Orthman

What Orthman does

Orthman is a U.S. agricultural equipment manufacturer and brand, founded in the mid-1960s by Henry Orthman in Lexington, Nebraska, and now operated as a brand under Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc., a privately held, diversified manufacturing group headquartered in Kalida, Ohio. The company designs and builds heavy-duty tillage, planting, and crop-management equipment — strip-till tools (1tRIPr with optional TRU-aPLYr dry/liquid fertilizer system), row-crop cultivators (8000-Series), crop stalk pullers (Stalk PULLr), pivot track tillage (Track TILLr), bed conditioners and bed listers (7500- and 7000-Series), scrapers (PS-/CS/CSX-/FE/FX-Series), fallow tillage tools (Minimizer, Fallow Master), and the Deere-Orthman DR-Series planters. Core technology centers on proprietary toolbar architecture — most notably the 1972-patented stack-fold toolbar with internally mounted hydraulic cylinders and the early large-diameter hollow toolbar design — supporting equipment configurations from 4 to 24 rows with 20"–40" row spacings and toolbar widths up to 60 feet.

Orthman operates a 100% indirect go-to-market model, selling exclusively through a network of authorized dealers across the United States and Canada; pricing is not publicly disclosed and quotes are handled dealer-by-dealer based on configuration, row count, spacing, and optional attachments. The company markets through a combination of dealer relationships, agricultural trade shows (Ag In Motion, Farmfest, Ag Progress Days), a virtual trade show, social channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), and video content. Customer segments are row-crop farmers (corn, soybeans) and precision agriculture operations requiring soil preparation, residue management, bed formation, and input placement. The product line is fully mechanical, with no disclosed AI/ML, software, or connected-equipment capabilities, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. Strategic emphasis has shifted toward product-line consolidation under the Unverferth umbrella and OEM collaboration with John Deere via the DR-Series planters.

Name

Orthman

Legal name

Orthman Manufacturing (brand under Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc.)

Website

https://orthman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Orthman is a U.S. agricultural equipment manufacturer (founded mid-1960s, Lexington, NE) producing heavy-duty tillage, planting, and crop-management tools under the Unverferth Manufacturing umbrella, sold exclusively through a North American authorized dealer network to row-crop and precision-agriculture farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311)

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

Tillage, Seeding & Planting Equipment (IMAHACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Implements, Attachments & Quick-Hitch Systems (3-Point Implements, Couplers, Tool Carriers) (AFAAAAAG), Farm Material Handling & Attachments (Loaders/Implements) (IMAHACAI)

Keywords

• Agricultural tillage equipment
• Row crop cultivators
• Strip-till tools
• Farm planters
• Fallow tillage equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Equipment Sales: Orthman generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of agricultural equipment including strip-till tools, row crop cultivators, stalk pullers, bed conditioners, bed listers, scrapers, fallow tillage equipment, and planters. Products are sold through authorized dealer networks as complete units with various configuration options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Orthman manufactures and sells heavy-duty agricultural tillage, cultivation, and planting equipment, including strip-till tools, row crop cultivators, crop stalk pullers, bed conditioners, bed listers, scrapers, fallow tillage tools, and planters. Equipment is configured in 4 to 24 row layouts with 20" to 40" spacings and is sold through a North American authorized dealer network serving row crop and precision agriculture operations.

Product overview

Orthman is an agricultural equipment manufacturer with over 65 years of history, producing a comprehensive lineup of tillage, planting, and crop management equipment. The product portfolio includes the 1tRIPr & TRU-aPLYr strip-tillage system with fertilizer application, 8000-Series row crop cultivators, Stalk PULLr crop stalk puller, Track TILLr pivot track tillage tool, 7500-Series bed conditioners, 7000-Series bed listers, PS/CS/CSX/FE/FX-Series scrapers, Minimizer and Fallow Master fallow tillage equipment, and DR-Series planters (a Deere-Orthman collaboration). The equipment ranges from 4 to 24 rows with various row spacings (20" to 40") and includes both 3-Point and pull-type configurations. The company pioneered innovations like the stack-fold toolbar design and continues to offer products under the 'A Tough Act To Follow' brand positioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1tRIPr: Strip-tillage tool available from 4 to 18 rows with spacings ranging from 20 to 40 inches. 3-Point or XD pull-type models available with optional TRU-aPLYr dry or liquid fertilizer system.
• TRU-aPLYr
• 8000-Series
• Stalk PULLr
• Track TILLr
• 7500-Series
• 7000-Series
• PS-, CS/CSX- & FE/FX-Series
• Minimizer
• Fallow Master
• DR-Series

