June 19, 2017 | Becky Harris

Our History with Canada’s Farm Progress Show

By Pat Beaujot

(Langbank, SK) It was exactly 25 years ago this spring that we built the very first Seed Hawk on our farm in Langbank, SK and seeded our thousand-acre farm with it. After a few in-field modifications the crop emerged perfectly. I quit my job as a Sales Agronomist for Simplot Canada so I could focus my marketing and agronomy skills on our new company, Seed Hawk Inc.

We cleaned up that farm-built machine as best we could and took it to the 1992 Farm Progress Show. There were thousands of farmers there looking for better equipment so they could switch to zero-till farming. There were many other farmer-inventions there that year, all with the same dreams and aspirations as us.

Over the course of the show we explained our concept to so many farmers that our voices were hoarse and our feet were sore. It was an incredible opportunity for our company to be exposed to so many farmers in a few short days. It was a great launch to our brand-new company!

First Seed Hawk at 1992 Farm Progress Show

A week after the 1992 Farm Progress Show we received a visit from our first customer, a farmer and his son from Glenavon, SK (Bob and Bernie Borowski). They saw us at the show and wanted to order a machine for the following spring. That was just what we needed to hear to start planning our first year of production…

In 2007, we launched our 84-foot toolbar and 800-bushel tank. This was the largest seeding system in the world at the time. The 800-bushel cart started a major change in the industry, as the 450-bushel capacity was the largest prior to 2007. Farmers were putting on more fertilizer and with our ability to put it all down in one pass, a larger cart was necessary.

At the show in 2008, we were again first to launch Section Control Technology (SCT). SCT shuts off sections of the air system and lifts the openers of that section to avoid costly overlap. This, once again changed the industry, as fertilizer amounts and costs went up, along with cost of seed. SCT allows farmers to save as much as 15% on inputs in some fields.

Introduction of SCT at the 2008 Farm Progress Show

For the 2014 show, Seed Hawk was first to introduce individual electric drive meter sections that took Section Control Technology to a whole new level. We also introduced the iCon Seeding System that year, an intuitive control system that uses an iPad as the monitor through a wireless connection, dedicated only to Seed Hawk.

Seed Hawk has won multiple “Best Booth” awards over the years

Seed Hawk has attended the Farm Progress Show every year since 1992. We have introduced many new innovations at this show, and it may continue to be the launching pad for all our new products and innovations in the future.