Tractors, safety and attachments: Women-led ag training comes to Missoula

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Though some didn't stay here long, all of these people were born right here in the Treasure State.

Out on the hill of Lalonde Ranch by the Missoula Airport, a small group gathered to learn about tractor maintenance and safety from an all-women team of instructors on Thursday.

The Montana Farms Union and Farm Connect Montana partnered to bring the free women-led classes on tractors to Missoula, with the latter organization providing a small Kubota tractor from its tool library for demonstrations.

Gillian Thornton Andrews, the tool library coordinator for Farm Connect Montana, said the event is meant to be empowering because farming and agriculture can be difficult arenas for women to break into. She said the skills they go over don't have traditional avenues for learning, so providing an event like this gives people the ability to learn in a nonthreatening space.

"I think giving women these spaces to explore and learn and have the opportunity to really get their hands dirty as well is really meaningful for people," Thornton Andrews said. "A lot of the folks that we are serving at Farm Connect, [the] beginning farmers and ranchers that we are working with, are our women or non-binary, or people who are getting into it for the first time. It seems like that's an audience that we're serving a lot, and so we really wanted to make sure that it felt inclusive to everybody."

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Using the small tractor, Thornton Andrews spent the morning explaining the different parts, exploring attachments, and answering all the questions coming from the class. By noon, the group was trailering and chaining the tractor down during the "Tractor 101" class. While this event was women-led, anyone was welcome to attend.

"A lot of my tractor experience is from operating my own tractor," Thornton Andrews said. "And then I've been with Farm Connect since early 2024, when the tool library originally opened, and so I have a great deal of experience just with the equipment that we supply at tool library."

The class instructors gave the students hands-on learning opportunities as well. Many of them took notes and pictures as they learned all the safety aspects of operating a tractor.

In the afternoon, after the free provided lunch, they started "Tractor 102," which included tractor upkeep, troubleshooting issues, and learning different engines. Jodi Koterba, the education director for the Montana Farmers Union, taught a class portion where she discussed different fluids and how they function with machinery.

"Jody had all these cool Mason jars full of different fuels. And we looked at the viscosity and kind of composition of different fuels -- everything from diesel, gasoline, coolant, transmission oil, those kinds of things," Thornton Andrews said.

All together between the two classes on Thursday, Thornton Andrews said they had nine registrants.

Farm Connect Montana's tool library provides an equipment-sharing resource for beginning farmers and ranchers. The library features the small Kubota tractor they used for the class and a walk-behind tractor. The tool library was funded through a grant and a private donation. Farmers and ranchers within a 60-mile radius of the library can become a member.

Farm Connect recommends that people have basic experience with equipment before renting, but the classes they offer are free.

The tool library is open from March to November with daily rental rates or a yearly membership for $75. More information can be found at farmconnectmontana.org/farmer-support/farmer-tool-library.

Emily Messer is the Missoulian news intern.

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