Agribusiness

Ruth Klossner takes her ‘MOOSEUM’ cow-spotted tractor on the road

NEW ULM -- Ruth Klossner has logged 44 regional parade appearances behind the wheel of her cow-spotted 1950 Ford 8N tractor since purchasing and restoring the machine in 2012.

The tractor serves as a mobile extension of Klossner's regional cow collection and museum, bringing her collection directly to area festival routes across Sibley and Nicollet counties.

Klossner's personal connection to the Ford 8N model dates back to her childhood on her family's farm in the 1950s.

"Since I had learned to drive, probably when I was about six years old, on an 8N Ford, I set my heart on getting a Ford," Klossner said. "I loved our Ford, which was equipped with a utility box on the back that we used for hauling rocks, feed, calves, and everything else. I drove the tractor for rock picking, hauling manure, and on the hay rope for years."

As her retirement from the Lafayette Nicollet Ledger approached, Klossner decided to acquire a tractor specifically to drive in community parades.

She enlisted the help of her brother, Harvey, who knows farm equipment repairs but personally preferred a different manufacturer.

"My brother, Harvey, is 'into tractors' and knows them inside and out, so I asked for his help," Klossner said. "When I told him that I wanted a Ford, he groaned and said he really didn't like Fords, but he was a good sport about it. He's a John Deere man. We looked at several at machinery lots around the area, but didn't find one we liked."

On April 1, 2012, Harvey called Klossner to report he had located a machine at an auction in Hutchinson.

"He called and said, 'I spent your money,'" Klossner said. "He bought a 1950 Ford 8N at an auction in Hutchinson for a thousand dollars and took it to his place near Silver Lake to start the work of restoring and repainting."

Harvey disassembled the tractor, repaired mechanical components, and applied fresh red and white paint to the frame before Klossner inspected the finished assembly.

"It had one good back tire and one bad one," Klossner said. "He thought we could find a used tire to match. No such luck, so I spent over $600 for two new back tires that I'll never wear out. Parts, repairs, and paint added to the cost. When Harvey had everything done, including painting the red and white, I went to his place and painted the black spots and added the MOOSEUM letters."

The visual design was inspired by an event Klossner covered as a photojournalist in 2008.

"The inspiration goes back to 2008 when I photographed and wrote about a tractor drive that came to the area," Klossner said. "I believe it was sponsored by a radio station in Iowa. The annual trek was held in a different place each year and was based at the New Ulm fairgrounds that year. The group drove out in different directions each day. One day it went to St. Peter, one to Fort Ridgely."

While following the route to Fort Ridgely, Klossner spotted the specific paint job that stayed in her memory.

"I followed the tractors as they drove there, then took more photos and talked to drivers during their lunch hour," Klossner said. "One tractor stood out, a Ford 8N painted in cow spots. It stuck in my mind and drove my desire to get a Ford and to paint it with cow spots."

To complete the setup, Klossner added custom accessories to match the theme.

"For the last 10 years or so, I've had a 'mooing' cow horn that I can sound as I drive down the street," Klossner said. "I have a stuffed cow, a cow milker, and two milk cans in the utility box. I jokingly tell people that I didn't get the cow milked before I went to the parade, so I brought her along."

During her first parade season in 2012, Klossner entered six events: Nicollet, Cambria, Winthrop, Gibbon, New Ulm, and Gaylord. Over the years, she adjusted her travel schedule.

She stopped attending Cambria after 2014, New Ulm after 2015, and Gaylord after 2021.

She has participated in the Nicollet Friendship Days parade 14 times and the Winthrop parade 13 times.

She also attended Gibbon's five-year celebration parades in 2012, 2017, and 2022.

Transportation logistics also evolved over time.

"The first two years, I hauled the tractor on a flatbed trailer my brother located, pulled by a pickup I got from my dad," Klossner said. "After going through the work of loading the tractor, tying it down, driving to the parades, unloading, then loading and tying it down again, I finally figured out that it wouldn't take any more time to drive it to parades and would be less work."

In May 2014, Klossner sold the truck and trailer and began driving the Ford directly to events.

"Since it has overdrive, it goes about 22 miles an hour on the road, so it only takes about a half hour to get to Winthrop or Gaylord and about an hour to get to Nicollet or New Ulm," Klossner said.

For the Nicollet parades, local resident Tom Rieke assists with transport so Klossner can fulfill her photography duties during the festival.

Rieke picks up the tractor prior to the parade, houses it in a local shed, brings it out for the event, and returns it a few days later.

The tractor has also been driven by community members and visitors. In March 2025, New Ulm FFA member Alex Schroeder drove the Ford while wearing a cow costume in the New Ulm Ag Day Parade, carrying the Hub Club Cub mascot in the rear utility box.

In 2014, film actress Tippi Hedren sat in the driver's seat for photographs during a visit to Lafayette.

Klossner said public response along the parade routes remains consistent across towns.

"The most common thing I hear from people is, 'We used to have one like that on the farm when I was young,'" Klossner said. "I take photos of people watching the parades as I drive through; it's fun to see people smiling and waving."