As Farm Equipment Magazine prepares to celebrate its 55th Anniversary this October with a special issue that looks back at the past 5 decades of the farm equipment industry, parent-company Lessiter Media has announced a special partnership with NAEDA's Equipment Dealers Foundation to use the momentous occasion to raise funds for technical education scholarships.

Lessiter Media will donate a portion of the proceeds from its upcoming October/November issue of Farm Equipment, which will be matched by the Equipment Dealers Foundation, with the sole purpose of assisting in the training, re-training and advancement of employees or potential employees of farm equipment dealers through the Equipment Dealers Foundation Scholarship Program.

“As we embark on our 55th year of Farm Equipment, and the 20th under our family's ownership, we wanted to find a way to extend our appreciation to the North American farm equipment dealer community that has been so good and helpful to us," says Mike Lessiter, Farm Equipment editor/publisher and president of Lessiter Media. "NAEDA's invitation to work together on a matching scholarship fund campaign was a novel idea to celebrate this milestone and a most meaningful way for us to give back to the industry. We appreciate the increased collaboration that we've found together in recent years to disseminate knowledge throughout the farm equipment industry."

The Equipment Dealers Foundation aims to provide technical education scholarships for the benefit of dealers, employees and the equipment industry. Each year scholarships are awarded to aspiring individuals that are the future of the industry.

“Our Equipment Dealers Foundation was created to support our dealer members’ efforts in workforce development," stated Kim Rominger, NAEDA CEO. "As the dealership business has continued to grow, we recognize that investing in training is a necessity. We are excited to partner with Farm Equipment magazine on this scholarship, as it will assist in the education and careers of our dealership employees."

Parties interested in helping raise funds for the Equipment Dealers Foundation Scholarship Program should contact Farm Equipment Brand Manager, Luke Weigel (262-777-2424 / lweigel@lessitermedia.com), to discuss opportunities in the October/November issue of Farm Equipment.