Walter -- I address the subjects raised in your e-mail in turn.

A. There is no "IH case." When the sentence is carefully read, you will see that I am referring to warnings issued by the various manufacturers of Cub Cadets -- International Harvester, Case IH, and MTD Products. All have issued specific product warnings against operation of Cub Cadet products by children. In particular, every MTD owners manual specifically states that Cub Cadet products must not be operated by children under the age of 14.

B. There is no specific age below which children cannot be members of IHCC. We have children as young as 1 or 2 who are members (gifts from grandparents). You have misread my reply. I did not address any of my comments to the subject of a minimum age for membership. What I was referring to was the need to exercise extreme caution in allowing children to operate agricultural machinery under load in an event such as the proposed plow day.

Now that you have identified the age of the children involved, I would like to make another point. Children of 11 and 12 years of age must not be allowed operate equipment in a plow day such as you propose. First, as pointed out above, the manufacturer specifically recommends against allowing children under 14 years of age to operate this equipment. Good reason exists for such a warning -- lack of maturity and good judgment, lack of full physical coordination, small size, and underdeveloped brains. Second, Pennsylvania law prohibits the operation of implements of husbandry on the public roads by children under the age of 14. See 75 Pa. Consol. Stat. Ann. § 1502(5) (West 1990).

I think it clear that plaintiff's counsel could easily convince a Pennsylvania jury that any organization or club that allowed 11 and 12 year old children to operate such machinery in public venue that led to an accident injuring the child or another was gross negligence or reckless conduct given the existence of specific warnings and a state law. Finally, allowing gross negligence or recklessness such as this could very well void our insurance coverage for the event and expose the chapter, national club, and individual members involved in organizing the event to the specter of a punitive damages award. The Club simply cannot afford this type of risk taking.

C. Respecting enforcement of the participant as member rule, various chapters have adopted different solutions. Again, you have misread my reply. I did not say that exhibitors or event participants did not have to be members of a chapter -- only that they had to be a member of IHCC. The question of whether a participant must be a member of the hosting chapter is a matter for that chapter to decide -- your national Board of Directors takes no position in this regard. Our National Membership Secretary will be pleased to send you a complete list of all dues paid national members for your use in checking entrants in your events. And, as pointed out in my previous e-mail, other chapters have made it a rule that only chapter members with paid up dues can exhibit or participate. In that way, the chapter has it own set of records to ensure the rule is complied with and does not have to refer to a national list. The method of checking is up to the chapter.

The contents of your e-mail and this reply have been forwarded to the national Board of Directors and the Insurance Committee for their information. I trust I have addressed your immediate concern