Hagie Manufacturing
Hagie Manufacturing is an agricultural machinery manufacturer in Clarion, Iowa, United States. The world's first self-propelled sprayer was a three-wheeled machine built in 1947 by Ray Hagie, the founder of Hagie Manufacturing. Hagie is now a premier manufacturer of hiboy sprayers and detasselers.[citation needed]
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[edit] Story of Hagie
Ray Hagie never intended to produce the world's first self-propelled sprayer. He wanted to grow hybrid corn. In fact, his first piece of equipment - a detasseler - was built for his own seed corn fields. But as Hagie Hybrids continued to grow, so did demand for his "above the crop" equipment. Hagie's Iowa farmstead became the birthplace of Hagie Manufacturing - and the world's first self-propelled sprayer.
[edit] Expansion
Hagie Manufacturing is Clarion's "home grown" industry and one of the leading employers of the Wright County community. In recent years Hagie has experienced significant and impressive growth. In 2001 Hagie employed 109 people in Clarion, today (2009) they employ about 330 people. The completed a plant expansion in 2007 of 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2). to their factory in Clarion. This will have a good impact on the City of Clarion, an Iowa community of about 3,000 people.[citation needed]
[edit] Diversification
In March 2008, Hagie Manufacturing Company purchased Vammas, a division of the Patria company in Finland, makers of airport snow removal equipment. Hagie Manufacturing Company had been using a snow plow made by Vammas on their GST20 airport machine. The acquisition included the Snow Removal Equipment (SRE) portion of Vammas. Future plans have all production of the snow removal equipment to the Clarion, Iowa facility.
