Mayrath, Feterl & Kewanee: What Happened to America’s Auger Giants?

Mayrath, Feterl, and Kewanee were names once familiar to generations of American farmers. Their grain augers and farm equipment helped move enormous amounts of grain during harvest—but the companies behind those familiar machines would eventually change, disappear, or become part of something else. So what happened to them? In this video, we explore the history of Mayrath, Feterl, and Kewanee and the rise of the grain auger as an essential piece of American farm equipment. These companies built machinery for a rapidly changing agricultural industry, helping farmers move grain faster between trucks, wagons, bins, and storage facilities. But farm machinery manufacturing was changing too. Competition, consolidation, changing agricultural economics, and a transforming equipment industry reshaped the companies that once supplied American farms. This is the story of three names from the history of grain handling equipment—and what became of the manufacturers behind the machines. If you enjoy vintage farm equipment, agricultural history, old machinery, and stories about forgotten American manufacturers, subscribe for more. #FarmEquipment #GrainAuger #AgriculturalHistory