Has it really been 50 years? Hard to believe but it’s true. Kinze turns 50 this year.
It was 1965 when my dad, Jon Kinzenbaw took out a small bank loan and founded Kinze Welding in Victor, Iowa. In the early days, the 21-year-old entrepreneur kept the doors open by performing whatever custom work should come through them, mostly requests from local farmers to alter, repair or improve a piece of farm equipment.
One such request would help my dad make a name for himself in the farming community. When word of his repowered John Deere 5020 tractors spread, farmers from across the country called on the young welder for his services.
Of course, it was innovations like the custom anhydrous applicator (1968), the two-wheel grain cart (1971) and the adjustable plow (1971) that really put Kinze on the map as an agricultural equipment manufacturer.
The appearance of Big Blue and the 12-bottom plow at the 1974 Farm Progress Show further elevated the reputation of the young company, and subsequent innovations like the rear fold planter (1975), double frame planter (1981), rubber tracks (1988) and the brush type seed meter (1990) established Kinze as a true leader in planter and grain cart technology.
Today, 50 years later, Kinze remains at the forefront of the industry, introducing game-changing products like the 4900 Multi-Hybrid planter and the autonomous harvest system. In addition, we continue to exemplify the core values upon which the company was originally founded: Integrity, Customer Focus, Excellence, Mutual Respect and Innovation.
So how did we get here? As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, Sparks of Innovation (our blog), will explore some of the memorable stories that helped shape Kinze into the company it is today. We hope you follow along on this historic journey into the heart of Kinze innovation!
Click here to see a complete history of Kinze!
