Great Kinze Innovations: the Adjustable Width Plow
By the late 1960s, Jon Kinzenbaw had made a name for himself in the farming community by re-powering John Deere 5020 tractors. As interest in them grew so too did demand for product demonstrations. The only problem, however, was that Jon couldn’t find a plow capable of keeping up with the 320-horsepower tractors. A borrowed plow kept plugging up on cornstalks because it lacked vertical and lateral clearance between the bottoms. So Jon set out to buy the best plow available, but couldn’t decide between a 16-inch or 18-inch cut. It occurred to him that a farmer shouldn’t have to choose one or the other. As Kinzenbaw recalls, “Both (the 16- and 18-inch plows) had the same components. It’s just the...
Kinze’s Family Owned Values Make a Difference for Farmers
We continue celebrating 50 years of loyalty, innovation and improvements with the next post in our year-long series on Sparks of Innovation. This series will take you out in the field to meet our customers and hear why they stay true to blue. This month, we’re visiting with Jim McGee, a Kinze District Sales Manager serving Indiana and Michigan. For Jim McGee, Kinze is a great example of a family-owned business. Many of the farmers Jim works with operate a family farm. Kinze understands and shares the values of these family business owners, which makes a difference in customer experience. Kinze is known for listening to customers and responding to their needs with innovative solutions. Jim emphasizes that his customers aren’t...
How to Minimize Compaction and Increase Yield
It’s not news that planters today are bigger – much bigger – with more rows and attachments as well as higher seed and fertilizer capacity. THE BENEFIT: Planting efficiency + time savings. THE DRAWBACK: More weight going across the field, especially in pinch rows (the middle 6 rows of the planter next to the transport tires). More weight can mean a less than ideal seedbed, and field compaction reduces yield by reducing oxygen and water to the plant roots and restricting root development. As recent plot tests by Farm Journal show, the impact on your bottom line can be considerable. For example, say you’re planting 2,000 acres of corn with a 24-row bulk-fill planter. If 25 percent of total rows planted are pinch rows...
In News & PR
Kinze Recommends 10 Tips for Spring Planter Preparation
WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa – (March 3, 2015) – Kinze® Manufacturing is celebrating 50 years in business this year, with thousands of planters and grain carts running strong on farms around the world. Many of Kinze’s employees are farmers themselves and know that spending a little time on machinery maintenance during the off-season can help ensure planters are running at their best when the planting window finally arrives.With that in mind, Kinze recommends a few simple actions that farmers can take now to ensure their planters are ready for planting this spring: Inspect the soil engaging components on the row units and replace any badly worn parts.Check wear on disc opener blades, and replace 15-inch blades when they are worn to 14.5 inches in...
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Kinze Offers Conversion Kits for Meters
Kinze is releasing two types of conversion kits to convert EdgeVac meters to 4000 Series Vacuum meters, which allow for singulation accuracy and accurate seed spacing and population. The kits are available for planter models 3110, 3140, 3200, 3500, 3600, 3660, 3700, 3800 built in 2010 or later. Read more from: AgriMarketing Precision AgWired Farm and Livestock Directory Farmers Hot Line PrecisionAg Farms.com
In News & PR
Kinze Offers Conversions Kits for EdgeVac Meters to 4000 Series Vacuum Meters
WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa – (February 17, 2015) – Kinze® Manufacturing, Inc. is introducing the option to convert EdgeVac meters to 4000 Series Vacuum meters. This conversion allows for superior agronomic performance with singulation accuracy up to 99%+ and accurate seed spacing and population. Kinze is releasing two kinds of conversion kits, the conventional hopper conversion kit and the bulk fill hopper conversion kit, which are available for planter models 3110, 3140, 3200, 3500, 3600, 3660, 3700 and 3800, build years 2010 and newer. “Kinze was founded 50 years ago, and from the beginning we’ve known that innovation is the key to making superior machinery,” said Susanne Veatch, Kinze’s vice president and chief marketing officer. “We strive to provide our customers with the best products, and are offering...
In Kinze News
Kinze Shines at National Farm Machinery Show
What a week it was at the National Farm Machinery Show! The largest indoor farm show in America celebrated its 50th anniversary this year and once again brought together tens of thousands of farmers, ranchers, agriculturalists and equipment manufacturers to talk about the best and latest in agriculture. Kinze, which also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, made the trip down to Louisville once again and we couldn’t have been more pleased by the outcome. The show’s location provides a unique opportunity for us to meet with many of our loyal customers and dealer partners, particularly those located outside the Midwest. Overall, we were blown away by the size of the crowds and the amount of booth traffic we received this year! The 4900 Multi-Hybrid...
Jon Kinzenbaw Receives 2014 Iowa Farm Bureau Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award
Jon Kinzenbaw will be the first to tell you he’s never been in it for the awards and accolades. Still, it’s always nice to be recognized for your hard work and achievements. That was the case a few weeks back when Jon received the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, presented by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), for his many patented innovations and the tremendous impact he’s had in the world of agriculture during his storied career that spans five decades. The award was presented at the annual meeting of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. Now, Jon’s name and achievements will be recognized in the permanent display at the IFBF headquarters in West Des Moines, and we encourage you to check out...
In Kinze News
Have a Merry Christmas!
As we give thanks to all of you for another wonderful year at Kinze, we reflect on the many blessings bestowed upon us this holiday season. How humbling it is to see all the hard work and dedication that has brought us to this point. This was a particularly special year for us at Kinze as we started production on the world’s first electric multi-hybrid planter and continued progress on the autonomous harvest system, the world’s first large-scale, truly autonomous row-crop solution. The excitement generated by these planting and harvest solutions has been absolutely phenomenal, and we look forward to further progress in 2015. So as we get ready to tie a bow on 2014, we would simply like to say thanks for...
In Kinze News
Good Tidings and Great Joy at the Kinze Christmas Open House
Cookies, hot cider, crafts, musical performances, book signings and Santa. The annual Kinze Christmas Open House in Williamsburg had it all, and we couldn’t be more thrilled by all the people who turned out to join in the seasonal festivities! The open house – which took place Thursday, December 4th at the Kinze Innovation Center – featured musical performances by Williamsburg Junior High and High School vocal and instrumental groups, a Santa meet and greet, and a book signing for the new Kinze children’s book “A Tractor and His Boy” with author Mike Dyktra and Kinze President and CEO, Jon Kinzenbaw. The Christmas spirit has made its way across the pond as well, as Kinze Europe recently hosted a Christmas celebration...