Thomas F. (Tommy) Jones will join Krone North America as incoming president/CEO replacing Rusty Fowler who will retire after 26 years of service. Jones will direct and lead Krone NA's continuing growth as an industry leader in the hay and forage sector. He will start with Krone on August 1 and will be in a transition period for approximately 6 months. During this time he will familiarize himself with company operations, employee groups, key dealers and key customers. He will also begin an intensive strategic planning process to set the company's future direction.

"Tommy brings to Krone NA many years of diverse experience in the Agricultural Industry," stated current President/CEO Rusty Fowler. "Krone is recognized globally as being a progressive company in the hay and forage sector with leading edge technology. However, we recognize the significant challenges in today's market in such areas as channel management and distribution development. Tommy's background and proven leadership skills make him highly qualified to meet these challenges and lead Krone NA in a strategic direction to assure the continuing growth of our company."

During a 28 year career with John Deere, Jones served in various capacities associated with wholesale and retail credit and most recently with Deere's Crop Insurance Group. Earlier in his career he was responsible for the startup and development of John Deere Credit Limited serving JD dealers in Australia and New Zealand. Jones is a 52 year old native of Arkansas and holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Drake University.

Krone NA Inc. is a 100% owned daughter company of Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH of Spelle, Germany. Krone products are specifically focused on the hay and forage product sector with new and innovative designs for maximizing productivity for dairy and livestock operations. Krone NA Inc. is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn.