Great Plains Spring Newsletter

PLAINS PRIDESpring2017

A Newsletter Published for the Employees of Great Plains Manufacturing

Inside This Issue:

ELLSWORTH EMPLOYEE
EARNS STATE HONOR

page 4

TRUCKING WINS THIRD
STRAIGHT SAFETY AWARD

page 5

LAND PRIDE AWARDED
TWO NEW PATENTS

page 11

MEET THE AG DIVISION’S
NEWEST CUSTOMERS

page 15

TURBO-MAX POPULARITY
AROUND THE WORLD

page 16

GREAT PLAINS WELCOMES
KUBOTA PRESIDENT | page 7

Great Plains President Linda Salem presents
Masatoshi Kimata, president of the Kubota
Group, with a toy drill from Great Plains.

Spring 2017 | PLAINS PRIDE | 1

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

We are well into spring; the weather is facturing and trucking operations. Just as we have always shared
cooperating to drive good business for safety information among our facilities, we will also now learn
both divisions. We are so pleased at the what lessons our expanded Kubota family has learned, and we will
increased order levels we are seeing in be reviewing our equipment and facilities to see if similar potential
our Land Pride Division for both Land situations exist. If so, we will take corrective action. Safety is the
Pride implements and Kubota brand- responsibility of every employee at Great Plains. If we each do our
ed attachments. Our Ag Division orders part, we can achieve the goal of ZERO incidents.
have increased over last year, and we are
optimistic that the worst of the ag down- To achieve an ambitious manufacturing build plan, we will first
turn is behind us. Our challenge for the need a strong focus on safety, then creativity, to achieve a better
near term is clear; we need to produce throughput in our facilities and always a sharp attention to quality
product at a pace that allows us to delight so we have satisfied customers. We are building our future togeth-
our customers with our delivery service. er as we learn to improve our systems. I challenge each of us to
be humble in acknowledging that we can each find better ways to
This newsletter highlights several Kaizen events and the direct, perform our duties, while at the same time being rightfully proud
powerful impact they have had in reducing the time it takes to fin- of what we have accomplished together so far.
ish a product. This effort is central to our future success, and the
number of these activities will increase in the coming months.

Congratulations to Great Plains Trucking on the receipt of the Kan- Linda Salem
sas Motor Carriers Association Fleet Safety Award. This is the third Great Plains Manufacturing President
year in a row that GPT has won this award and the seventh in total.
Great Plains has always had a commitment to safety, and we share
this with our broader Kubota organization.

Every Kubota executive who has visited us has emphasized that
a strong commitment to safety is the first priority of our manu-

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Kubota News | Page 3 Land Pride News | Pages 10-11 is proudly produced by the
Georgia Facility Expansion Million Dollar Dealers Great Plains Ag Division
Grand Opening in Grapevine Kicking Off Orange Days
Patents No Longer Pending Marketing Department each quarter.
Corporate News | Pages 4-7
Promotions Social Buzz | Pages 12-13 Should you have suggestions or
Ellsworth Employee Earns State Honor article ideas, please contact
Congrats to Marvin Anderson Ag Division News | Pages 14-15
Community Opportunities Ag Division Takes on Hay Rakes Megan Robl, Plains Pride editor,
GPT Earns Safety Award Advertising Excellence at [email protected].
Spring Wellness Event Meet Our Newest Customers
Welcoming Kubota Guests
International News | Page 16
Lean In Action | Pages 8-9 Nutri-Pro® Sales in Russia
The Search for Standard Work ‘Harvest Starts Here’ Drives Russian Sales
Salina PFL Kaizen Event Expo Agro Sinaloa
Abilene Cutters Kaizen Event Turbo-Max® Gains Popularity
Ellsworth Quick Hitches Business Partnership in Mexico
Abilene Ongoing B-Line Tillers
Kipp Wood Shortages

2 | PLAINS PRIDE | Spring 2017

KUBOTA NEWS

Officials representing Kubota and the state of Georgia gathered to commemorate the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Gainesville, Georgia.

