Nothing Short of A Miracle: How Martin Industries Made it Through the Dark Days of the 1980s

Apr 05, 2023

Steve Martin grew up on his dad Howard’s farm raising tobacco, corn, wheat and soybeans. After trying no-till farming in the early 1970s, Howard Martin wasn’t satisfied with the results he was seeing. Roughly a decade later, he decided to give it another try.

But the combination of hard pan and thick residue in the soil caused it to remain moist through the corn planting season. This condition was leading to stands that were only 40-50% of what they should have been. A study done by Iowa State University about the correlation between crop residue and soil temperature made Howard want to find a solution to their problem. Howard knew if he could find a way to push the residue aside and help the soil dry faster, he could raise the soil temperature and improve stands.

In the winter of 1983, he started working on what is now known as the Martin Row Cleaner. In the spring of 1984, he successfully tested his new invention and began manufacturing the row cleaners in 1991. Only one year later, he was supplying equipment to farmers across more than a dozen U.S. states.

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