You are cordially invited to join FEMA for the “Shortline Legends Hall of Fame,” presentation, which will take place at the upcoming Marketing & Distribution Convention in Kansas City. This event is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 1 and will be part of the General Session at 9:00 a.m.

Congratulations to the 2023 inaugural class of Farm Equipment Magazine’s “Shortline Legends Hall of Fame”

The Shortline Legends’ first honorees have already drawn comparisons to baseball’s first hall of fame class in 1936. That means the five names above are to farm equipment what Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb were to baseball.

Unfortunately, two of the inaugural class (Joseph MacDonald and Gary Vermeer) are no longer with us, but this honor will help to ensure that all are aware of what they accomplished and how they blazed the trail for today’s shortline businesses.

These individuals left an indelible mark on the industry and have also inspired countless others with their innovation, dedication, and commitment to excellence. Their contributions have played a pivotal role in shaping the machinery and dealer distribution landscape in North America.

A special thank you for the article to Mike Lessiter, from Lessiter Media, long-time member of the Association, since 1970, who has served in several capacities with FEMA and is a frequent industry speaker.

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Congratulations to the inaugural class of Farm Equipment’s Shortline Legends: , , , and !

This inaugural class will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the 2023 Farm  Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA) Marketing & Distribution Convention in Kansas City, MO.

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The Case IH release says it will partner with MacDon to manufacture co-branded draper headers designed for Axial-Flow combines. The new line will be available to order in early 2022 at Case IH Dealers worldwide, excluding South America.

The strategic partnership announced by New Holland says MacDon will distribute a full line of co-branded combine draper headers through New Holland dealers worldwide, excluding South America, and that they’ll be ready for season 2023.

New Holland announced it will continue to offer Varifeed grain headers and CornMaster corn headers. MacDon will continue to manufacture and distribute its full line of combine draper headers under the MacDon brand for all major combine brands.

Sources: Case IH, New Holland | Member since 1980 |

MacDonald joined his family’s business in 1976 and is credited with helping to grow MacDon into a global force in the farm equipment industry.

“His office door always open, Gary Mac lived what he believed,” his obituary said, which is “business isn’t about business, it’s about people.”

Beyond his career, MacDonald is remembered as a standout rugby player, a man who was always ready to strike up the bagpipes, and a community supporter.

“In everything he did, Gary brought a fun-loving attitude and developed meaningful relationships with those around him,” his obituary said.

He is survived by his wife Marg, a son and daughter, three grandchildren, a stepson, three brothers, and other relatives.

Sales were up 15 percent from last year.

Normalized net earnings soared by 133 percent driven by strong sales growth as well as cost reduction and government support program.

Commercial and industrial sales were up 25.2 percent in the quarter, mainly due to strong MacDon performance, although Skyjack is now seeing growth compared to last year as well.

MacDon drove much of the industrial segment growth over the last year, according to President, Chairman and CEO Linda Hasenfratz.

Double-digit growth is expected in core North American and European markets in 2021 and 2022.

In agriculture, Hasenfratz said the company has “a very optimistic outlook in North America in particular for double- digit growth this year after a soft 2020.”

“MacDon continues to build market share in international markets with strong growth and market share growth in all of Australia, South America, Europe and CIS over the last 12 months,” she said. “Order intake is significantly ahead of last year at this time indicating double-digit sales growth for MacDon this year as well as an expectation of continued growth in 2022.”

Member Since 1980 |

Business development vice president Gene Fraser said the jobs will be in fabrication, machine shop, welding, painting and assembly.

Fraser said the global market for new agricultural machinery is good, and there’s pent-up demand because there was not an abundance of used equipment available last fall. As a result, dealers are placing orders to fill the pipeline.

“Another factor that’s carrying more weight each year is the growing demand for implements in all categories capable of precision farming,” Fraser said. “There’s no point in developing a new machine if it doesn’t have that capability.”

Source: The Western Producer | Member since 1980 |

MacDon is adding more than 300 new jobs to its main manufacturing plant in Winnipeg. The increase will facilitate the addition of a third shift at the farm equipment factory.

“This means good paycheques going into 300 Winnipeg households,” said business development vice-president Gene Fraser in a phone interview. “The jobs will be in fabrication, machine shop, welding, painting and assembly.”

Fraser pointed to a number of factors prompting the expansion. In general, the global market for new agricultural machinery is good. He said there’s a lot of pent-up demand because there was not an abundance of used equipment available last fall. As a result, dealers are placing orders now to fill the pipeline.

“Another factor that’s carrying more weight each year is the growing demand for implements in all categories capable of precision farming. There’s no point in developing a new machine if it doesn’t have that capability,” said Fraser, adding that higher productivity also motivates many farmers to upgrade.

