As the Manufacturing Express entered Wisconsin, our final state of the tour, we paid a visit to a company whose reputation in the agricultural industry speaks for itself: Kuhn North America in Brodhead.
The Agricultural industry covers a diverse range of business types, and Kuhn serves almost all of them. If you are a farmer looking to plant or cultivate crops, Kuhn makes equipment to help you do your farming more efficiently. If you are raising hay and looking for a mower or baler, Kuhn makes the equipment you need. If you’re a livestock operation, Kuhn makes the equipment that makes feeding your animals simpler.
Kuhn’s livestock equipment is a major source of pride here in Brodhead. After all, dairy is especially important to the local economy. Here in Green County, Wisconsin, there are more cheese factories per capita than anywhere else in the world. This is where the inspiration for Kuhn’s unofficial mascot comes from, on display at today’s event.
Moolissa, a larger-than-life Holstein cow riding atop a Kuhn manure spreader , was created as part of Green County’s Annual Cheese Days Parade and has stuck around ever since. She wears different costumes depending on the occasion, sometimes wearing a superhero cape or a Santa hat for the Christmas season.
For today’s event, she’s wearing her signature red Kuhn livery, matching the over 200 employees in attendance. As part of the celebration of their work building the equipment that feeds the world, all of Kuhn’s employees are wearing red I Make America t-shirts with the Kuhn logo on the back. This sea of red symbolizes the unity within Kuhn to accomplish their shared mission: to help farmers grow the world’s food more efficiently.
That’s why so many employees choose to build their careers with Kuhn. Just ask Dana Redmond, Product Evaluation Manager and nearly 20 year Kuhn veteran. He works with farmers testing Kuhn’s equipment to better understand how the equipment can best serve the customer and operator. Like all Kuhn employees, Redmond takes pride in his work knowing he’s building equipment that makes life more efficient and more profitable for the farmers and ranchers who keep us fed everyday. He sums up the spirit of today’s event succinctly:
“I come from a farm background, so my passion has always been the agriculture industry. I really like machinery, that’s why I do what I do here. I think for young people getting into the industry, whether it’s manufacturing, product development, or the many other opportunities that are here, it’s the passion they need to look for. That’s why I’m here. It’s for my passion for the agriculture industry.”
The people of Kuhn are supporting the heartland–the beating heart of manufacturing–their communities and countless farming families and consumers every day. It’s an inspiring day for the Manufacturing Express.