Products and services

• 1tRIPr & TRU-aPLYr Strip-Tillage Strip-tillage tool available from 4 to 18 rows with spacings from 20" to 40". Offered as 3-Point or XD pull-type models with optional TRU-aPLYr dry or liquid fertilizer system for row crop farmers practicing strip-till farming.
• 8000-Series Row Crop Cultivators Row crop cultivators (Models 8315 and 8650) for row crop farming operations, available from 6 to 24 rows with row spacings of 30" to 40".
• Stalk PULLr Crop Stalk Puller Crop stalk removal tool available from 4 to 18 rows with row spacings from 30" to 40", with rigid or folding toolbar options depending on size, designed for crop residue management on row crop farms.
• Track TILLr Pivot Track Tillage Pivot track tillage tool with an 8'6" wide working width, rigid frame, and 22" notched lead heavy-duty discs that till out tough track sidewalls on center-pivot irrigated fields.
• 7500-Series Bed Conditioner Bed conditioning equipment available from 12 to 16 rows with spacings from 30" to 40", featuring the innovative stack-fold toolbar design that ensures a narrower transport width for bed farming operations.
• 7000-Series Bed Listers Bed lister equipment offering parallel-linkage bed listers, bed lister rollers, and rigid mount bed listers for varying bedding operations, with sizes ranging from 12 to 16 rows and row spacings from 30" to 40".
• PS-, CS/CSX- & FE/FX-Series Scrapers Scraper equipment line including planing box scrapers, commercial scrapers, and forced ejection scrapers with varying widths and carrying capacities for land leveling and earthmoving on farms.
• Minimizer Fallow Tillage Blade Plow Blade plow for fallow tillage operations, positioned as the industry leader in blade plow performance and now part of the Orthman branded product lineup.
• Fallow Master Fallow Tillage Fallow tillage equipment available in sizes from 28' to 63' with 26" or 48" sweeps depending on model, for fallow ground preparation on row crop farms.
• DR-Series Planters (Deere-Orthman Collaboration) Deere-Orthman collaboration planters featuring an innovative 3-section toolbar frame up to 60' wide with row spacings from 20" to 40" for planting versatility across row crop operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Equipment available in configurations from 4 to 24 rows and spacings from 20 to 40 inches
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc.coreOthersOrthman is a brand under Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc. Unverferth acquired Orthman and maintains the brand as part of its agricultural equipment portfolio. The company operates under the Unverferth umbrella, sharing resources, distribution channels, and corporate infrastructure including the Kalida, Ohio headquarters.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kinze Manufacturing: Kinze is an independent planter manufacturer with deep dealer relationships in the U.S. corn belt, competing head-on with Orthman's DR-Series planters and offering similar row-spacing and toolbar configurations.
• Salford Group: Salford produces tillage, residue management, and application equipment — overlapping Orthman's fallow tillage and residue-management categories and competing for similar North American dealer representation.
• Sunflower (AGCO): Sunflower, operating under AGCO, specializes in tillage tools such as disc harrows, field cultivators, and land rollers — directly competing with Orthman's tillage lineup for row-crop farmers and dealers.
• Great Plains Manufacturing: Great Plains manufactures tillage, seeding, and planting equipment sold through North American dealers — directly overlapping Orthman's strip-till, cultivator, and planter categories with comparable mid-sized independent positioning.
• Bourgault Industries: Bourgault manufactures tillage and air-seeding/planting equipment, with broad working widths and configurations that overlap Orthman's larger-width toolbar and planter offerings for row-crop operations.
• Kuhn Krause: Kuhn Krause produces tillage, seeding, and residue-management equipment, including strip-till tools that directly compete with Orthman's 1tRIPr and Fallow Master product families across North American row-crop markets.

Broad incumbents

• John Deere: John Deere is the largest agricultural OEM and Orthman's DR-Series planter collaboration partner, while also competing across tillage and planting categories with full-line dealer support, financing, and precision-ag integration.
• Case IH (CNH Industrial): Case IH is a full-line agricultural OEM offering tillage, planters, and application equipment bundled with tractors and precision-ag platforms — a much broader incumbent competing for the same row-crop farmer dollars Orthman targets.

Emerging players

• Horsch: Horsch is a European-founded manufacturer expanding in North America with strip-till, seeding, and tillage equipment that competes with Orthman's premium 1tRIPr and large-width toolbar offerings in the high-end row-crop segment.
• Schaffert Industries: Schaffert is a smaller U.S. manufacturer of planter attachments, fertilizer placement systems, and tractor-mounted implements — a niche player in adjacent categories to Orthman's strip-till and planter product lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orthman
• YouTubeyoutube.com/UnverferthMfg
• Facebookfacebook.com/orthmanag
• Instagraminstagram.com/unverferthmfg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orthman