KUBOTA CELEBRATES GEORGIA FACILITY EXPANSION

On April 10, Kubota Manufacturing of America (KMA) unveiled a KMA broke ground on this new facility in September 2015, and
newly-completed manufacturing facility in Gainesville-Hall Coun- construction began in January 2016. Located just three miles from
ty, Georgia. A special ceremony included Georgia Governor Nathan KMA’s existing operations, the 502,000 square foot facility now has
Deal and Masatoshi Kimata, President and Representative Director the capacity to produce up to 75,000 utility vehicle units annually.
of the Kubota Group, as well as many state and local officials and
supporters from the Gainesville community. The existing KMA facilities, which have been in operation since
1988, are also undergoing enhancements to increase production
“It’s an exciting day for Kubota as we continue to grow to meet the capacity to support Kubota’s growing turf business. KMA, togeth-
demands of Kubota dealers and customers for our sub-compact er with Kubota Industrial Equipment Corporation, employs nearly
tractors, turf products, and utility vehicles, all while improving op- 2,400 team members in the Gainesville and Jefferson, Georgia, fa-
erational efficiencies and realizing manufacturing excellence here cilities. Kubota has been operating manufacturing facilities in the
in the state of Georgia,” said Mr. Hironobu Kubota, President of KMA. state of Georgia for more than 40 years. PP

GRAND OPENING IN GRAPEVINE

Kubota Tractor Corporation unveiled its new North American head-
quarters building in Grapevine, Texas, in a special ribbon cutting
ceremony on April 7. Guests of honor included Texas Governor
Greg Abbott, Masatoshi Kimata, President and Representative Di-
rector of the Kubota Group, and many state and local officials and
supporters from the Grapevine community, who all helped to usher
in a new era for the company.

“Today is an important day for Kubota, as this new building is both a sional staff closer to the company’s major markets and its manu-
testament to our commitment to the future growth of our business facturing, assembly, and distribution facilities in Georgia and Kan-
in the U.S., and our pledge of being a socially responsible corporate sas. By centrally locating more of its operations, Kubota will be able
citizen and active business partner with the great state of Texas to respond more quickly to changes in markets and the industry
and the city of Grapevine,” said Mr. Masato Yoshikawa, President and streamline operations for both dealer and customer benefit.
and CEO of Kubota Tractor Corporation. “As a new employer to the
area, our hope is to continue to attract talent from the local com- Currently, 275 employees work in Grapevine, including new hires
munity with this open environment, state-of-the art workplace and and relocated employees from California and Georgia. The building
continue our long-term growth strategy to strengthen the Kubota can accommodate nearly 600 employees with room to expand. PP
brand in the U.S.”

The headquarters building houses Kubota Tractor Corporation and
Kubota Credit Corporation, placing Kubota’s leadership and profes-

Spring 2017 | PLAINS PRIDE | 3

CORPORATE NEWS

RECOGNIZING Ellsworth’s Richard Anschutz (center) is recognized as the state’s Outstanding Contract Employee of the
OUR OWN Quarter by Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (left) and Joe Norwood, Kansas Secretary of Corrections (right).

1st Quarter Promotions ELLSWORTH EMPLOYEE EARNS STATE HONOR

1/1/17 On February 11, 2017, Richard Anschutz, Ells- Plains operates. In his five years at ECF, he has
Tom Bryan, worth welding lead, was recognized by Gover- learned more about prison life than he ever
President, Great Plains nor Sam Brownback as the Outstanding Con- thought possible. Anschutz focuses on helping
International tract Employee of the Fourth Quarter for the inmates learn new skills—in both work and life.
state of Kansas. He helps them understand that there are many
1/5/17 reasons to follow the rules and stay out of trou-
Mason Flynn, Anschutz began his career with Great Plains ble; taking the easy way out could cost them the
Fabrication Machine Manufacturing at the Lucas plant in September chance at a prime opportunity with a private in-
Operator 1994, at which time he also provided services to dustry job. It is easy to see the pride he takes in
the Salina and Tipton plants. In 2005, he attend- teaching them how to better their welding and
1/09/17 ed Robotic Welding School, where he learned to overall life skills so they do not return to prison.
Dakota Mikulecky, program robot welders. Anschutz subsequent-
Assembly Technician ly transferred to the Ellsworth plant in March “I am truly a very blessed man,” Anschutz said.
2008, and, ultimately, to his current position of “All the credit for my leadership skills needs to
1/9/17 welding supervisor at the Ellsworth Correction- go to God and the First Covenant Church of Sali-
Stephen Waller, al Facility (ECF) in February 2012. na. They both have helped me become the kind
Welding Setup Person of man I am today!”
When Anschutz started working at ECF, he
1/16/17 brought with him a wealth of welding knowl- Congratulations to Richard on this outstanding
Josh Steinkuehler, edge and a solid understanding of how Great recognition! PP
Fabrication Machine
Operator CONGRATULATIONS!

