Andrew Curtis Szalach works in his shop.
Andrew Curtis Szalach has been a member of the Cazenovia Aggies FFA Chapter since 2018 and has fond memories of attending four New York State FFA Conventions. He has always been an active member of New York FFA, especially when it comes to his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) focused on renovating and restoring classic tractors.
“I’ve always liked taking things apart and putting them back together,” Curtis Szalach says. “I also like to see how things work and to preserve that piece of history because it’s one that not a lot of people appreciate.”
Curtis Szalach currently has five restoration projects in the works. For him, that means a complete facelift, including fresh paint, all new electrical systems, a new carburetor and new engine parts.
He began an agricultural mechanics proficiency application last winter. He says this process was easier than he expected because he kept meticulous records throughout his SAE. However, he did run into some difficulties. Most notably, Curtis Szalach had to move the center of his operation to his own house, where he had significantly fewer tools and resources than he did before.
In true FFA fashion, he still managed to do great work with the resources he had. Curtis Szalach won his proficiency at the state level and then submitted it to national.
The most important thing Curtis Szalach did was have several trusted advisors give feedback on his work. It paid off — this past month, he ranked gold on the national level.
When asked about his initial reaction, he said, “It’s actually a funny story.” Curtis Szalach had originally opened the page to check how his friend did on her equine proficiency when he stumbled across his name. “I was like oh, cool,” he says.
One of Curtis Szalach’s best memories from his SAE is the “25 seconds” his name was on the screen during an episode of Classic Tractor Fever. When asked about his favorite tractor, Curtis Szalach said, “It would have to be a Massey Ferguson 1150 because it’s large, it has one of my favorite builds and it has a V8 engine.”
Through hearing Curtis Szalach talk so passionately about a tractor that was last produced 34 years before he was born, one can realize that although advancements in technology are how we will pave our way forward, even an old tractor can inspire a new generation of American agriculturists.
