Craig Rupp, Sabanto Founder & CEO, pictured with Gerry Brouwer, a pioneer in the sod industry.
Well, the TPI conference is behind us. Thank you for stopping by our booth to visit and witness our autonomous tractors running all day in the field. We appreciate the upfront interest, probing questions, candid feedback and helpful suggestions you gave us. We were excited to announce our partnership with Trimax, who is stepping up to the plate to develop an intelligent implement that will interface with our autonomous system. I promise you there will be some really great technology as a result of this collaboration.
I was a bit intrigued when I noticed one of the oldest participants at the TPI conference ride up to our booth in a golf cart during Field Day. My intuition told me he had to be a pioneer in the sod industry. When I noticed his name tag “Gerry Brouwer,” I knew exactly what this person did.
I had the honor of talking with Gerry for a good half hour. It turns out he was raised on a tobacco farm and subsequently became a sod farmer. He had a problem trying to find dependable people to harvest sod and decided to do something about it, building one of the first mechanical sod harvesters. When he described the trials and tribulations of building his machine and getting it to market, I knew exactly who this person was.
As Gerry left, I looked across the field watching all the companies displaying their technology at the TPI conference. I couldn’t help thinking that Gerry’s industriousness, persistence and diligence set the stage for every last company there. Every. Last. One.
– Craig
We’d love to have you join our monthly newsletter list.
We promise not to overwhelm you — we want to share how autonomy is changing agriculture. Along the way, you’ll get to know our customers, the team we’ve assembled at Sabanto, and the groundbreaking things that Steward™ is accomplishing at farms across the country and beyond.
To get on the list, sign up below 👇