About Us

 Above, company founder Earl Stober (center) along with sons Jeff (left) and Mark (right) pose with Earl's 1947 "Doodlebug" - a compact tractor he built by hand from junkyard parts and WWII surplus.

In 1951, Earl Stober and his father-in-law, Lloyd Krofft, pooled their experience and resources to buy a Massey-Harris farm equipment business in Holgate, Ohio.
 
Earl, an Ada, Ohio farm boy trained as an aircraft mechanic in World War II, had worked since the end of the war at a Massey dealership in Bluffton, Ohio. Lloyd had been a farmer near Ada through the transition from horse-drawn equipment and steam-powered threshers to tractors and combines.
 
Earl's oldest son, Jeff, joined the business in 1976 after earning a degree in Agricultural Economics from The Ohio State University and serving in the Air Force as a B-52 navigator. Both Earl's wife, Jean, and Jeff's wife, Judy, worked in the office and behind the parts counter of Holgate Implement for many years.
 
Earl and Jean's other sons, Mark and Tom, are also involved in the business. After a 25-year career in marketing and advertising, Mark returned to the family business as manager of marketing and parts. Tom, a professor of accounting at Notre Dame, serves as an advisor to Holgate Implement.

Since 1951 the business has helped popularize many new innovations, such as: equipment systems to shell and dry corn, no-till soil conservation practices, winter service 'checklist' programs, new generations of crop sprayers, satellite-guided technology to improve accuracy and precision, and on-equipment video systems.

In July of 2008 Holgate Implement was recognized with the AGCO Corporation's prestigious Silver Medallion Award.  This award is presented to fewer than 10% of AGCO dealers and recognizes excellence in market growth, operation and service.

With many accomplishments over the years our family business is looking forward to the challenges and rewards the future may bring.  We hope you'll stop in and visit us soon!