Russell Ball Named NAEDA Dealer Advocate of the Year

Feb 01, 2024

The North American Equipment Dealers Assn. (NAEDA) recognizes Russell Ball of 21^st Century Equipment as the Dealer Advocate of the Year. The award was presented to Ball on Jan. 30, 2024, at the North American Dealer Conference in Dallas.

One of NAEDA’s priorities is federal and state government affairs. However, most advocacy efforts are successful when equipment dealers testify before committees and share how proposed legislation can be either harmful or helpful to the industry. The Dealer Advocacy Award is presented each year to a dealer whose efforts contributed to positive policy outcomes benefiting the equipment dealer industry. The award recognizes not only those who engage in our association's government affairs advocacy, but those that go above and beyond.

In 2023, Ball took on even more than he probably expected. When Colorado introduced a Right to Repair bill, he was at the forefront of the fight. He attended and testified in every legislative hearing, including a marathon seven-hour Senate committee session on the bill. He even took the meaning of equipment demonstrations to a new level, bringing a tractor to the Capitol lawn on a snowy, freezing day to help educate legislators. His efforts were instrumental in getting the language in the Colorado bill amended to protect equipment dealers.

Ball also brought that valuable experience to bear in another Capitol when he attended NAEDA’s Washington D.C. fly-in in March 2023. He was instrumental in educating Congressional members about the dealers’ perspective on the Right to Repair issue.

Ball has been with 21^st Century Equipment for nearly 31 years. In addition to his dedication to the company, Ball has given back to the industry and his community in numerous ways. He is a former director and chairman of a regional equipment dealer association, served 30 years as a volunteer firefighter for his rural fire district, and is the voice of his local high school football team announcing games for the Cheyenne Wells Tigers.

The NAEDA board of directors wishes to not only congratulate Ball for being named Dealer Advocate of the Year, but to thank him for his efforts on both the Colorado bill and his advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.

Source : Farm Equipment

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.