Joey Silva learned his wife Cindy was battling terminal liver failure.

Silva has been an integral part of the Elks Rodeo for many years, and has been a driving force behind the rodeo's championship-winning dirt surface.

He had long dreamed of bringing a new tractor to the rodeo, but had to juggle the prospect of potentially winning this tractor while he was wife was going through her illness.

"We talked about this for months and I said, I can't go (to NFR) in your condition and she said, no, you're going to Vegas and you're going to bring that tractor home," said Silva.

On Dec. 4, at a ceremony in Las Vegas, Santa Maria Elks Rodeo was announced as the winner of the "Sowing Good Deeds," contest.

Silva was in attendance and moved to tears as he accepted the award.

However, just hours later, he received a call to urgently return to Santa Maria to be with Cindy.

While he was on the road about two hours east of Santa Maria near Tehachapi, Cindy Silva passed away.

"She knew and she waited long enough to know that we got the tractor," said Silva. "Losing my wife was really rough, but winning this tractor. She wanted me there in Vegas to accept it and I did and I love her for that."

On Monday, Silva was there to be the first person to drive the new tractor.

"I'm still pinching myself to see if it's real," said Silva. "Like test driving a new car. I was so excited and asked myself, is this really happening? It is and it's phenomenal!"

After a couple of spins around one of the parking lots, he said the new tractor will be a huge benefit to the rodeo.

"We're going to have the ability to work the arena a lot better than we have in years past now that we have a tractor with plenty of horsepower and we're going to out there and give it our all," said Silva. "We have a tractor now with plenty of horsepower that's going to pull our arena drag the way we need to. We're going to be able to work the ground a little bit deeper and a little faster to get it smoother and fluffier for the contestants."

With the dirt still wet from the rain over the weekend, Silva will have to wait to drive it inside the arena.

When drier weather arrives, he's ready to put the Model 4710 tractor to good work.

"It means the world to me and to my family that the Elks were here to take care of us and now it's my time to take care of the Elks and make it better," said Silva.

Each time he drives it, he'll have Cindy there with him too since it's already been decided that's what it will be called.

"He actually came up with the idea," Sterling said. "He said, we're going to name the tractor Cindy, so she'll be there with him all the time, so that tractor is going to be called Cindy and Cindy is going to be keeping the tradition going of with having the excellent ground so we can put on an excellent rodeo."

The 2020 Santa Maria Elks Rodeo and Parade is scheduled for May 28-31.

For more information, visit elksrec.com