Farm equipment sits on display at Farmers Equipment on Elida Road.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
KALIDA — Agriculture is a bedrock for the regional economy, but those benefits cannot be harvested without the proper equipment. Thankfully for farmers, this region is helping in that area, as well.
Unverferth Manufacturing has been building tow-behind farming equipment to help with crop production for more than 75 years. According to Unverferth’s website, the company’s history goes back to two brothers, L.G. “Lawrence” and Richard Unverferth, who had an interest in making farming efficient for themselves and their neighbors in Kalida, creating machines such as beet blockers to help automate the thinning of sugar beets. From there, they began making tractor step plates and control levers, leading to the formation of their company in 1948.
From there, Unverferth began to expand not only in its product line but also in its footprint, with the company now having manufacturing facilities in Delphos and in Shell Rock, Iowa, serving farmers throughout North America.
“Pretty much all of our equipment is tow-behind — things like field cultivators, rolling harrow soil conditioners and the Raptor strip-till unit — that is all pulled behind the tractor,” Unverferth Communications Director Jerry Ecklund said. “(We also manufacture) header transports that help transport combine heads in the fall through harvest. Over in Delphos, we also make grain carts that collect grain from a combine, and then the grain cart goes on to dump the grain into a waiting truck, and the combine just keeps on rolling.”
On Feb. 1, the company announced an additional expansion with the acquisition of Lexington, Nebraska-based Orthman Manufacturing. Company president Larry Unverferth celebrated the move in a statement, saying that Unverferth is “looking forward to expanding upon the current workforce by building on the (Orthman) brand’s presence in the farming community and expanding product offerings in the months and years ahead.”
One Orthman product Unverferth is highlighting is the Raptor strip till unit, a tillage unit introduced in 2001 that, according to Ecklund, is ideal for conservation and organic farming since it reduces stress on the soil and helps with more pinpoint fertilization.
“What this tool does is create just a 6- to 10-inch-wide zone where the seed can be planted right behind it,” he said. “Or some operators use it in the fall and band fertilizer (instead of broadcast application) as well as make the strip of soil ready for planting next spring.”
Along with manufacturing farming equipment, the region is helping distribute that equipment to farmers through various area dealerships, such as Farmers Equipment in Elida or Kenn-Feld Group in Van Wert.
Agriculture is not immune from supply chain stresses that have racked the economy, and these dealerships and others in the region are working to help alleviate them. In a letter to customers on its website, Kenn-Feld CEO Tom Burenga outlined projects his company is undertaking this year, including “increasing our parts inventory,” “maintaining daily parts run between our locations” and “continuing to update and expand our mobile service fleet.”
These dealerships and others are working to support the farming industry in the region in more ways than just equipment sales. According to its website, each year, Farmers Equipment gives $500 college scholarships to 4-H and FFA members in the counties they serve. In 2022, Allen County’s Halle Elwer and Emma Brinkman, Auglaize County’s Alec Spangler and Emma Steinke and Putnam County’s Sam Schroeder and Hannah Moorman all received scholarships.
CELEBRATING OUR SPIRIT
Plenty of foods, items and ideas are created right here in the Lima region. Celebrating Our Spirit looks at those organizations that make the area such a vibrant place to live, work and play.
Read more stories at LimaOhio.com/tag/spirit.
Reach Craig Kelly at 567-242-0391 or on Twitter @cmkelly419.
