Charles C. Fenno of Grinnell, IA, patented the first field corn silage harvester on April 19, 1892. His ground-powered machine cut the corn plant and fed the tassel end first to a rotary cutter.

Joseph Weigel of Flandreau, SD, improved Fenno's harvester in 1912 by adding an engine to power the cutter and by feeding the stalks butt end first.

Andrean and Adolph Ronning, farmers of Boyd, MN patented further improvements in 1915. In 1918 the American Harvester Co. of Minneapolis, MN, began manufacturing the horse-drawn Ronning Harvester using Weigel's patent too. The International Harvester Co. produced a tractor-powered version from 1926 to 1942.

Today's corn silage harvesters closely follow the designs of these farmer-inventors.

DEDICATED
BY THE
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERS
1992