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Grand surprise
Smith County’s Eric West ‘tickled to death’ after winning John Deere Gator in Co-op Golden Ticket Contest
| Story and photos by: Chris Villines |
12/3/2019 |
Unfortunately, nowadays there are a plethora of scammers ringing up folks’ cellphones and offering deals about as genuine as a $3 bill.
When an unfamiliar number appeared on Eric West’s caller ID, it’s understandable that he ignored the call.
“If I don’t know the number, I typically won’t answer,” says Eric, who lives and farms in the McClure’s Bend community near Defeated Creek in Smith County. “But then the same number called me
back again a short time later. I thought, ‘This is someone who’s really trying to get ahold of me.’”
So he answered. Good move.
On the other end of the line was Gary Williams, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative feed specialist, informing Eric he was the grand prize winner of a John Deere XUV560E Gator in Co-op’s “Golden Ticket” Cattle Mineral Contest. Eric was one of hundreds automatically qualified for the grand prize through his purchase of Co-op Cattle Mineral during the contest period, which ran Aug. 1, 2018, through July 31, 2019.
“I was in disbelief, I guess,” admits Eric, a beef cattleman who buys Co-op Supreme Cattle Mineral-ALTOSID (#96622) at Smith Farmers Cooperative in Carthage. “I never win anything!”
After confirmation that it was, indeed, real, Eric’s next call was to his wife, Melanie, a nurse at Riverview Regional Medical Center in Carthage. She, too, was initially skeptical.
“I said, ‘Are you sure this isn’t a scam?’” she says with a laugh.
The couple’s 6-year-old son, Everett — they also have a 2-year-old daughter, Elena — was told a surprise would be coming to the farm but not informed of what it would be.
“I knew about the time it was going to be delivered, so I picked Everett up a little early from school so he would be here when it came,” says Eric, who lives with his family in a 19th century farmhouse built by his great-great-grandfather’s brother. “When we got home, I told him to be on the lookout for something coming down the road. All of a sudden, I heard him shout, ‘There’s a Gator! There’s a Gator!’ He was beyond excited.”
The thrill for Eric and his father, Richard, who also lives and farms close by, is having a new utility vehicle to replace the 1963 Willis Jeep they had been using to traverse their hay and pasture land and check on their combined 110 Angus-based mama cows in their cow/calf operations.
“Having the Gator is definitely going to come in handy and make things a lot easier and more convenient for us,” Eric says. “I love the versatility and maneuverability of it. It’s got a sharp turning radius, so I’m not having to back up and pull up like I did with the old Jeep.
“Dad has his cattle and hay and I have mine, but we help each other out. We raise the calves and sometimes sell them straight off their mamas. I prefer to precondition them and wean them when possible.”
And he adds that the use of Co-op Cattle Mineral is instrumental to the animals’ performance:
“The Co-op mineral seems to make the cows come back in heat quicker, stay bred, and helps them shed their placenta and afterbirth quicker.”
He’ll no doubt be putting the Gator to good use taking bags of mineral to the feeders and performing other chores around the farm, with Everett often riding shotgun after school.
“I’m forever grateful to Co-op because I don’t know that I would have ever bought [a Gator] on my own. I’ve found all kinds of uses for it!”
Since he received the XUV560E in mid-September, Eric reports he’s logged more than 80 hours on the vehicle and has added two accessories: a windshield and soft top.
“I’m tickled to death with it,” he says.
With the completion of the Golden Ticket Contest comes a new Co-op Cattle Minerals promotion, “The Makin’ Great Gains Giveaway Event.”
Here’s how you could be a winner:
1. From now through Aug. 31, 2020, purchase bagged authentic Co-op Cattle Mineral.
2. Open the bag and look for a silver ticket (150 silver tickets have been placed in random bags).
3. If you find a silver ticket, take it to your local Co-op and redeem it for your prize. Prizes range from Co-op bagged and bulk cattle feed to Co-op mineral products.
Visit your participating Co-op for more details.
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