Fertilizer Spreaders: How Manufacturers Are Navigating Complex Market Issues in Pursuit of Innovation
After experiencing a rollercoaster couple of years, manufacturers of fertilizer spreaders are eagerly anticipating the upcoming season.
The art of adapting is a fundamental aspect of business, a lesson that has been emphasized recently by the agriculture industry, including fertilizer spreader manufacturers. The ability to swiftly adjust to ever-changing factors that both companies and customers face will guarantee the ongoing success of a company.
Joe Anderson, VP Sales and Marketing for GVM Inc., says: “2023 has had its challenges like every other year. Lead times and supply have significantly improved, which has eased help with getting products out the door in a timelier manner. But while supply has gotten better, interest rates and the price of commodities have become our new challenge.”
The Oxbo AT4103. Photo credit: Oxbo
Curt Schaben, Global Market Manager for Oxbo, shared a similar sentiment. “We started out the year dealing with supply chain issues, but throughout the year lead times have improved.” he says. “With supply chain issues easing we are able to operate at a normal level and give customers good lead times. However, interest rates are having an impact. We are working with customers and taking time to review finance options to come up with the right solution for them.”
Challenges & Concerns
The spreader industry confronts a multitude of challenges and customer concerns in its pursuit of innovation and efficiency. From adapting to rapidly changing environmental regulations to meeting the evolving demands of modern farming practices, spreader manufacturers must navigate a complex landscape to remain at the forefront of agricultural technology.
“Unfortunately, we do not see a solution for the shrinking labor pool. We think, as an industry, we must work together collaboratively to address the pain points more than ever before. Bigger with higher complexity isn’t going to win. We have to deliver new solutions that remove complexity and provide ways to keep the machines running at all times. The seasonality of the business is always a challenge. When we have optimal conditions, we must be able to capitalize on it,” Schaben says. “Simplicity, reliability, power. A topic of discussion is always around finding good help. That discussion turns into doing more work with less people. You have to provide a simple, robust, productive solution that also integrates into their operation with the right technological solutions. We feel we are uniquely positioned with our larger machine to help customers reduce labor and trucking costs.
“People want simple yet precise spreaders that anyone can run,” he continues. “We continue to build a spreader that is not only has the widest and most precise spread pattern on the market, but also simple and easy to maintain. Our fixed fan frame and precise funnel design allows applicators to switch between any blend of fertilizer with minimal to no changes.”
“As far as the spinner spreader industry is concerned, there certainly has been a big push towards air spreaders in some areas of the country. Much of this has been the result of people’s dissatisfaction with the spread pattern that have received from “other” manufactures. Our focus is to continue to show the benefits of spinner spreaders and our technology. I do believe the reduced maintenance cost of a spinner spreader and versatility is still one of our biggest selling points,” says GVM’s Anderson.
New Opportunities
The spreader industry is witnessing exciting new opportunities driven by technological advancements and overall changing agricultural practices. Data-driven farming is opening doors for more efficient and environmentally sustainable spreading solutions. “We are constantly working on ways to improve precision offers from GVM. We are working every day to continue to build the best fertilizer spreader on the market with the help of our patented technologies. We continue to listen to customer feedback and what they need from us. GVM Improved accuracy and precision will be what propels us forward. We are working to guarantee a 120-foot spread pattern with all blends not just straight product. Machines are getting bigger with longer booms. It is important that we continue to meet the needs of our customers,” says Anderson.
FA 1030 Air Boom Applicator. Photo credit: Case IH
Rebecca Ivey, PR for Case IH in North America, shares: “The FA 1030 Air Boom Applicator is designed to help you get more done in tight windows of application opportunity and in challenging conditions. Applicators are now built to carry more products, enhance productivity, and deliver accurate application across changing terrain.”
“Oxbo launched a new AT5105 chassis with a New Leader 5034 box on it at Midwest AG Industries Exposition. Although configured for compost, we received good interest in what might be possible for fertilizer in our five-wheel chassis to increase capacity and acres per day. Technology is always evolving. We continue to refine the user experience on our display to make it simple for operators to get started and be productive on day one,” Oxbo’s Schaben says.
“Increased automation and communication,” he continues. “We see opportunity to help each operator and machine become more productive over long days. We have to keep the operator comfortable so they can continue to perform. Certainly, fully autonomous solutions are hitting the ag industry in certain markets. We will learn a lot over the next few years of the opportunities that will create.”
The Future
With increasing emphasis on precision farming, automation and sustainable practices, spreader technology is expected to play a pivotal role in the future of agricultural. As smart farming practices continue to evolve, spreaders are likely to become an integral component of the modern agricultural landscape.
“On our fertilizer spreader we have created a fully suspended cab to make the long days feel shorter for the operator. We went so far as to use the experience of an off-road racing team to provide us with a package that we feel gives our machine a unique experience for the operator. We continue to integrate new displays that give us more capability to simplify the operation of the machine. We continuously work to improve serviceability: Ensuring that everything is simple and easy to get to when needed,” Schaben says.
“We need to continue to use technology to make the machines and operators more productive,” he concludes. “Automation will continue as the market allows. We hope we continue to see improvement in the interoperability of data coming off machines to help make decisions. We need to continue to make that process as simple as possible for the industry.”
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