Specialty farm equipment demonstrated
By By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 06/17/2010 9:13 AM
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WAUKON, Iowa —Kyle and Mari Holthaus recently hosting a specialized equipment field day at their Waukon Farm in conjunction with Windridge Implements of Decorah, Cresco and Elkader.
Instead of combines, large tractors and big corn and soybean planters, compact Case-IH tractors, Checci and Maglie planters , Jang seeders, Muratori tillers, small BCS two-wheel tractors, a Falc bed builder and Hustler mowers were at work in Kyle and Mari's five-acre field.
"We're trying to let more people know what's available in the specialty equipment market," said Kyle Holthaus. "It's not just for vegetables. This equipment works for herbs, flowers, fruits and aronia bushes."
Demonstrations involved tilling, plastic mulch laying, bed shaping, weeding, seeding, transplanting and bulb planting. The 125 participants asked lots of questions and some tried out the equipment.
Eric Nordschow, who is general manager and owns Windridge Implements with his mother, Barbara, said this is Windridge's second season offering the equipment.
"We're learning, too," Nordschow said. "We have four or five different brands of equipment, all small horsepower."
"We think it can be a nice little growth spot in this business, and also it's a way of being out in the community and looking forward to where young people are in agriculture," Nordschow said. "By looking around you can see a lot more 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds here."
Nordschow said it's pretty hard to get into "big farming" today, but it is possible to get into local foods and livestock.
"That's doable," he said. "Local foods production in our area is growing."
Adding equipment geared toward local foods growers has been good for his business, Nordschow said.
"We've sold some of the equipment," he said. "We don't sell as much as we do tractors and combines from Case. We've been in that business for 15 years. As a new business it's fine."
Kyle Holthaus said that Nordschow understands that if he rents the equipment, it gives small farmers like him the chance to grow. Eventually, producers will buy equipment as they build their farming operations.
"Eric has done a lot of research in finding the right equipment," Kyle said.
Nordschow said it gives Windridge Implements exposure to a new group of agricultural producers.
"Agriculture has gotten a little divided and this is a good way to undivide it," he said. "At an event like this, people can find middle ground because they're all farming. We have to close that divide. Agriculture has a small voice, and we can't be divided. We need to work together."