Women On Tractors-Donna Desilva

Donna DeSilva pulling a 1947 Farmall M at the CCAMA Tractor Pull during the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival 2016.She and husband Bill Desilva pulled in this 4500-5500 lb class. 

How did you become interested in tractors?

There has always been something alluring about tractors. I drove semi-trucks for several years, I guess I have always been fascinated by machinery. My husband, Billy, and I would go to the tractor pulls in So Cal and thought they
looked like fun, it’s one of those things that you put on your bucket list, and think that someday you will do that.


When did you start driving tractors?

2010. Billy, my husband, and I had bought a little Yanmar with a bucket and to help us out with our property in Utah. It is a good little work tractor, but not a show tractor.

Donna DeSilva at CCAMA Tractor Pull Panguitch,UT

Who taught or helped you learn to drive tractors?

I had some previous experience driving heavy equipment, mostly with little or no instruction. When we bought the Yanmar we figured it out together.
My husband, Billy is now the tractor expert and he helps me figure out the nuances of each of our tractors.


What was your first antique tractor and what do you own now? 

Donna Desilva after pulling at the iron County Fair
CCAMA Tractor Pull

We went to the Iron County Fair one year and really enjoyed the tractor pulls. That’s when we thought that there was a possibility that we could take tractor driving off our bucket list and make it a reality. We had just met people that were having fun doing this hobby and we thought we should seriously look into it.

Notefrom Deborah Moen: The offset engine was known as "Cultivision"

When and why did you join CCAMA?

We joined to hang out with other people who like tractors. Driving tractors with the CCAMA is a hobby that my husband and I share and a way that we spend our time together. It is fun to hang out with people who have similar interests, and everyone in the club is just generally really nice, they are our “tractor family”.

Donna and Bill Desilva at the Iron County Fair Parade with CCAMA

What are your favorite activities or

events in CCAMA?

I think I enjoy the awards banquet most because we get to sit and visit with everyone, sometimes that is hard to do during pulls. I do like most all of the events we do like being in the parades; that is fun, but I miss seeing what else is in the parade. I enjoy pulling against my husband more than anyone else. We use the same tractors and it is interesting to see who can get the tractor to pull best, although Billy deserves all the credit as he is the one who keeps the tractors running.

Donna SeSilva at the Iron County Fair Parade in Parowan, Utah.
Photo taken by husband Bill Desilva.

What are your interests/job aside 

from tractors?

I teach in the nursing department at SUU, and I do hospice nursing in our community and those jobs keep me fairly busy. For hobbies I love to read suspense novels, and I love being outdoors and gardening is one of my favorite hobbies.

We have a lovely piece of property with trees, flowers and a large garden and I love to hang out in my own yard. We use the little Yanmar for most of the yardwork but have on occasion used the bigger Farmalls to do disking, auger large holes and pull out stumps.

Donna DeSilva at the CCAMA Tractor Pull in Panguitch,Utah

Thank you, Donna for this great tractor bio. !

Thank you all for visiting CCAMA,
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Deborah Moen
Blog Administrator
Writer, Photographer