Fraser said global demand is good and the company feels optimistic for the balance of 2021 and on into 2022.

“As an overview, it’s all very positive for MacDon and the families who depend on these paycheques. We couldn’t be happier for the new families joining our workforce. It’s good to see some good news with all the COVID bad news we see every day.”

Ross joined MacDon in 2006 as vice president of operations. The company said Ross has been “instrumental in the successful development and growth of MacDon through these years,” including most recently leading the company after the acquisition by Linamar.

As part of the transition, MacDon implemented a series of management changes at the start of this year.

Kurt Buehler has been named group president. He will report to Jim Jarrell, president and COO of Linamar. Buehler joined MacDon Industries in 2008 as director of manufacturing, then advanced to vice president of operations.

Kiera Young is now the senior vice president for customers, products and services. She will report to Buehler and have overall responsibility for growth strategies, global sales & marketing, after-market parts & service, new product development and engineering. Young joined MacDon in 2015 as the director of design engineering and later became vice president of product development.

Gene Fraser is now the vice president for business development and will work closely with Buehler and Young. He has served in several roles with MacDon since joining the company in 1981. He has been vice president of global sales and marketing since 2014.

Among other appointments:

• Artem Smelovskii, vice president for operations.
• Alan Ballantyne, vice president for global sales and marketing.
• Neil Barnett, vice president for product development.
• Doug Meister, vice president for global parts and service.

Source: MacDon |Member since 1980 |

Kiera Young – Senior Vice President, Customers, Products and Services
As Senior Vice President reporting to Kurt Buehler, Kiera has overall responsibility for growth strategies, global sales & marketing, after-market parts & service, new product development and engineering. Kiera brings a wealth of experience to this position joining MacDon in 2015 as the Director of Design Engineering. In 2018, she became Vice President of Product Development, where she has been responsible for growth strategies as they relate to product, partnership, and acquisitions. Having been involved in farming and the agricultural community throughout her life, Kiera also actively contributes to the operation of her husbands’ family farm in Southern Manitoba.

Gene Fraser– Vice President, Business Development
Working closely with Kurt and Kiera in this new role, Gene brings his many years of extensive agriculture knowledge and experience to this position, having worked in many areas of the Company since 1981. Gene joined the marketing group in 1983 and has been Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing since 2014. During his tenure in the Marketing Department, Gene has been instrumental in developing MacDon’s brand, as well as dealer distribution and customer relations around the globe. Gene’s extensive experience working with industry and trade associations has enabled him to develop a broad network of agribusiness contacts around the world.

Artem Smelovskii – Vice President, Operations
Reporting to Kurt, Artem brings significant manufacturing, international, and senior leadership experience to his new role. Prior to joining MacDon, Artem was responsible for multiple agricultural equipment manufacturing plants in Canada and the USA with overall accountability for people, quality management systems, delivery, profitability, and improvement. Artem’s experience also includes the overall management of an automotive components plant and distribution center. Artem began his career as a Manufacturing Engineer before transitioning into engineering leadership and operations senior leadership. He has been Director of Manufacturing at MacDon since July of 2019.
Alan Ballantyne – Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing
In this position, Alan will report directly to Kiera Young and brings extensive experience and knowledge to this role beginning his career with MacDon in 2002 as a marketing student and joining the Company in a permanent position as Dealer Account Manager in 2004. In 2012 he moved into the Marketing Manager position and then became Director of Marketing in 2014. Alan has extensive experience working with our dealers, customers and partners worldwide to promote the growth of our business.

Neil Barnett – Vice President, Product Development
In this capacity, Neil will continue to report to Kiera Young. He brings a wealth of experience to this position, having joined MacDon in January 1999 as a design engineer where he was initially focused in the area of hay and forage – particularly the development of the rotary mower conditioner. Neil became a Product Engineering Manager in 2007, and the additional responsibility of the Self-Propelled Windrower Tractors in 2013. In 2016, Neil moved to Wisconsin to start the MacDon Enterprises Engineering office, subsequently promoted to the position of Director of Design Engineering. In addition to his responsibilities inside MacDon, Neil is also responsible for the engineering group at Oros in Hungary.

Doug Meister – Vice President, Global Parts and Service
Doug brings 22 years of experience to this role having joined MacDon in 1998 and held leadership roles in Field Test, Product Management, and Marketing. In 2012, Doug led the implementation of a New Product Development process engaging the entire organization in bringing new products to market. Throughout his career, Doug has had an active role in developing long-term strategies and continues to serve on various leadership teams steering the company’s growth and diversification efforts. Raised on a mixed farm in Saskatchewan Doug developed a passion for our industry at an early age through work at a family farm equipment dealership.

Source: MacDon