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Veteran Salute: Hoffman native awarded Kubota tractor

Fergus Falls Daily Journal - 11/13/2018

Nov. 13--ALEXANDRIA -- Veterans Day is a special holiday when Americans honor the sacrifices made by military veterans everywhere, for one U.S. Navy veteran, David McArdle of McArdles's McArket Garden in Hoffman -- who was honored in a small ceremony at Alex Power Equipment Monday with the keys to a new Kubota L Series compact tractor -- Veterans Day will forever hold a new meaning.

"I just want to thank everyone for coming out and thank you guys all [Alex Power Equipment] especially because I was very surprised when I got the phone call, I'm very appreciative," McArdle said during the ceremony. "It's just an amazing thing that Kubota and the Farmer Veteran Coalition are doing and we're just super happy that we got picked and that they added the Midwest this year, so it'll make a huge difference for us and everything we're trying to do."

The tractor valued at about $23,000 will be used by McArdle as he operates his 3-acre market garden and micro-orchard growing fruit, trees, flowers, berries and vegetables -- with plans to expand.

McArdle was selected from a number of Farmer Veteran Coalition Fellowship Fund applicants to receive the donated tractor as part of Kubota's "Geared to Give" program designed to provide U.S. military veterans with the tools needed to pursue a future in farming.

Presenting the father of three with the keys to the tractor during the ceremony was Mike Jacobson, Kubota's Midwest division manager.

"We want to give back to our veterans in a small way and we give away about four or five tractors a year to the veterans," Jacobson said. "We have a strong belief in our veterans and their futures and we also have a strong belief in the agricultural future in the United States so we're happy to be part of it."

Alex Power Equipment sales and marketing manager Debra Fredrickson said that they were told a couple months ago there was a chance one of the tractors could be given to an area farmer.

"Our first reaction was 'Really? Hoffman, Minnesota, a town of 600 people, how cool is that?' When they told us who he was and we got to meet David we were even more excited," Fredrickson said. "Once we got to meet him and his family and just knowing what this tractor is going to do for the future of his business and that we get to be a part of servicing that tractor and helping him grow his business in the future is just incredible."

McArdle said that receiving the tractor on Veterans Day came as a surprise because the giveaways aren't specific to the holiday but that's what made the occasion all the more heartfelt.

"I know that they had some problems with their stock of this particular tractor so it was just amazing that it ended up being today and it worked out very well.

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(c)2018 the Fergus Falls Daily Journal (Fergus Falls, Minn.)

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