DEVILS LAKE, N.D. —Summers Manufacturing is celebrating 50 years of producing innovative products that help farmers feed and fuel the world. Founded in Maddock, N.D., in 1965, Summers is a leading fabricator of agricultural equipment, including tillage, land rollers, field sprayers, mounted attachments and rock picking implements, and utilizes an established dealer network across North America to facilitate sales worldwide.

“It has truly been a remarkable journey, one I know my father was honored to have started,” said Debra Anderson, Summers Manufacturing president and the daughter of late founder, Harley Summers. “We are proud of our North Dakota roots and of creating jobs right here in the U.S.”

The dream of an enterprising blacksmith, Summers Manufacturing has grown substantially since its humble beginnings. In 1965, Harley Summers started his business in a small Maddock shop after purchasing the patent rights for Goebel truck and pickup hoists. Five years later, Summers purchased and began manufacturing its first farming implement, the Herman Harrow, in collaboration with local farmer Ardon Herman. This spring-boarded the company, and earned it a reputation for building “Field Tested Tough” agricultural equipment.

By 1973, overwhelming demand warranted construction of a 20,000-square-foot plant and office building in Maddock. This was outgrown in just two years, resulting in the addition of a 20,000-square-foot assembly plant. Expansion continued, and in 1980 the Devils Lake facility opened, boasting a 26,000-square-foot factory on 26 acres. This facility would grow numerous times through 2013. In the same timespan, Summers not only added to its original Maddock location, but also extended its reach to South Dakota with the opening of the Aberdeen distribution center in 2002, and a larger assembly, parts and distribution building nearby in 2013.

From its original Herman Harrow to the latest breakthrough in 2015, the VRT2530 variable-rate tillage tool, Summers has become known for breaking barriers of conventional farming wisdom. For such innovations, Summers and staff have been honored with several prestigious awards. In 1983, Harley Summers earned recognition from the Small Business Administration as North Dakota’s Small Business Person of the Year. Also, in 2008, the North Dakota Trade Office named Summers Manufacturing the North Dakota Exporter of the Year.

But Summers Manufacturing believes that success isn’t based on sales alone – it’s about doing what is right. The company has been an ardent community supporter, regularly donating and giving back to those who have embraced it as a local institution. Summers has shown equal appreciation internally for the dedication of its highly competent staff, and proudly built on the ideals of teamwork and integrity to become 100-percent employee-owned in 2007.

Since its humble beginning in 1965, Summers has grown into a manufacturing company known for dependability every season of the year.

“I know that because of our quality line of agricultural equipment, our strong sense of community, and a continual desire for better farming solutions, Summers will be just as innovative and productive in the next 50 years as it was through the first 50,” Anderson said. “I would like to personally thank our employees and valued customers for helping shape where we are today. With their continual dedication and support, Summers’ future is bright.”

Summers Manufacturing offers a “Field Tested Tough” line of tillage equipment, sprayers, land rollers, rock pickers and mounted attachments. For more information, contact Summers Mfg. Co. Inc., P.O. Box 580, Devils Lake, ND 58301, call 800-732-4392, email sales@summersmfg.com, or visit www.summersmfg.com.