Five Farmer Veterans Received Keys to New Equipment Through Kubota's "Geared to Give" Program

GRAPEVINE, Texas, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Military Appreciation month, Kubota Tractor Corporation and the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) today announced the selection of the 2024 "Geared to Give" farmer veteran recipients of new Kubota equipment. This year's five awardees, which include both veterans and currently serving members of the Armed Forces, were honored during a special ceremony on the dirt at the 2024 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Finals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday's commemoration of Armed Forces Day. This year's honorees are:

• Adam Cason, U.S. Army veteran, Sulphur, Oklahoma
• Lt. Col. Rob Moore, U.S. Marine Corps, Fredonia, New York
• Chris Pedersen, U.S. Army National Guard veteran, Almena, Wisconsin
• Capt. Blaine Underwood, U.S. Air Force, Westville, Florida
• Master Sgt. Pangia Xiong, California Army National Guard, Fresno, California

"The 'Geared to Give' program is Kubota's way of honoring our Nation's veterans for their service in the military, but also to empower them with the tools they need as they serve their communities a second time, by helping to feed them," said Alex Woods, Kubota Senior Vice President and a veteran of the Army National Guard. "Veterans play an important role in strengthening our rural communities and we are honored to be a part of their journey by providing them with much-needed tools to build their farming operations so they, too, can give back to the areas they serve."

In addition to receiving new Kubota equipment, the five farmer veteran recipients and their guests received an all-expenses-paid trip to Arlington, Texas, to attend the 2024 PBR World Finals in Kubota's dirt suite. As part of the weekend's events, the group also met with Kubota executives, received a behind-the-scenes PBR tour at AT&T Stadium, and were brought out onto the dirt for a special ceremony during the PBR World Finals. Kubota is the Official Tractor of the PBR Unleash The Beast, Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, and Camping World Team Series.

"PBR wants to thank farmer veterans for their service to our country and their hard work putting food on our tables," said Josh Baker, Chief Revenue Officer, PBR. "We also extend our gratitude to our valued partners at Kubota for supporting farmer veterans in a meaningful way through the 'Geared to Give' program."

The 2024 "Geared to Give" program received more than 500 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.

• Central Division: Adam Cason served seven years in the U.S. Army which included four deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Adam and his wife, Stephanie, own and operate Little Coos Cattle Company, a cow/calf operation, in Sulphur, Oklahoma, where they raise American Highland Cattle Association-registered, mini- and micro-mini Scottish Highland cows and beef cattle. Kubota is awarding Adam an M7060 utility tractor and a Land Pride bale spear and rotary tiller. Adam is supported by his local dealer, Great Plains Kubota in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
  
  
• Northern Division: Lieutenant Col. Rob Moore currently serves in the U.S. Marine Corps and has more than 19 years of combined service in the Marines and U.S. Army, which includes two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and one deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Rob and his partners, Marine 1st Lieutenant Ryan Deas, and Markus Deas, a commercial airline pilot, own and operate Range Ranch in Fredonia, New York, where they raise chickens, dairy cows, and bees, and grow concord grapes and hay. Kubota is awarding Robert a BV4160 PREM hay baler and he is supported by his local Kubota dealer, Monroe Tractor in Springville, New York.
  
  
• Midwest Division: Chris Pedersen served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army National Guard which included two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Spartan Shield. Chris and his wife, Abbey, who currently serves in the active-duty Army, own and operate Snowshoe Valley Christmas Tree Farm in Almena, Wisconsin. Kubota is awarding Chris an L3902 compact tractor and a Land Pride rotary cutter, stump grinder, and pallet forks. Chris is supported by his local Kubota dealer, Johnson Tractor in Baldwin, Wisconsin.
  
  
• Southeast Division: Captain Blaine Underwood is in his eighth year of service as an engineer in the U.S. Air Force. Blaine and his wife, Robin, own and operate Underwood Farm LLC, a grass-fed cattle and sheep farm, in Westville, Florida. Kubota is awarding Blaine an MX5400 utility tractor and a Land Pride bale spear, rotary cutter, and rear auger. Blaine is supported by his local Kubota dealer, Crystal Tractor & Equipment in Panama City, Florida.
  
  
• Western Division: Master Sgt. Pangia Xiong has been serving in the California Army National Guard since 2005. Pangia and her husband, Ge, who also currently serves in the California Army National Guard, own and operate Sunshine's Farm, a U-Pick strawberry farm in Fresno, California. Kubota is awarding Pangia an RTV-X1140 utility vehicle and a variety of accessories including a canopy, winch kit, and front and rear LED work lights. Pangia is supported by her local Kubota dealer, Pioneer Equipment Co., in Fresno, California.

"Kubota is an amazing longtime partner of the Farmer Veteran Coalition," said FVC CEO Jeanette Lombardo. "Over the years, our work together on the core mission of FVC has continued to expand and the original project that started it all was the 'Geared to Give' program, which is the highlight of my year. The impact that Kubota makes on the lives of our beginning farmers and ranchers and their families is lifechanging. To witness someone being given keys to a new tractor is heart-warming and a moment filled with emotion and hope. I'm so grateful for Kubota and its continued support for our members, their futures, and their dreams."

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, and since it was established in 2015, Kubota has provided more than $1 million to FVC in the form of organizational support and grants to veterans, along with an additional 46 pieces of donated Kubota equipment to farmer veterans.

The Kubota program also offers exclusive discounts to Veteran Members of the Farmer Veteran Coalition with instant customer rebates for purchasing select Kubota equipment at all 1,100 authorized-Kubota dealerships nationwide.

Each year, farmer veterans can apply to the FVC Fellowship Fund to be considered for donated Kubota equipment through the "Geared to Give" program. For more information on FVC's 2025 application process, visit farmvetco.org. For more information on the "Geared to Give" program, visit Kubota Cares.

About Kubota Tractor Corporation
Kubota Tractor Corporation, Grapevine, Texas, is the U.S. marketer and distributor of Kubota-engineered and manufactured machinery and equipment, including a complete line of tractors of up to 200 Gross hp, performance-matched implements, hay tools, compact construction equipment, consumer lawn and garden equipment, commercial turf products and utility vehicles. For product literature or dealer locations, contact:  Kubota Tractor Corporation, 1000 Kubota Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051, (888) 4-KUBOTA [(888) 458-2682], Ext. 900, or visit KubotaUSA.com.

About Farmer Veteran Coalition
Based in Waco, Texas, Farmer Veteran Coalition's mission is to assist service members and Veterans transitioning out of military service into careers in the agriculture sector or assist them with starting their own farms or ranches. Established in 2009, FVC's in-house programs include the Farmer Veteran Coalition Fellowship Fund small grant program, the nationally recognized Homegrown By Heroes label for Veteran-grown products, and national and regional conferences. As the nation's largest nonprofit assisting veterans and active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces embark on careers in agriculture, FVC works to develop a new generation of farmers and food leaders. This is done through expanding viable employment and career opportunities with support and collaboration of the farming and military communities. For more information, visit www.farmvetco.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram at @FarmerVeteranCoalition and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@farmvetcoalition/videos.

About PBR (Professional Bull Riders)
PBR is the world's premier bull riding organization. More than 800 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR's international circuits in Australia, Brazil, and Canada. In 2022, PBR launched the PBR Team Series—now 10 teams of the world's best bull riders competing for a new championship—as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. The organization's digital assets include PBR RidePass on Pluto TV, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.

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SOURCE Kubota Tractor Corporation