Väderstad

Väderstad is a Swedish agricultural machinery company based in Väderstad, in Mjölby Municipality. Its origins date to 1962, when Rune and Siw Stark addressed the problem of working the heavy soils around their home area. At the time, farmers commonly dragged a wooden beam over the ground, but wear meant the beam had to be replaced each year. The Starks made a steel alternative with an adjustable working angle, and production for neighbouring farmers grew into an agricultural machinery business. The company’s product groups include precision seeders, seed drills and soil-cultivation equipment. Its cultivation range includes several types of cultivator and rollers. These categories serve farm operations involved in preparing soil and sowing crops. The supplied account describes Väderstad as a Swedish company and reports that its export share was around 85 percent; that figure is presented as a historical report, not as a current measurement. Väderstad developed from a local workshop into a manufacturer with a production site in its namesake town. It moved to its present production location in 1972 and adopted the name Väderstad-Verken AB. Its international reach is also reflected in its 2006 purchase of a 49 percent stake in Canadian seeding-equipment maker Seed Hawk. In 2013, a Väderstad Tempo precision planter set a world record for maize planting, according to the supplied German-language company history. The evidence identifies Väderstad as a Swedish company and provides no verified current ownership structure, leadership roster, listing information or current operating figures. The brand is associated with agricultural machinery, especially seeding and soil cultivation, and the supplied source describes the company’s products and history rather than providing a comprehensive current catalogue.

Väderstad’s company history begins in 1962, when Rune and Siw Stark sought a more durable way to work the heavy soil around Väderstad. The prevailing practice was to drag a wooden beam over the ground, but the beam wore out and had to be replaced each year. The Starks built a steel version with an adjustable working angle. They began making the implement for neighbouring farmers, establishing the basis for agricultural machinery production. In 1966, the company adapted the drag into a type of cultivator and developed a foldable version with a greater working width. The following year, operations moved out of a barn and into a larger workshop. The account also recalls the practical constraints of this early period: with the only telephone line often busy, customers used telegrams to contact Rune Stark, then the company’s head. In 1972, the company moved to its present production site and adopted the name Väderstad-Verken AB. A dry early summer in 1975 helped demonstrate the heavy Väderstad machines in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The historical account also notes that the Mjölby–Väderstad railway was important to the early business for transporting materials and machines; its operation ended in 1990 because of financial difficulties. Väderstad presented its first seed drills in 1990, expanding beyond its earlier cultivation implements. In 2006, it purchased a 49 percent stake in Canadian manufacturer Seed Hawk. The supplied source characterizes Seed Hawk as a maker of very wide seed drills and reports Väderstad’s export share at around 85 percent, without specifying a date for that share. On 24 April 2013, a Tempo precision planter set a world record for maize planting, as reported in the supplied German-language article. The available account establishes the company’s Swedish origins, early product development and several international and product milestones. It does not provide verified details about present-day ownership, current executives, or subsequent corporate events.

• 2013

  Tempo maize-planting world record reported

• 2006

  Acquires a 49% stake in Seed Hawk

• 1990

  First seed drills introduced

• 1972

  Production site move and Väderstad-Verken AB name

• 1967

  Operations move to a larger workshop

• 1966

  Cultivator and foldable implement developed

• 1962

  Rune and Siw Stark begin producing agricultural implements

Agricultural machinery manufacturer focused on seeding and soil-cultivation equipment.

• Precision seeders

  A listed Väderstad product group; Tempo is specifically named in the supplied source.

• Seed drills

  A product group that Väderstad introduced in 1990.

• Soil-cultivation equipment

  The range includes several types of cultivator and rollers.

• Tempo

  A Väderstad precision planter associated in the supplied source with a maize-planting world record.

• 2006

  Purchase of a 49% stake in Seed HawkOther

1. 1Väderstadde.wikipedia.org
2. 2Väderstadwikidata.org
3. 3Sweden-based Väderstad acquires AGCO-AMITY JV LLCagweek.com