Farm News Spring Planning

Marine company rooted in northwest Iowa farm ground

By DOUG CLOUGH Farm News writer

currently manufactures

boat lifts as its prized commodity, but it also makes boat trailers and docks. I was there in the late ’90s when Midwest made its millionth boat trailer, and I witnessed the decision-making processes to put all its heart and soul into hydraulic boat lifts.

My wife Mary is the order entry supervisor for Midwest, and she orchestrates springtime loads of marine equipment that leave Ida Grove by the truckload — nearly 30 loads per week go as far away as Sweden and Japan.

Years ago, in the 1950s and ’60s, springtime loads were a much different product line, originating from the humble farmer beginnings of CEO and Founder Byron Godbersen, who passed away in 2003.

One of my jobs was videographer when Godbersen would go out on the road to market his new line of ShoreStation Dock in 1998. Godbersen was both Barnum and Bailey when it came to taking the greatest dock show on earth to the road, and it was a pleasure to watch him work a crowd of dealers. When I was

back in the office, I sat next to Bob Jochims who processed agricultural equipment orders — something the company hardly even talked about back then; the late Jochims educated me on Godbersen’s start with his patented Bolster Hoist, which was the company’s sole money-maker when the company took off in 1954. Born in 1925, Godbersen grew up as a hardworking farm boy near Mapleton and had a real passion for inventing. His patented under-body wagon Bolster Hoist used hydraulics to tilt grain carts that were traditionally scooped out by farmers. The bolster hoist was a hit with farmers across the United States and led to Godbersen establishing a line of farm equipment. Jochims was part of Godbersen’s small team of employees in the 1960s and remembered farm equipment leaving in the springtime by trucks and trailers owned by Midwest Industries.

Of course, Godbersen was already a showman, driving to dealerships to show off his “Powr-link” design and sold two in the Ida County area. “He made the Bolster Hoist beginning with serial number 1,” Jochims said. “A farmer noticed that, and Byron admitted he was just starting to sell them. From that time on, he never built another piece of equipment with a serial number lower than 1,000.” By 1959, 20,000 Bolster Hoists were sold, and Godbersen quit farming for full time entrepreneurship pursuits.

-Submitted photo MIDWEST INDUSTRIES, while known primarily today for manufacturing marine equipment, gained its roots in the rich soil of farm equipment. CEO and Founder Byron Godbersen's mantra was, "We build it best or we don't build it." Midwest Industries built farm equipment from 1954 through the '90s.

Tillage tools were added to the product line in the 1960s, a year after Godbersen added ShoreStation boat hoists — later renamed boat “lifts” — to his lineup.

Marine equipment, however, was secondary to his farm equipment prowess and Godbersen broadened his offering with the Husky Hauler, Buster Bar, Harrow Handl’r, Planter Harrow, and Husky Harrow. Jochims was only selling parts for this farm equipment when I began employment at Midwest in 1997.

The Lift Harrow used coil spring teeth in a straight or curved configuration. The straight teeth were for heavier cover, while the curved teeth had an aggressive use in clean soil. The Harrow Handl’r was an implement carrying system for harrow attachments; old brochures boast that the frame itself carried the weight of the load, letting the harrow float freely across the soil for an even job. The Planter Harrow allowed the farmer to harrow with the added advantage to plant during

the same trip; the result was minimum tillage, which cut costs and saved time — something that Godbersen always touted as the reason dealers should sell his farm products.

The Buster Bar was, by far, one of Godbersen’s greatest successes outside of his initial work with the Bolster Hoist. The device could be attached to a disk, plow, or cultivator to crumble big clods in a farmer’s field. Godbersen maintained that the quality and design of the Buster Bar could eliminate a second pass, saving time and fuel. The Buster Bar mounted on a plow, covering up wheel tracks, which made for a better seedbed. By the end of the 1960s, Godbersen added ShoreLand’r boat trailers and ShoreStation docks to his repertoire of manufactured equipment. Eventually, his love for boating led to numerous marine patents and recognition as Iowa and National Small Businessman of the year, among other recognition. The farm crises of the 1980s and the growth of other much larger farm equipment manufacturers eventually led to parts sales only, followed by the elimination of the farm lineup altogether by 2000. Soon after, my friend Bob Jochims retired from the company as part of its farm legacy. And now you know the rest of the story. Midwest Industries, the company that leads the world to water, began its thriving existence under the tutelage of an entrepreneurial northwest Iowa farmer.