$3M expansion at Tarter’s adds 75 jobs to area

Casey County’s largest employer, Tarter Farm and Ranch Equipment, has recently completed a $3 million expansion, adding 75 new jobs to its Liberty plant, and has reached an agreement with a company in Italy to distribute some of its products.
“These expansions are a key component of our on-going strategy to provide affordable, high-quality, American-made ag and construction products,” said Josh Tarter, vice president of the Dunnville-based company which is now in its 66th year and has grown into one of the largest 3-point equipment manufacturers and distributors in the nation.
The expansion involved Tarter Industries located on Wallace Wilkinson Boulevard in Liberty, and the Tarter West facility in Corinne, Utah.
Tarter Industries formerly housed OshKosh B’Gosh and covers 250,000 square feet in its plant. A new 40,000-square-foot section was added on earlier this year and was completed in August. According to plant manager Mark Williams, the new section added manufacturing space, three additional press brakes, three high-definition plasma machines, warehousing space, new loading and receiving docks, two crane systems and two high-speed industrial saws.
“We pretty much tried to double our capacity in the fabrication department,” Williams said, adding the business has expanded to two shifts in that department.
In addition, outside expansion involving paving added additional parking and storage areas where finished products will be housed. Williams said that covered several acres.
Tarter Industries employs 222 at its facility and produces 3-point equipment, skid-steer attachments, snow removal equipment, construction equipment and cattle-handling equipment.
A vacant lot on the east side of Wallace Wilkinson Boulevard which is also owned by the Tarters has recently been cleared and smoothed.
“That area is for future expansion, but nothing is planned for there as of yet,” Tarter said.
The expansion at Tarter West was a $700,000 project which included adding more buildings, cranes, press brakes, high-def plasmas, overhead cranes, trucks and forklifts. It was completed at the end of June and added 35 more jobs to the Corinne/Box Elder County area, Tarter said.

Donna Carman

Plant manager Mark Williams, left, shares a laugh with Mike Grimsley, who is operating a plate roller.

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Anthony Edwards, left, and Jonathan Miller lift an item from a press brake, one of several new machines added to Tarter Industries in Liberty as part of Tarter Farm and Ranch Equipment’s $3 million expansion.

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Overseas reach
Tarter Farm and Ranch Equipment recently came to an agreement with Feraboli Equipment in Cremona, Italy to make and distribute selected equipment for Feraboli and its U.S.-based customers.  Feraboli is a 130-year-old Italian company making some of the top agricultural equipment in the industry.
Under the terms of the agreement, Tarter said Feraboli will provide its proprietary technologies and knowledge on selected product lines to Tarter for manufacture here in the United States and distribution to Tarter and Feraboli customers throughout the U.S.
“This agreement further solidifies Tarter’s position in the growing heavy ag market and further strengthens our position as a leading original equipment manufacturer for our customers here in the United States,” Tarter said. “We are able to immediately leverage the experience and technology of Feraboli’s proven equipment in the ag industry. This agreement furthers our business, Feraboli’s business, and the business of our heavy ag dealers.  We feel like everyone wins with this arrangement.”  
Tarter is actively seeking and setting up new domestic partnerships and channels for the Feraboli line of hay tools and other equipment.