The reason Max isn't with you today is because he's in the Inaugural Parade. Eleven shiny, brand new tractors will be in the parade and behind the wheel of a Case IH will be Max Armstrong. Other tractors will be driven by the presidents of the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association and National Pork Producers Council. It's the first time tractors have been in the Inaugural Parade, which goes back to Thomas Jefferson's inaugural, which they strolled down Pennsylvania Avenue. It's not the first time tractors have been in the nation's capital, though. In 1978, farmers drove their tractors to Washington in protest.

Also in the parade are families of fallen soldiers from Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.

It's good to know more about Sonny Perdue, the nominee to be the next Agriculture Secretary. Perdue is the former two term governor of Georgia. He trained as veterinarian and practiced for several years.