Sackett-Waconia is marking its 125 years in 2022 and celebrating how it can trace its trajectory through the infancy of the commercial fertilizer industry until today.
From Gus Sackett’s pulverizer, to the introduction of the “Star” granulator, to the “Bulk-Toter” used for under car unloading and bulk handling, the company is continuing its mission of providing high quality design, engineering, fabrication, and customer support to the fertilizer industry.
At the time of its founding in 1897 as The A.J. Sackett & Sons company, fertilizer was composed of bone, fish meal, manure and shell and was mixed with a hoe in a mortar box. A main piece of equipment in the plant was the mill to crush those organic materials.
“It’s so interesting our company has been able to not only stay in business but also stay in the same industry,” says Larry Taylor, CEO Sackett-Waconia, who joined the company in 1977 and became president in 1988. Taylor says it’s powerful the company is in the same building since 1902 after rebuilding from a fire. He also notes how three generations of the Sackett family served as corporate leadership.
To date, Sackett-Waconia has more than 200 patents, notably one patent dating back to 1932 of a blending plant. Currently, the company has 175 employees and four locations in the U.S. with a Brazilian joint venture employing 70 employees. The company’s footprint is global with business in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and India.
In 1994, Sackett acquired a controlling interest in Waconia Mfg., Inc., and then was merged as one company in 2016.
Taylor sees a bright future in focusing on the agronomic value of the products it handles.
“There’s as much focus on soil health as there is in crop nutrients, and blending is the best delivery for these products to the crop and to the soil. It’s what has driven us to develop precision blending,” he says. “I see potential with nano technology, and it wouldn’t surprise me what we’ll see in five years—adding ounces or less to blends. This kind of thinking is driving our process today as we make sure we have the technical capabilities to do that efficiently and accurately, and with more and more automation. The other layer is traceability, which is becoming a bigger part of what we do.”
It’s the forward thinking as well as the historical continuity that is serving Sackett-Waconia well.
“Our customers have needed the same thing these entire 125 years: value, knowledge and support,” he says.
