There's an old saying . . . "If it's not broke, don't fix it." Western Wisconsin Ag Supply of Ellsworth, Wisconsin sort of put a new twist to that saying. Years ago they placed orders for Schweiss bifold cable doors that eventually wore out. The reason they wore out was due to fine caustic and corrosive fertilizer dust particles that have a tendency, like acid, to eat their way through metal.

They liked what they saw in the original Schweiss bifold doors and replaced them with bifold liftstrap doors. All three bifold doors they replaced were 16' wide x 17.10' tall and have automatic latching systems and are clad with white polycarbonate panels, matching the same style as on the plant tower above the door.

According to Dana Lansing, Mgr. of Western Wisconsin Ag Supply (WWAS), the previous doors saw decades of hard use before needing replacement.

"We had Schweiss doors on these fertilizer plant buildings before and had good luck with them," noted Lansing. "They lasted 20 years: that was pretty good. The quality of Schweiss doors is good; I like them, they hold up well. The new ones now with the straps will be even better for the fertilizer business than the cables."

Lodermeier's, Inc. of Goodhue, Minnesota placed the orders for the doors.

"All the doors are in bulk fertilizer buildings," said Travis Thomforde, Construction Manager for Lodermeier's, Inc. "The bulk fertilizer gets loaded up there in tender trucks and hauled out to farms and distributed. During the summer the doors are primarily left open during the day and closed at night."

The business connection between Lodermeier's and WWAS comes through Ag Partners, a co-op that serves Southeastern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Ag Partners is a true partnership in which both parent companies have equal ownership and equal representation on an eight-member board of directors.

In 1996 two local cooperatives, Goodhue Elevator and Farmers Elevator Company of Lake City, consolidated to form Ag Partners Coop. Unification with Farm Country Coop in 2013 and Genesis Coop in 2018 expanded the customer base and territory significantly into what it is today; a strong member-owned cooperative serving producers, communities, homeowners and businesses across Southern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

"The customer was very happy with the doors. The doors arrived on the day Schweiss said they would be there," added Thomforde. "The Schweiss staff was very professional all the way around from start to finish. All we did was provide the Schweiss installers with a telescoping forklift and a basket. The quality of Schweiss doors is very good. I would recommend them to anyone and we have priced them on other post frame jobs."

Western Wisconsin Ag Supply

Western Wisconsin Ag Supply (WWAS) of Ellsworth, Wisconsin has been working hard for years to provide its customers with expert agronomic services in order to maximize returns on input investments.

Through a skilled staff of 16 fulltime employees, their goal is to provide their customers with exceptional service and expertise to maximize return on input investments. They have a powerful combination of knowledgeable agronomists, modern technology, experienced applicators and one-on-one specialized consultation services to tackle any agronomic challenge large or small.

WWAS provides recommendations, ideas and solutions specifically targeted to each individual farm, fields, crops and soils. Because no two fields are alike they utilize precision Ag technologies to put the right products in the right place on every field. Their use of soil sampling is an intensive site-specific grid sampling technique. This method of sampling divides fields into equal sized 2.5-acre grids to help identify the fertility and pH variability within the field. Site-specific soil test results create variable rate fertilizer, lime and seed prescriptions for each farm.

WWAS understands that a successful harvest begins with the best quality and most agronomically proficient seeds. That's why they proudly offer products from a half dozen leading seed companies.

These companies have a diversified and comprehensive seed line-up that is ideally suited for the area WWAS services. As a customer you will benefit from industry leading traits and genetics. Their sales agronomists will help you select the right hybrid for the right acres on your farm to maximize yield potential. Seed treating for corn and soybean products is available.

Fertilizer, Crop Protection, and Application of NH3, dry and liquid fertilizers and crop protection products is also important. They provide custom application services using their fleet of dry air machines and row crop sprayers. They have a 28% applicator and dry fertilizer buggies available for customer use.

WWAS has teamed up with Ag Partners to offer AYS, an innovative and very customer-friendly precision technology program. Farmers who want the latest tools to evaluate their soils, categorize data effectively and apply variable rate seeding and nutrient technology on their farm should look into AYS.

Western Wisconsin Ag Supply is located at 411 East Business Way, Ellsworth, Wisconsin. Ph. 800-242-6066 or 715-273-5380. https://westernwisconsinagsupply.agpartners.net

Lodermeier's, Inc.

Lodermeier's is a rural Minnesota business that sells and services farm machinery, outdoor power equipment, grain equipment, and post or steel frame buildings. They have been a story of constant growth that has catered their business to many different people and businesses but primarily to the agriculture sector. They pride themselves on being able to service what they sell through a dedicated team of great employees, which during peak season can be as many as 60.

Their family business took roots back in 1947 when Leonard Lodermeier built a building in downtown Goodhue and started an auto repair service, body shop, and welding business. In 1951, Edwin Lodermeier became a partner with Leonard. They purchased the Allis Chalmers farm machinery dealership rights from Cyrus Buck in Goodhue and began selling farm equipment. Shortly thereafter, two more brothers, Norbert and Jerome Lodermeier, joined the business.

In 1963, Butler Manufacturing talked Leonard into building his first grain bin and thus began the grain bin, grain dryer, and Butler steel building business. In 1964, a second location (the farm) was added 1 mile west of town to help manage the construction and farm equipment business growth as the company grew and needed room to expand.

In 1971, the first warehouse, that was 40×72', was constructed at the farm to house additional farm and grain equipment. It included a loading dock off the back of the warehouse for hauling out grain bins. Later, two additional warehouses were added.

In 1983, Richard Lodermeier became the sole owner and by 1987, Lodermeier's added wood frame buildings to complement its building business when the local lumberyard in town was purchased.

In the fall of 2016, Lodermeier's started to erect a new Butler steel frame building 115 by 175 long and 27' tall outside of Goodhue. The new building is used for retail, parts and service work. The new building consolidated the 1970 location by providing a new office, meeting rooms, showroom, displays, parts, and a modern repair shop. There are now over 42,000 square feet of buildings that are being used for repair and storage. Lodermeier's used the original 1947 building built by Len and Ed for 70 years with several additions onto it.

In 2017, Brent and Tyler Lodermeier, and Dustin Luhman took on the task of transitioning Richard and Roxanne into retirement. Brent graduated from Minnesota West with a degree in Plumbing in 2002, Brent started full time in 2006. Dustin Luhman finished his time in the service and came out of the Marines in 2003 to join full time. Tyler Lodermeier graduated from the University of Sioux Falls in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and started full time.

Lodermeier's offers several options to the style of buildings you may need whether it be a commercial building, livestock building, pre-engineered building, hoop building, machine storage or shop, or an addition/repair to another standing building.

In addition to farm and grain equipment and buildings, Lodermeier's carries outdoor power equipment, toys and apparel, a large selection of rental equipment and has a service and repair department.

Lodermeier's have sold farm equipment nationwide and have completed construction projects in seven different states. They have been around for many years through dedication and hard work of many great employees who have built the solid reputation of what Lodermeier's stands for today.

Lodemeier's is located at 38241 County 6 Blvd., Goodhue, MN, 651-923-4441. https://lodermeiers.net