Kinze Celebrates 60 Years of Innovation, Growth & the People Who Make It Possible

WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa (Dec. 2025)

“Our 60-year legacy is built on people — the employees who bring our products to life, the dealers who proudly stand behind the Kinze name, and the customers who rely on blue in their operations season after season. We are truly grateful for their continued trust and support.”
— Susanne Kinzenbaw Veatch, President, Kinze Manufacturing

Sixty years ago, a young Iowa farm kid with a welding torch and big ideas opened the doors of a small shop in Ladora, Iowa. With just $5 in his checkbook and a $3,655 loan, Jon Kinzenbaw began building what would become one of the most respected equipment manufacturers in agriculture.

This one-man welding and repair operation quickly grew into a hub of invention. From repowering tractors in the late 1960s to building the first high-flotation fertilizer applicators and, in 1971, the first dual–auger grain cart, Jon’s early innovations addressed real farmer needs and set the foundation for Kinze’s future.

By the mid-1970s and 1980s, breakthroughs like the Rear-Fold Planter, the Double Frame, and the now iconic push row unit solidified Kinze as a leader in planter technology. These innovations changed how farmers planted crops and set the stage for decades of continued advancement.

As Kinze celebrates 60 years of innovation, one thing remains unchanged from the day the company was founded: our core values. The principles that guided Jon Kinzenbaw in a small Iowa shop continue to guide Kinze today: Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Customer Focus, and Mutual Respect.

A Global Company Rooted in Iowa Values

While Kinze remains proudly headquartered in Williamsburg, Iowa, our impact and footprint extend far beyond it. Today, farmers in at least 30 countries regularly use Kinze equipment.

Our Lithuania facility, opened in 2013, plays a significant role in manufacturing and distributing Kinze products across Europe and surrounding regions.

Innovation That Drives the Next 60 Years

Kinze’s future continues to be shaped by the same spirit of problem-solving that defined its beginning. From the latest planter technologies to grain handling and tillage, every product is engineered to help farmers work more efficiently, more accurately, and with less stress.

• Blue Vantage®: Simple. Accurate. Intuitive.

Kinze’s exclusive Blue Vantage® planter display is designed by Kinze for Kinze planters and streamlines planting with factory presets, a clean interface, rear camera integration, row-by-row data, and can begin planting in as few as three taps on the screen. Our intuitive, user-friendly interface provides farmers with unmatched visibility and control over every aspect of planter performance.

• Blue Drive® Electric Drive System

Blue Drive® provides precise section control, turn compensation, accurate seed placement, and lightning-fast data communication. Paired with Blue Vantage, it delivers a truly optimized planting experience and is backed by Kinze’s industry-leading 2-year warranty.

• 5000 Series Row Units & High-Speed Technologies

The 5000 Series row units—both pull and push—are packed with productivity-enhancing features. From tool-less maintenance and durable cast components, to options like True Speed® high-speed meter, True Rate® vacuum meter, and True Depth® hydraulic down force, the 5000 Series is built from the ground up to plant at higher speeds without sacrificing accuracy.

A Thank You to the People Who Make Kinze Possible

Kinze’s success is built on the collective efforts of its customers, dealers and employees, both here in the US and abroad.  From the farmers to the CAD designers and engineers, the dealer sales and service representatives to welders and assemblers, we are grateful for everyone’s unique contributions to the legacy and future of the company. Without you, Kinze would not exist.

So, as Kinze celebrates 60 years of innovation, we want to say THANK YOU!

To our employees, past and present, thank you for your efforts, craftsmanship and dedication. You have built a legacy we are proud of and a future we are excited to continue. Without your faith and dedication, Kinze would not exist.

To our dealers, thank you for decades of support and for being the face of Kinze to the farmer. Without your faith and dedication, Kinze would not exist.

To our farmer customers, thank you for trusting Kinze to be part of your operation. Your feedback drives our innovation, and your success fuels our purpose. Without your faith and dedication, Kinze would not exist.

Here’s to the past 60 years—and to many more years of building equipment that works as hard as the people who depend on it.

Founded 60 years ago on a commitment to innovation, Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. is a global leader in planters, grain carts, and tillage equipment. By combining expertise with firsthand experience—many of its employees are also farmers—Kinze pioneered several industry firsts. Guided by its core values of integrity, customer focus, excellence, innovation, and mutual respect, Kinze continues to set the standard in agricultural technology.

For media inquiries, contact:
Scott Stines
scott.stines@kinze.com
+1.319.431.7700

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