1/30/17 After a 36-year career with Great Plains Manu-
Gary Carlos, facturing, Marvin Anderson retired on April 5,
Technical Illustrator 2017, which also happened to be his birthday!
Marvin started with Great Plains on January
2/13/17 19, 1981, and worked alongside many different
Lance Ellis, people in various departments during his time
Welder here. We wish him the best in retirement! PP

2/20/17
Pierce Randall,
Sales Management
Trainee

3/6/17
Wyatt Lackey,
Weld Fixture Repair
Maintenance

3/13/17
Leland Jackson,
R&D A Person

3/13/17
Luke Schoenecker,
Testing Technician

3/20/17
Anthony Adams,
Production Machinist

3/20/17
Joe Knauss,
Parts Shipper

4 | PLAINS PRIDE | Spring 2017

Members of the Great Plains Corporate Challenge team celebrate after TRUCKING NEWS
winning the 2016 Salina Corporate Cup Challenge.
GPT EARNS THIRD
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES! STRAIGHT SAFETY AWARD

Here are two fun opportunities to get active and represent Great For the third year in a row, Great Plains Trucking has
Plains in the community. We hope you’ll consider participating! won the Kansas Motor Carrier Associations Fleet
Safety Award in the Truckload Carrier Division! This
SALINA CORPORATE CUP CHALLENGE is the seventh time the fleet has won the award.
Mark your calendars! The 2017 Salina Corporate Cup Challenge is This competition evaluates Kansas carriers on their
planned for July 2017. Great Plains Manufacturing won the 2016 Cor- Kansas Department of Transportation accident
porate Cup Challenge, so join a team and help us defend our title! frequency ratio, safety scores from the Federal Motor
Contact Tammy Bosco in HR or nurse PJ Doherty for details. Carrier Safety Administration, and miles traveled in
Kansas during the contest year. The contest acknowl-
Here is the tentative schedule for this year’s challenge: edges carriers who compete in their division catego-
ry and submit their company’s accident records for
July 8th 5K/1-Mile Fun Walk, 8:00 a.m. review by a panel of judges.
Men’s 3v3 Basketball (pool play), 12:00 p.m. In 2016, GPT drivers recorded 1,999,994 miles in Kan-
Women’s 3v3 Basketball (pool play), 12:00 p.m. sas, with only one DOT-recordable, no-fault accident.
They traveled a total of 8,447,951 miles across the
July 15th Sand Volleyball, 8:00 a.m. lower 48 United States and Canadian provinces in
Horseshoes, 3:00 p.m. 2016. This is equivalent to 3,017 trips from New York
City to Los Angeles! We appreciate everyone’s support
July 22nd Kickball, 8:00 a.m. and look forward to continuing this record of success
through continued improvement! PP
July 28th Bowling, 6:00 p.m.
Spring 2017 | PLAINS PRIDE | 5
July 29th Men’s & Women’s 3v3 Basketball, 2:00 p.m.


FE FOR A CURE CORPORATE CHALLENGE

Fe for a Cure will be held on September 23, 2017. It is a 5K Race/Walk

through the heart of Salina, beginning at St. John’s Military School

and concluding at Kansas Wesleyan University. It is a fun way to

support cancer awareness and raise funds for all patients receiving

treatment at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. Previously, the race

was for the benefit of breast cancer patients, but this year’s event will

support all cancer patients. New to the race is a corporate challenge!

Awards will be presented for most entries from a single company

and for the combined total of the top three finishers in both men’s

and women’s categories from a single company. For more informa-

tion and registration, visit FeForACure.com. If you are interested in

representing Great Plains, contact Barry Weis at extension 1320. PP

CORPORATE NEWS

EMPLOYEES & FAMILIES ENJOY
GREAT PLAINS WELLNESS FAIR

Great Plains hosted the Spring Wellness and Recreational Fair
on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at the Corporate Conference Center
in Salina. Employees and their families enjoyed visiting with
vendors for free health screenings, door prizes, and giveaways.
The event also featured an inflatable 40′ obstacle course. For a
$1 donation or jar of peanut butter, guests could compete in the
obstacle course for a chance to win $75. All proceeds benefited
Project Salina. Thanks to all who attended this fun event! PP

