Farm Equipment editor Mike Lessiter sat down with Horsch CEO Michael Horsch, who'd traveled from Bavaria, Germany, for the official opening of his new educational farm in in Downs, Illinois. In addition to the presentations and demos for top dealers and VIP farmers he gave during the trip, Lessiter and Horsch spent 2 hours in a late-night interview in the farm manager’s office.

Horsch spoke at great lengths on a variety of issues, including his early start as a manufacturer with products no one wanted, how the fall of the Berlin Wall kept his business afloat and some strong opinions on the farmer, dealer and manufacturer relationship. Plus, what prospective dealers must be prepared to do to earn his contract.

Horsch Equipment Numbers:

• Founded 1984
• Headquartered in Bavaria, Germany
• $600 million in revenue globally, including $25 million in the U.S.
• 2,000 employees worldwide
• Mapleton, N.D. Facility: 101,000 square feet on 30 acres. Also operates the Horsch Ag Vision Farm opened in 2018 in Downs, Ill., a 160-acre demonstration farm previously owned and operated by Beck’s Hybrids.

For your convenience, we've collected several pieces of content from that trip onto this page, including the follow up editorial (“To the Point”) from Lessiter.

Read the ‘To the Point’ Editorial:

"Boots & Spades Needed, Not Gigabytes"

Listen to the Podcast

Conversations with Ag Equipment’s Entrepreneurs: Horsch CEO Michael Horsch

Watch the video interviews:

Horsch & The Customer-Manufacturer-Dealer Triangle

Horsch Says Next-Level Farming Success Won’t Arrive Via Digitization & Prescriptions

[Video] Prescription Farming vs. Management on Horsch’s Own 8,000 Farm