Jim Rumsey started driving tractors on the family’s farm when he was 11 years old. Seventy years later he is still driving tractors and teaching others to do the same.

He is an Agricultural Engineer by education and studied at UC Davis, the University of Arizona and the University of Florida. His concentration at these institutions was in farm machinery development, operation and management.

During his career in private industry, he was involved in monitoring efficient and proper use of farm machinery including vegetable harvesters and tree shakers. As an independent agricultural consultant, he was involved in establishing processing tomato farming operations in Ohio and in Argentina. He made recommendations for acquisition of farm machinery for those operations. When returning to his family farm he personally performed all machinery operations involved in growing walnuts. This included all cultural practices such as spraying, mowing, and harvesting. At UC Davis he taught the famous “tractor driving class” and personally instructed over 4,000 students in safe, proper and efficient tractor and field equipment operation.