Art’s Way Manufacturing: 70 Years of Ag Equipment Resilience

Feb 26

In 1956, Iowa farmer and inventor Arthur Luscombe built a rugged PTO-powered grinder mixer on his farm. He wasn’t trying to disrupt an industry or launch a publicly traded company. He was simply solving a problem.

That solution became the foundation of Art’s Way Manufacturing — a company that has now navigated nearly seven decades of agricultural cycles, market volatility, consolidation, and changing producer demands.

Today, Art’s Way employs approximately 120–150 people across facilities in Armstrong and Monona, Iowa. And while the ag equipment industry has grown increasingly consolidated, Art’s Way has survived — and endured — by doing something different: staying specialized.

This episode of the Farm4Profit Podcast explores the company’s journey, its product diversification strategy, and what true resilience looks like in agricultural manufacturing.

A Farm-Built Beginning

Arthur Luscombe’s original grinder mixer wasn’t created in a boardroom. It was designed on a working farm. That origin story still shapes the company’s identity.

Art’s Way grew from that single piece of equipment into a publicly traded manufacturer. But unlike many companies that expand by chasing scale alone, Art’s Way leaned into niche markets — areas that required expertise, relationships, and long-term commitment.

That strategy helped the company maintain independence while others were absorbed into larger conglomerates.

Specialization Over Scale

In today’s ag equipment environment, it’s easy to assume survival depends on being the biggest. Art’s Way offers a different model.

Rather than competing directly with global OEM giants, the company focused on serving operational gaps — the specific needs that large manufacturers often overlook.

Over time, that meant expanding thoughtfully into product categories that complement core livestock and crop production systems.

Their lineup now includes:

Grinder mixers and feed processing equipment
Bale processors and hay tools through Miller Pro and Badger acquisitions
Sugar beet harvesters and defoliators for specialized regional markets
Manure spreaders, land graders, and land planes
Portable grain augers
Combine and swather reels through Universal Harvester integration
A modular buildings division
Tools and scientific product lines

Each addition reflects a strategic decision — not to become massive, but to become essential within specific segments.

The Stabilizing Role of Diversification

One of the most interesting aspects of Art’s Way’s structure is its modular buildings division.

Agricultural equipment demand is cyclical. When commodity prices soften, equipment purchases slow. Dealer inventory tightens. Manufacturers feel pressure.

But modular buildings don’t follow the same cycle as row crop or livestock equipment. That division has provided a stabilizing force during downturns, helping offset fluctuations in agricultural sales.

Diversification, when done intentionally, becomes more than expansion — it becomes protection.

Facing Today’s Equipment Headwinds

Like many manufacturers, Art’s Way has felt the impact of softer demand and inventory challenges across dealer networks. Rising input costs and tighter farm margins ripple through the equipment supply chain.

These realities are not unique to one company. They are structural challenges facing agricultural manufacturing today.

What separates long-standing companies from short-lived ones is their ability to adapt without abandoning their identity.

For Art’s Way, that identity remains rooted in practical solutions for producers — not chasing trends.

Dealer Networks and Relationship Capital

Independent dealers remain central to the company’s model.

Rather than prioritizing high-volume distribution, Art’s Way works with committed partners who understand niche markets and value long-term relationships.

In specialized equipment categories, dealer knowledge matters. Trust matters. Service matters.

That alignment reinforces the company’s farmer-first philosophy.

A Dual Perspective: Manufacturing and Farming

Joining the Farm4Profit conversation is Jim Cronk, Inside Sales Representative at Art’s Way.

Jim and his wife Shelby operate a row crop and cow-calf farm while he works full-time in ag equipment sales. That dual perspective offers valuable insight into what producers truly need.

He understands the pressure of tight margins. He understands the realities of equipment investment decisions. And he understands how manufacturing strategy translates to farm-level impact.

That balance between boardroom and barnyard is critical in today’s environment.

Lessons in Longevity

This episode isn’t simply about marking an anniversary.

It’s about examining what it takes to manufacture agricultural equipment for nearly 70 years in a volatile industry.

Key takeaways include:

Staying close to the end user
Choosing specialization over unchecked expansion
Diversifying strategically
Building strong dealer partnerships
Remaining disciplined through downturns

In an era defined by consolidation and rapid change, longevity requires clarity.

Sometimes the companies that last the longest are not the loudest or the largest. They are the ones that understand exactly who they serve — and refuse to drift from that focus.