John Deere acquires Iowa-based Hagie Manufacturing

Deere gains majority ownership of Hagie

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

John Deere and Hagie Manufacturing, a Clarion, Iowa based manufacturer of high-clearance sprayers, have developed a partnership that will see John Deere hold majority ownership of Hagie.

“High-clearance spraying equipment is a new market for Deere,” John May, president, Agricultural Solutions and chief information officer, said in a release.

“The expertise at Hagie allows John Deere to immediately serve customers who need precision solutions that extent their window for applying nutrients.”

As part of the deal, Hagie’s 400-person manufacturing facility in Clarion, Iowa will continue to produce the machines under the Hagie brand, and the company will have access to John Deere’s global customer rolodex. Customers could see Hagie equipment popping up at John Deere dealers by June 2017.

John Deere will also implement its precision agriculture technology into Hagie’s equipment.

For CEO Alan Hagie, the decision to allow the acquisition came down to John Deere’s global reach.

“We have great products at Hagie that help producers be more profitable, but we need a business model that helps us reach more customers,” he said in a release. “This partnership with Deere allows our solutions to reach customers on a global scale.”

In November 2015, John Deere announced it acquired Monosem, a leading European precision machinery manufacturer, and Precision Planting.