Vermeer Corporation is celebrating a special milestone.

Director of Forage Solutions Mindi Vanden Bosch says the introduction of the Vermeer round baler in 1971 had a major influence on producers harvested hay.

She says prior to the invention of the Vermeer “big, round baler,” haymaking was a time-consuming, laborious job. When a local farmer told Gary Vermeer the process had him on the verge of leaving the cattle business, Gary started designing a “one-person hay system” — a baler that a single person could operate and one that opened a whole new level of productivity in the field.

Vermeer has planned a number of activities that will take place at the factory, online and across and its dealerships. On Thursday between noon and 1 p.m., Vermeer has planned a special celebration from their plants along the Vermeer Mile through the City of Pella. There will be 50 balers shipped out to recognize the occasion.

Each Vermeer baler built in 2021 will feature a special edition 50th anniversary decal, employees and Pella residents will celebrate the invention of the Vermeer round baler throughout the year with events and displays on the Vermeer campus and throughout the community and there will be a 50th celebration website, vermeerbalers.com, that will allow visitors to hear the story of how the Vermeer larger round baler came to be and changed the agriculture industry.