6 | PLAINS PRIDE | Spring 2017

COVER CORPORATE NEWS
STORY

GREAT PLAINS WELCOMES
DISTINGUISHED KUBOTA GUESTS

Great Plains was honored to welcome Mr. Masatoshi Kimata,
president and representative director of the Kubota Group, to Sa-
lina on April 12. During his visit, Kimata spoke with members of
the corporate operating committee, welcoming both Great Plains
and Land Pride to the Kubota family. Then, he and Great Plains
President Linda Salem exchanged gifts. Salem presented Kimata
with a collectible Great Plains toy drill, and he gave Great Plains a
painted vase. To conclude the visit, Mr. Kimata and other Kubota
officials toured the Salina #1 and Abilene facilities. Thank you to
all who helped welcome our distinguished guests! PP

Spring 2017 | PLAINS PRIDE | 7

LEAN IN ACTION | CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AROUND THE COMPANY

THE SEARCH FOR 51.5%
STANDARD WORK
IMPROVEMENT
Standard work is a written description
of the best known way to complete a (Left to right) Steve Dimitri, Jeremy Polk, and Ferd Miller work in the new PFL Assembly Cell.
task. Through documentation, when a
better method or process is discovered, SALINA PFL KAIZEN EVENT
the standard work document can be
modified and shared to make everyone In Salina, pallet fork three-packs were taking 48.56 minutes of total cycle time in as-
aware of the best known method. sembly. The team of AJ Hyman, Mark Turner, Steve Dimitri, Steve Hook, Jeremy How-
ze, Ferd Miller, and Jeremy Polk took on the project to reduce waste and improve the
Although keeping track of standard process. The Kaizen event resulted in a 51.5% improvement, reducing the assembly
work can be difficult, we have made it time to 23.5 minutes to assemble a unit. Great work! PP
more accessible via the Great Plains
Manufacturing Intranet. There is a new 71%
“Standard Work” category under the
“General Information” column on the IMPROVEMENT
Intranet’s home page.

Anyone with access to the Intranet will
be able to search for standard work
that is entered for any task or product,
anywhere in the company. Any Excel
or Word file can be uploaded as stan-
dard work documentation.

Take a minute and search this link to
see what has already been loaded as
use of this dynamic continuous im-
provement tool continues to grow! PP

Ronnie Gunther (left) and Mitch Bell (right) work on a cutter at Station #1.

ABILENE CUTTERS KAIZEN EVENT

To apply what he learned in Georgia at the Kubota 5 Gen Dojo, Abilene assembly man-
ager John Markby selected Station #1 for cutter assembly as a 5 Gen project in Abilene.
At Station #1, it took two assemblers a total of three minutes and 14 seconds to work
on each cutter as it came down the line. Cutters were spaced nine bars apart. After
watching video and conducting elemental time studies to calculate waste, changes
were documented and implemented, which included hanging cutters closer together
on the paint line. By hanging cutters at seven bars apart instead of nine, it now takes
two people only 56 seconds to complete the work—a 71% reduction in time spent work-
ing on the unit. Hanging units closer on the paint line makes it possible to produce
more units to meet the increasing Land Pride customer demand. PP

8 | PLAINS PRIDE | Spring 2017

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AROUND THE COMPANY | LEAN IN ACTION

40%

IMPROVEMENT

Assembler Jason Burnett works on a QH15 in Ellsworth. Mitch Bell tries a parts presentation experiment on a B-line tiller.

ELLSWORTH QUICK HITCHES ONGOING ABILENE B-LINE TILLERS

When quick hitch production was moved to Ellsworth, lean intern Land Pride production levels are continually increasing up to 100
Steve Hook was asked to take on the line design as his Lean proj- tillers a day. Due to long cycle times, running tillers down the
ect. The “Quick Hitch” Kaizen team also included Keith Dittman, shorter B-line in Abilene couldn’t be done. Jeff Savery, Abilene
Dale Wooten, Mike Choitz, Cody Bristow, Josh Keller, and Jeremy production manager, realized that running long cycle time and
Howze. With a 15-minute assembly standard for the QH15, Kipp was short cycle time down the A-line caused a great deal of waste. If
timed at completing a hitch every 9 minutes and 58 seconds. Af- tillers could be run on the B-line, then customer demand could
ter the move, Ellsworth was able to complete a hitch every 9 min- be met. A-line could be set up for shorter cycle products, and the
utes, which was a 40% improvement over the standard and a 10% B-line set up for black parts and tillers. Dedicating specific pro-
improvement over previous best practices. While it may seem like duction to each line has increased capacity and reduced waste
the two groups were competing, Kipp worked closely with the Ells- in the assembly process. Savery, along with assembly manager
worth team, helping them find success in every way possible. PP John Markby, assembly production supervisor Tom Williams,
assembly leadman Jason Land, and the rest of the assembly
team have run several trials to continuously remove waste from
the process and balance the line. The second trial was 8% bet-
ter than the first trial, with a total cycle time of 35.1 minutes, not
including subassemblies. Compared to an assembly standard of
2.3 hours per unit, the team has made significant progress, with
more Kaizen events still to come. PP

