Karen McMahon

January 27, 2011

1 Min Read

The agricultural economy must be doing well to experience announcements of manufacturing expansion. AGCO made such an announcement today. The company will add 75,000 sq. ft. to its Jackson, MN, plant to handle the production of high-horsepower wheeled row-crop Massey Ferguson and Challenger tractors. Plans for the addition also include a visitors center.

Currently, Challenger track and articulated 4-wheel-drive tractors, high-flotation applicators and high-clearance sprayers are made in at the Jackson facility by 900 employees. Expanding the plant will require the hiring of another 100 employees with an annual payroll of $5.68 million, ACGO reports.    

Bob Crain, general manager for AGCO North America, was on hand for the event. Crain says the manufacturing expansion is part of the company's plans to place manufacturing in the United States where the customers are located. "We'll be able to offer machines more closely configured to the production practices and needs of our customers here while also reducing delivery time to both dealers and farmers," he stated in a news release.

The expansion should be completed by the end of 2011. The visitor's center will take up 17,000 sq. ft. of the expansion and is expected to host 10,000 visitors a year.

About the Author(s)

Karen McMahon

Karen McMahon has been a well-respected and award-winning agricultural journalist for more than three decades. In 2000, she served as president of the American Agricultural Editors' Association (AAEA), a group of more than 400 professional farm writers. She also is active in the Agricultural Media Summit (AMS) and served as chairman in 2001 and chair of the sponsorship committee for several years. She has attained the top Master Writer Award level from AAEA and won various writing awards from the Am. Society of Business Publication Editors and Minnesota Monthly Publications Association.

Karen joined Farm Industry News as senior editor in 1998 and was named editor two years later. Prior to that, she was managing editor for five years of another Penton publication, National Hog Farmer. She grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm near LeMars, IA, and earned her degree in journalism from South Dakota State University. Since then, Karen has worked in agricultural communications.

Her experience on magazines and organizations includes work on Hog Farm Management, the National Pork Producers Council, and Hogs Today/Farm Journal.

Karen may be reached at 9520851-4680

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