In the heart of eastern North Carolina, a fully restored 1950 John Deere Model A tractor graces its original farmland, all thanks to the hard work of FFA alumna Katie Bryan.
In 2024, Bryan was named one of the 12 finalists across the country in the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition (TRC) for her work restoring the antique tractor, affectionately named “Dilly.” Her family’s tractor has been on their farm for almost 75 years, and now, due to Bryan’s dedication, it has returned to the fields it once knew.
A Big “Dill” in FFA
Now a graduate of Richlands High School, Bryan was involved with the National FFA Organization, which encouraged her participation in the Delo TRC. FFA runs in the family: Bryan’s father and older sister were members, and Bryan served as chapter president during her senior year in 2024. She was only the second person from her school to restore a tractor, following in the footsteps of her own sister, who was the first.
“I knew I wanted to be in FFA from the get-go,” she says. “Since middle school, I wanted to do as much as I could. We got the tractor right before I started high school, and it took all four years to restore it. We just took it one piece at a time.”
Dilly Goes to Delo Tractor Restoration Competition
The finalists of the competition, which was pioneered in 1997, combined more than 7,300 hours of restoration work, showcasing the technical resolve, mechanical skills and business aptitude of tractor restoration experts countrywide.
Bryan’s restored tractor once belonged to her great-grandfather, Delbert Walton. She affectionately named the tractor after him, combining “Delbert” with “dill,” because she often joked that the green tractor looked like a big dill pickle, hence the name “Dilly.”
“I restored it on the same land that my great-grandfather farmed with that tractor,” Bryan says. “The farms are still there. They’re still being used.”
Restoring and Remembering
She recalls going to the little wooden shop on her family’s farmland every day after high school and working with her dad, Devon, and grandfather, George. She credits them with teaching her how to restore the tractor, along with help from neighbors, new friends and a “trusty old” John Deere service manual.
“I tried to keep my eye on the end project, and my family being there for me helped keep me motivated,” Bryan reminisces. “And toward the end, my grandpa passed away. He was there during the entire restoration process because we were working in his shop almost every day.”
Following his passing, she took a break from her restoration work to grieve with her family.
“After a few months off, I knew I needed to finish that tractor,” Bryan says. “My grandpa was buried with the last tool he used on my tractor, so that really just kept me going to stay strong. I think watching the video when they announced the finalists was when it truly hit that all this was so worth it.”
While the 1950 John Deere Model A was originally used for farming corn, soybeans and tobacco on her family’s farm, it now serves as a show tractor in the Annual Antique Tractor Show at Mike’s Farm in nearby Beulaville each fall. Bryan occasionally also takes it for a joyride around their land for fun.
Deere to Her Heart
Tractor restoration remains a core aspect of her ethos as a student pursuing a career in agricultural education.
“It definitely means a lot to me,” she says. “Even though there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears restoring that tractor, I always knew that agriculture was something that we really needed, and we can’t live successfully without it. That’s one reason I want to be an ag teacher in the future.”
Katie is currently working on her associate degree with the intention of transferring to an online bachelor’s program by the end of 2026 to pursue a career as a high school agriculture teacher.
“I want to be able to teach people about the importance of agriculture, and I think my family really instilled that in me when I was little, being in a farm town and always seeing fields everywhere,” Bryan explains. “And even though those are getting sold, and it’s becoming more buildings, restaurants, houses and all that, we still need farmers in our town. That’s one reason I really enjoyed restoring this tractor, because if I end up teaching agricultural mechanics, I need to know a little bit about mechanical work, and I think restoring my 1950 John Deere was the perfect way to get hands-on experience.”
Bryan notes that the highlight of her senior year was her involvement in FFA, as the community-building fostered leadership skills alongside her passion for agriculture.
“I think the most important thing to me during that whole entire process was definitely the memories that were made,” she says. “If someone offered me all the money in the world, I could not give up that tractor because it holds so many of those precious memories.”
Hello my name is Pansy Frank. I work for Denton Farm Park during the week of July 4. Which is The Southeast Threshers Reunion . We would love to get in touch with Katie Bryan . We would love for her to bring her tractor for exhibit next year. If this would interest her you may give her my information. Thank you!