Vermeer Corp.’s history of product development has impacted two different industries. In agriculture, it literally revolutionized hay production with the introduction of the first large round baler, the product for which it’s most widely known.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when precision agriculture began, but a significant event occurred just over 25 years ago: a new invention enabled farmers to utilize technology to find substantial yield variations in different sections of their fields.

When Worksaver Inc. first entered the equipment business, its focus was much different than it is today. After building implements and attachments under its own brand and for farm and home stores, a decade ago it abandoned the latter market and sacrificed 50% of its business to pursue a more lucrative niche.

Kinze Manufacturing started in 1965 when Jon Kinzenbaw, a 21-year old farm boy from Victor, Iowa, opened a welding shop.

Martin Industries might never have become a leader in no-till equipment development had economics and weather conditions not been disastrous in the 1980s.

Osmundson Manufacturing Co. has carved a global niche in the equipment business by forming ground-engaging tillage parts from raw steel in its Perry, Iowa, facility.

There likely aren’t too many family owned companies in the world that are successfully growing under the fourth generation.

Most seasoned salespeople will attest that the toughest and most time consuming sale occurs when having to educate customers about how products will benefit them.

Landoll Corp. is a unique success story in American manufacturing. Their portfolio of products includes heavy trailers for the towing and recovery industry, aircraft de-icers for the military and Swingmast forklifts for warehouse applications, but their foundation is agricultural equipment. Founder Don Landoll’s success is the result of seizing every opportunity to turn metal into finished products, regardless of the end use, while leveraging diversity in the product portfolio as a way to spread risk and acquire the latest in manufacturing equipment and technology.