KIPP WOOD SHORTAGES

The Kipp Plant consistently ran out of bundles of crating wood,
so they were forced to cut down and use larger-sized wood to
meet customer demand. Lean intern Jeremy Howze was asked
to take this problem on as his Lean project. The “Wood Short-
age” Kaizen team also included John Tinkler, Darren Rader, Rob
Long, Steve Hook, and Daryl McFarland. After documenting their
current process, the team outlined multiple options to solve the
problem. Then, they evaluated the options using a Pugh Diagram
and chose the best solution. Now, as bundles are received, they
are tagged with a Kanban card. As each bundle is removed from
the lot, the Kanban card is placed on a “to-be-ordered” clip board.
Wood is now ordered daily, as it is used, which maintains inven-
tory and prevents lumber shortages. PP

LEFT: Loading leadman Daryl McFarland with a Kanban card on the
crating wood bundles at Kipp.

Spring 2017 | PLAINS PRIDE | 9

LAND PRIDE NEWS

Land Pride territory manager Robert Van Norman (center, right) presents the Million Dollar Dealer Award to Mike Hammer (center, left)
of Hammer Equipment in Nacogdoches, Texas.

MILLION DOLLAR DEALERS KICKING OFF ORANGE DAYS

Every year, Land Pride recognizes dealers who reach the $1,000,000 Kubota’s Orange Days are now in full swing! After 18 weeks
sales level. As Land Pride has grown, so has the list of dealers who of dealer training, which focused on Kubota tractors, Land
have reached this epic milestone. This year, awards were present- Pride implements, and competitive comparisons, dealers have
ed to 13 dealer groups with a combined 58 locations. Congratula- kicked off their Orange Days selling events. This spring, deal-
tions to all the dealers! PP ers across the United States will be hosting a total of nearly
400 of these single-day events that feature all things orange.
That’s a lot of sales opportunities for Kubota and Land Pride! PP

Land Pride Million Dollar Dealers

Texarkana Tractor, Fiser Group
Springdale Tractor, Kubota Center
Normangee Tractor and Equipment
Zimmerer Kubota and Equipment

Great Plains Equipment Sales
Washington County Tractor

KanEquip, Inc.
Scherer Kubota
German-Bliss Equipment
Stewart Martin Equipment
Hammer Equipment
Ewald Kubota, Inc.
Lansdowne-Moody Co.

10 | PLAINS PRIDE | Spring 2017

LAND PRIDE NEWS

Dealers across the United States are hosting Kubota Orange Days events this spring, featuring both Kubota and Land Pride products.

PATENTS NO LONGER PENDING Kevin Myers with the design patent for the QH05.

Land Pride was recently awarded two new patents. The first is a Keith Finlayson with a utility patent for his lockout clutch design.
design patent for the QH05 Quick Hitch, conceived and designed
by Kevin Myers. Myers was tasked with creating a lightweight Spring 2017 | PLAINS PRIDE | 11
Quick Hitch for use on the Kubota BX and similar tractors. The
design called for a strong, yet light, hitch that would function
much like Land Pride’s QH15, but it needed to be more aestheti-
cally pleasing to match the clean lines
of the BX. In addition, the QH05 needed
to be compatible with Land Pride’s Per-
formance-Matched BX Implements. To
do that, it would have to carry nearly 750
pounds 24″ from the hitch! In the end,
Myers designed a very successful prod-
uct. Since its introduction in late 2014,
Land Pride has sold nearly 5,000 QH05s!

