Barbed wire’s history entangled in war
Probably the first patent for a form of barbed wire was issued to Leonce Grassin-Baledans in 1860 in France during World War I.
Red dog covered back roads 60 years ago
Red dog made a good surface material for dirt roads and, as nothing but cast-off waste material, it was fairly cheap.
Tractor pioneer remembered for his legacy
On Jan. 2, 2011, at the ripe old age of 96, Harold Brock from Waterloo, Iowa, died peacefully at his home. So what, you...
Gibson tractors were important for a while
In 1933, Harry Gibson started the Gibson Manufacturing Co. in Seattle, Washington, as a heavy machine shop.
The first real automatic transmission
A brief history of the automatic transmission.
Is it a nut, or is it a burr?
Sam Moore investigates potential reasons people may have once heard old-timers refer to the nuts that were used with bolts as burrs.
The Neys have it: Hay tools invented in Canton
There were two different Ney companies in Canton in the late 1800s and early 1900s, both making hay tools such as barn hay forks, carriers and track.
Deere’s short-lived involvement in autos
Sam Moore shares a passage Elmer J. Baker Jr. (1889-1964), a longtime commentator on the farm implement scene, wrote of the short-lived Deere-Clark car.
Earliest steam engines used to pump water
Learn more about the Newcomen engines, called "Fire Engines," which were used to pump water from British mines.
A thing of the past: Check row planters
Learn more about planting corn in checkrows.
