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I have been covering the agricultural equipment market since the mid-1980s, and my favorite activity is talking to some of the pioneers in the industry. For many people, there is a person's name next to the equipment you buy—whether it's John Deere or Klass, there is a person's name attached to this piece of history.

In many cases, these founders have passed away, but they have left a legacy for the industry. However, some original innovators are still working on this business, including Jon Kinzenbaw, whose Kinze has been bringing some interesting innovations to the market for more than 50 years — “It’s actually 56 years,” Kinzenbaw said. A beautiful night when climbing on his combine harvester to harvest soybeans near his home in Iowa.

Kinzenbaw continues to participate in agriculture-not because he has to do it, but because it is his passion and he has a say in the industry.

Nowadays, agricultural innovation is almost a buzzword, but for traditional short serifs like Kinzenbaw, innovation starts with the smell of welders and the sound of metal drilling, forming or polishing.

"I can't farm; it's impossible," Kinzenbaw recalled.

This prompted him to open a shop to do farm maintenance and welding work. In order to get that store, he must obtain an equipment loan, and then he must enter a building.

"On the day I opened the door, I owed $5,000 in debt," he quipped.

Those early years involved helping customers, repairing machines, and finding opportunities to solve problems. From there, his ideas and innovations emerged.

The reason I visited Kinzenbaw was to check the new Kinze 1121 grain truck. The machine was put back into the production line and replaced the company's very popular old 1050 cart.

Looking back on the industry’s historic career-including the successful patent lawsuit against John Deere, and the invention of the first high buoyancy double spiral grain cart and the first foldable planter-Kinzenbaw did not show a bluff, Instead, he said modestly that he just did what he had to do to solve the problem. If this means innovation, it means innovation.

But his attention is often focused on thoughts that he can control. It's not always easy. Sometimes funds were tight, but he survived. A few years ago, during a factory tour, I saw the process of Kinze deployment.

To my surprise, the company produces its own hydraulic cylinders. These are precision parts, and most manufacturers hand them over to specialized suppliers. For Kinze, this is the standard of the course. Kinzenbaw needs hydraulic cylinders, so he made them.

To be successful in any industry, you must be flexible, and there is no doubt that the pandemic has made all manufacturers more flexible. Kinzenbaw is Kinze's chairman and his daughter Susie Veatch is in charge of daily operations, but he also travels frequently. "We are doing everything we can to have the machines farmers want next season," he said.

Over the years, Kinzenbaw has seen a lot in this industry, but it was the first time for him to point out the supply problems affecting agriculture, including the quiet days of equipment sales in the late 1970s, when it was not easy to obtain equipment. "This is something we have never seen before," he said.

In addition to talking about the industry, Kinzenbaw likes to participate in good conversations and tell early stories. Hold on for long enough, and soon, he will tell you a joke or two to create a good time for everyone.

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