 
Assembly Resolution No. 57
 
BY: M. of A. Blankenbush
 
        COMMEMORATING the 75th Anniversary of White's Farm
        Supply, Inc.
 
  WHEREAS,  It  is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
applaud the leaders  of  commerce  and  industry  whose  accomplishments
contribute  to  the economic health and prosperity of the communities of
the State of New York and to the quality of life of its people; and
 
  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
commemorate the 75th Anniversary of White's Farm Supply, Inc.; and
 
  WHEREAS, White's Farm Supply, Inc. is a full-service  Case  IH,  New
Holland  and  Kubota  dealer  selling  new  and  used  tractors,  forage
harvesters and farm equipment with  locations  in  Canastota,  Franklin,
Lowville, Schaghticoke and Waterville, New York; and
 
  WHEREAS,  When Willard and Nettie White returned to Central New York
at the end of World  War  II,  it  was  not  long  before  they  saw  an
opportunity to live the American dream; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Willard  White was born and raised in the Verona, New York
area, which prompted his return to his family farm; Nettie  was  a  farm
girl  from  Shandro,  Alberta,  Canada;  together,  they established the
business in 1946 as the Oneida Valley Garage, pumping gas and  repairing
automobiles and farm machinery; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  1948,  as  the  business  grew, the Whites hired Roger
Gerwig, a mechanic who could fix anything; after 48 years  of  dedicated
service,  Roger  retired  from  White's  Farm  Supply,  but  not  before
experiencing the evolution of White's Farm Supply, and the  Agricultural
and Lawn & Garden Industry; and
 
  WHEREAS, In 1949, International Harvester Company gained a dealer in
White's  Farm  Supply  and  that  relationship  has endured through both
companies' changes, as White's continues to sell and service the Case-IH
brand; and
 
  WHEREAS, In 1953,  White's  Farm  Supply  became  a  distributor  of
Nicholson Hay tedders; they were imported from England and sold all over
New  England  and  required deliveries and an extensive parts supply and
support; and
 
  WHEREAS, By the early 1960s, things were moving quite fast  for  the
business  and  Gehl,  a  company  well-known for their forage equipment,
contracted with White's Farm  Supply  for  warehousing  of  their  parts
distribution   throughout  the  Northeast;  by  the  mid1960s,  the  new
warehouse building was built to handle  the  growth,  as  it  was  still
growing with White's Farm Supply taking on distribution and sales of Van
Dusen,  Silo-matic  and  Brillion; this time was also the start of a new
direction with the sales of the Cub Cadet; and
 
  WHEREAS, Sales in the agricultural area were growing  and  in  1972,
the  Waterville  store opened with five employees, and has since tripled
in size; and
 
  WHEREAS, Growth was continuous and the equipment needs of the farmer
were  changing;  more opportunities to serve the customers came when the
Sperry-New Holland brand of hay and forage equipment was taken  on,  and
the same tractor brand was introduced; White's Farm Supply was the first
dealer  in  New  York for Martin Manufacturing, a company that was later
purchased by Gehl, that pioneered a V-style spreader; and
 
  WHEREAS, White's Farm Supply's product line offering branched into a
new area with cow stalls and gates; the business  carries  an  extensive
inventory  of  barn  and  farm  lot needs with strong relationships with
manufacturers Paul B. Zimmerman, Inc. and J. Houle & Fils, Inc.; and
 
  WHEREAS, With the start of the 1980s, a new shop, parts  department,
and offices were added to the Canastota store; then came the opportunity
to  acquire  a third building and in 1986, the Lowville store opened its
doors for business; and
 
  WHEREAS, Meyers Manufacturing was added to  the  equipment  offering
line  up  in  1986  and White's Farm Supply was awarded their top dealer
award for 2005; and
 
  WHEREAS, In addition, White's Farm Supply became  the  first  dealer
for  the  Ferris  mowers,  a  local manufacturer of innovative lawn care
products for the homeowner and the commercial mower specialist; and
 
  WHEREAS, Another strong relationship with  a  top  industry  leader,
Kubota,  has  propelled  White's  Farm Supply through the next decade in
sales of quality lawn  and  garden  equipment,  commercial  mowers,  and
estate and farm tractors; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  1993,  the  employees of all three White's Farm Supply
stores presented Willard and Nettie White  with  a  special  plaque  and
stone marker in recognition and appreciation to them as founders; and
 
  WHEREAS, That same year, Willard and Nettie White decided to retire;
with  them  throughout  have  been  their five children, Dale, Patricia,
Arthur, Arlene and Douglas, all of whom feel privileged to be a part  of
their  lives and rejoice in their achievements; the tradition of service
to the Agricultural and Lawn & Garden industries  continues  with  Dale,
Doug,  and  Art leading the company and responding to the needs of their
customers and new demands of the market; and
 
  WHEREAS, In 2013, a fourth location was added in Franklin, New York,
to serve the Southern Tier, and in 2016, a fifth location was  added  in
Schaghticoke, New York to serve the Capital Region; and
 
  WHEREAS,  As  the company moves into the 21st Century, today White's
Farm Supply is proud to employ over 90 New Yorkers and has a  cumulative
total of well over 600 years of experience within its staff; and
 
  WHEREAS,  White's Farm Supply is proud to have been the recipient of
numerous awards from many of the companies it represents for tops honors
in sales, as well as the quality of the  sales  and  service  from  lawn
mowers to the largest of farm machinery, tractors and implements; and
 
 
  WHEREAS,  It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  this Legislative Body
acknowledges this exceptional business  and  its  contributions  to  the
local  and  State  economies,  fully  confident that it will continue to
enjoy  the  sparkling  successes  it  has  experienced  thus  far;  now,
therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 75th Anniversary of White's Farm Supply, Inc.; and be it
further
 
  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
White's Farm Supply, Inc.
Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of White's Farm Supply, Inc.

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