KUBOTA AWARDS EQUIPMENT TO FIVE FARMER VETERANS

U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force veteran Robert Bartleson (6th from L) stands in front of his new Kubota MX Series utility tractor with his wife, Kristie, TV personality and outdoorsman Willie Robertson, his local Kubota dealer Coastal Machinery of Crestview Inc., and Kubota Tractor Corporation representatives, during a special ceremony at the Duck Commander Warehouse in West Monroe, La. U.S. Army veteran Brian Gorman receives the keys to his new M7 Series tractor from Kubota’s Alex Woods during a special ceremony at Kubota’s annual dealer meeting in Grapevine, Texas.

In honor of those who served, Kubota Tractor Corporation announced five new farmer veteran recipients of new Kubota equipment through its 2022 “Geared to Give” program in partnership with the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC).

Every year, one veteran from each of Kubota’s five operating divisions is selected to receive new Kubota equipment through the “Geared to Give” program, with awarded equipment ranging in horsepower across agriculture tractors, utility and compact tractors, and utility vehicles.

In addition to receiving the keys to their new equipment, each recipient is being honored with a special ceremony to recognize their military service and their continued service to their communities through farming, including this ceremony for U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force veteran Robert Bartleson, who was handed the keys to his new MX Series utility tractor with TV personality and outdoorsman Willie Robertson at the Duck Commander Warehouse in West Monroe, La.

“At Kubota, we believe in giving back to those who served and the Geared to Give program is about providing critical support to veterans as they return home from serving our country to begin careers in farming,” said Alex Woods, Kubota senior vice president of sales operations, supply chain and parts and a veteran of the Army National Guard.

“Veterans play an important role in advancing American agriculture and strengthening our rural communities, and we are honored to help empower these men and women with the equipment they need to achieve their dreams.”

Since the “Geared to Give” program was established in 2015, Kubota has provided $800,000 to the Farmer Veteran Coalition in the form of organizational support, grants to veterans and 36 pieces of donated Kubota equipment to help them take their farming operations to the next level. Additionally, Kubota offers exclusive discounts to members of the Farmer Veteran Coalition with instant customer rebates for purchasing select Kubota equipment at all 1,100 authorized-Kubota dealerships nationwide.

The 2022 “Geared to Give” program received more than 400 applications through FVC’s Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund, and in the end, one recipient was selected by and for each of Kubota’s five operating divisions across the U.S.

U.S. Army veteran Joy Hughes receives the keys to her new L02 Series compact tractor from her local dealer, Stewart Martin Equipment of Okmulgee, Okla. Robert Bartleson (L) was one of five Farmer Veteran Coalition members awarded new Kubota equipment through the 2022 “Geared to Give” program.

Southeast Division

Robert Bartleson served more than 26 years in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force which included more than nine deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Africa, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Bartleson’s multiple deployments with the nation’s most elite special forces earned him multiple Bronze Star Medals along with the Bronze Star