Before the bell rings and classes begin, a line of tractors rumbles into school parking lots across the country, piloted not by farmers headed to the fields — but by FFA students proudly honoring their agricultural roots. “Drive Your Tractor to School Day” is more than just a novelty. It’s a growing tradition that shines a spotlight on youth in agriculture, rural heritage, and community pride.
While there’s not one official day, around this time of year, many students across the U.S. kick off their school day with a big nod to agriculture.
Some schools, such as Lyle Public School in Minnesota, embrace horses as an alternative to driving a tractor.
Of course, driving your tractor to school often requires some patience on behalf of drivers who share the roadways. But the Pennsylvania Valley Area School District reported drivers in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, were happy to oblige.
Some of the students have to traverse down highways to their school districts, receiving a thumbs up from their local Farm Bureau and an escort from the local police.
Others, such as Riverside FFA in Oakland, Iowa, sent students to the elementary school, using the opportunity to discuss tractor safety with potential future members.
Students such as those in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, are known to roll into schools driving anything from newer tractors to vintage models.
Blair FFA Chapter in Nebraska even handed out awards to students for things like the dirtiest and coolest tractor.
National Ag Day is often a time when schools take advantage of the opportunity to represent. Riceville FFA Chapter in Iowa used the opportunity to present their tractors to elementary students in their school district.
In Missouri Valley, Iowa, Drive Your Tractor to School Day is an opportunity for the public to get involved as well.
In some school districts, such as Union County in Morganfield, Kentucky, where Drive Your Tractor To School Day has been celebrated for 25 years, the day marks a long-standing tradition.
Some of the school’s principals, like at this school in Paducah, Kentucky, even get in on the action, driving a tractor themselves and rounding out the morning with a celebratory breakfast.
Whether it’s a decades-old family tractor or a horse in place of one, these students, and many others across the nation, are keeping agricultural traditions alive in a fun, visual way. And as engines cool and the school day begins, the message is clear: agriculture isn’t just a class or a club — it’s a way of life worth celebrating.
»Related: Missouri school’s FFA Drive Your Tractor to School day is a hit