The second patent involves a great improvement to Land Pride
Seeders. Keith Finlayson is the inventor of a lockout clutch, used
on the NTS Seeder, which was recently awarded a utility patent.
Previously, when users of the Land Pride APS backed up with the
rollers in the ground, users would damage the idler sprocket, dis-
abling the seeder until repairs were made. Finlayson was chal-
lenged to solve that problem on the new NTS Seeder. The new,
now-patented lockout clutch allows the drive sprockets to free-
wheel if a user backs up with the seeder in the ground. This unique
feature prevents costly damage. Additionally, users can easily use
the clutch to disengage any or all of the seed boxes on the unit.
Mission accomplished! PP

SOCIAL BUZZ //OUR CUSTOMERS AND PRODUCTS
ARE STAYING BUSY THIS SPRING!

Christian on Instagram: “View from Z Farms.” John on Instagram: “Juncker Outdoor Power cus-
tomer Mike B. says his new 8544 Field Cultivator
is the best tillage investment he’s ever made.”

Vida Verde Farm on Instagram: Craig on Instagram: “Twin-row corn going in Florida LandWorX on Instagram:
“Time to mow and re-sow!” the ground out at Bullock Farms!!!” “#boomsupfriday #kubota #treeremoval
#grapple #landpride”

Invested Outdoors on Instagram: “Planting a variety of warm season grasses for wildlife habitat. It’s A Minnesota farmer on Instagram:
a mixture of Indian grass, big bluestem, and little bluestem. Should drastically increase the daylight “Who’s ready for planting!”
deer movement on this section of the farm.”

12 | PLAINS PRIDE | Spring 2017

Hawkins Farms on Instagram: Muldowney Bros Lawn Care on Instagram: “New piece of equipment for the 2017 season!
“Getting geared up for #plant17!” We’re ready to roll.”

Sam on Instagram: From Steve on Facebook: Boo on Instagram:
“Nice day to cut the field!!” “I love my 2S-2600HD!” “Spring is here. New Land Pride finish mower!”

Liz on Facebook: “We farm in Wyoming, and are Chandler on Instagram: “I think Great Plains implements are the best out there, and I’m glad
drilling barley right now. This is my farmer hus- I get to continue my farming career with Great Plains implements!”
band and our daughter. Thought it was cute!”
Spring 2017 | PLAINS PRIDE | 13

AG DIVISION NEWS

Tipton assemblers Forrest Wyman (left) and Alicia Dose (right) work on a new Kubota hay rake. The new hay rakes were designed and built in Tipton.

TIPTON TAKES ON HAY RAKES ADVERTISING EXCELLENCE

The Great Plains Ag Division has designed and built Kubota’s first In an effort to increase sales, our finance, sales, and marketing
wheel rake product line to be sold in North America. Engineered by departments have been working together to promote a unified
Brian Olander, this is the first hay tool product designed and built message in the marketplace–and the collaboration is paying
by Great Plains, and the first Great Plains product to go through the off! In addition to an upward sales trend, Great Plains was rec-
Kubota project approval process. The new product line includes 8-, ognized for outstanding achievement in a Readex Research
10-, and 12-wheel hay rakes. Prototypes were tested in the spring Advertising Effectiveness Study conducted on behalf of Suc-
and summer of 2016, and 50 production units were built in Tipton cessful Farming. An independent research firm conducted the
in February 2017. Units are currently shipping out across North study, which measured advertising in the December 2016 is-
America, from Alabama to Canada and Pennsylvania to Utah. PP sue of Successful Farming. Readers reported their perception
of each item in terms of if they saw, read any, and read half or
more of each ad. The issue included our year-end financing
program ad, “Deals That Yield.” Out of all the ads in the issue,
“Deals That Yield” earned a top five score in two of the three
categories. Congratulations to all on a job well done! PP

14 | PLAINS PRIDE | Spring 2017

AG DIVISION NEWS

The Peterson Farm Bros, including Greg (far left), Nathan (center, top), and Kendal (lower center), check out their newly completed air drill at S5.

MEET THE NEWEST GREAT PLAINS CUSTOMERS!

