Paton, Iowa is home to Bauer Built that manufacturer’s one of the world’s largest corn and soybean planters for John Deere Company.  Bauer Built makes a variety agricultural equipment.  They began the operation in 1995 when Bauer built their first planter for a local farming operation.   In 2003, Bauer Built Mfg. secured a major contract to produce four different length planter bars for John Deere under the trade name Deere Bauer.   Bauer Built Mfg. builds the bar portion of the planter and the balance of the equipment comes from John Deere.   

 

Vaughn Bauer, President of Bauer Manufacturing has worked on the concept and design of the mega planter for several years.   In 2003 they initially built a 65,000 sq.ft. manufacturing complex in Paton in Greene County employing 24 people in 2003.  The company recently expanded the facility to 103,000 sq.ft. and employs over 35 people.     

 

Midland Power Cooperative provides wholesale power to the City of Paton and also assisted Bauer Manufacturing with a USDA zero interest loan that helped secure the expansion project.