We are excited to share that the Peterson Many thanks to those of you who took time
Farm Bros are the owners of a brand new to talk with them during the tour. The Great
Great Plains Air Drill. Built in Salina, the new Plains tour video was published to Peterson
machine was finished and delivered in early Farm Bros social media sites in early May.
April. In conjunction with their mission to Additionally, the new air drill will make
educate the public about agriculture, the Pe- some appearances in future Peterson Farm
terson brothers, including Greg, Nathan, and Bros parody videos! With over 400,000 fans
Kendal, filmed a “behind-the-scenes” tour of on Facebook, the Peterson brothers are very
Great Plains production facilities to show popular among farmers on social media, and
their audience how their new air drill was we look forward to watching them generate
built. They also visited with engineers at our some buzz about Great Plains! PP
research and development office in Assaria,
which happens to be the closest town to the RIGHT: The Peterson Farm Bros listen to produc-
Peterson Farm. tion machinist Chris Cross explain the Mazak
tube laser at S1.

FOLLOW THE
PETERSON FARM BROS:

Facebook: Peterson Farm Bros
YouTube: Peterson Farm Bros

Twitter: @petefarmbros
Instagram: petefarmbros
Snapchat: @petefarmbros
Blog: www.petersonfarmbros.com

Spring 2017 | PLAINS PRIDE | 15

INTERNATIONAL NEWS EXPO AGRO SINALOA

NUTRI-PRO® Great Plains International partnered with Mexican distributor DASSA for a 400 sq. m.
SALES IN RUSSIA
booth at Expo Agro Sinaloa in Culiacán. The stand, which was mainly used to display
Through a great deal of hard work and Great Plains implements, included two Turbo-Chisels® and a Disc-O-Vator®. PP
product demonstrations, Great Plains
Agro, our subsidiary in Russia, has TURBO-MAX® GAINS GLOBAL POPULARITY
made the first retail sale of Nutri-Pro
model NP2540LL-16V30. This type of The Great Plains Tur- chine with a Turbo-Seeder™
nutrient application is a fairly new bo-Max® continues to to plant grass or reseed pas-
concept in Russia, and the marketplace break ground in new areas tures. In Uruguay, the cattle
is without many competitors. of the world. Most recent- industry is vitally important,
ly, the first 30′ machine and cattle outnumber people
The success of this first retailed unit was sent to Uruguay. This four to one, and they were
will lead to more purchases by the sale is significant due to Uruguay’s very the first country to utilize a computerized
same company, as well as serve as a staunch no-till agriculture practices. traceability system for tracking cattle.
launch pad for success throughout the Great Plains has worked very hard to sell
entire country. With seeding and till- the benefits of vertical tillage within their Hopes are high that the Turbo-Max will
age already successful in Russia, the no-till agriculture system. A Great Plains find the same success in Uruguay that it
Nutri-Pro machine delivers yet another Inline Sub-Soiler has also been sent to the has already had in Ukraine, Canada, Aus-
layer of the Great Plains system to the country to demonstrate the concept of tralia, and Russia. South Africa recently
international market. PP deep tillage compaction removal. edged out the Ukraine as the most popular
international destination for Turbo-Max
‘HARVEST STARTS In addition to traditional Turbo-Max uses, after placing an order that included the
HERE’ DRIVES customers in Uruguay may equip the ma- new 10’ Turbo-Max model. PP
RUSSIAN SALES
BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP IN MEXICO
In April, the Great Plains “Harvest
Starts Here” message went on the road Jorge Ortega, who develops Latin Ameri- izer and insecticide boxes, a combination
to Russia for presentations in Kursk can business for Great Plains Internation- not available in the Great Plains portfo-
and Tambov, Russia. Great Plains In- al, recently helped broker the first sale of lio. They also purchased ten dry fertiliz-
ternational president Tom Bryan, Great Kverneland equipment to a Great Plains er spreaders, also not found in the Great
Plains Agro director Ruslan Timov, and dealer in Mexico. Based in Europe, Kver- Plains product mix.
Tom Evans, former vice president of neland is an implement manufacturing
sales, gave the presentations on Great company that was purchased by Kubota Additionally, AgroCisa capitalized on
Plains products and technology. The in 2012. The low horsepower tractors used Great Plains’ expertise and success in the
Kursk presentation, attended by large by farmers in Mexico match well with the no-till market by purchasing three small
farm customers of distributor AMG, small equipment provided by Kverneland. Yield-Pro® Planters. The dealer was hap-
garnered immediate inroads, with 30% AgroCisa of Mexico purchased a Kverne- py to offer their customers an extended
of attendees asking for quotes within land 6-row, 3-point planter with dry fertil- range of products to meet their needs. PP
three days. PP
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16 | PLAINS PRIDE | Spring 2017