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Gary Vermeer (1918-2009), beside large round hay baler.

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Gary Vermeer born in Pella, Iowa and later built his business there. He founded Vermeer Manufacturing Company in 1948, now known as Vermeer Corporation.

In 1971 he invented the Vermeer round baler, the first large round hay baler. It was described as a "one person hay system."

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Prior to the invention of the square hay baler, hay was collected by hand and kept in haystacks. These haystacks were then loaded onto a wagon and taken to a barn for storage. The mobile square hay baler, at that time, only made medium sized bales, which led to a large quantity of bales needing to be collected from the fields.

The large round hay baler was mobile, had minimal to no wasted crop, and lastly it produced less bales that could be moved. This invention created less labor intensive work in a faster and more efficient manner.

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Before 1843, his name was Johann Mendel, but was changed to Gregor upon entering the monastery. Mendel was born in what is now the Czech Republic and graduated from the Philosophical Institute of the University of Olmütz and the University of Vienna.

From 1854-1856 Mendel used peas to study patterns of inheritance, in order to see the passing of traits throughout generations. In order to do this the plants were cross-pollinated, which entails the mixed breeding of plants. Through this system plants will produce 'offspring' with characteristics of both 'parents'.

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Fred L. Hatch attended the University of Illinois, where he was a member of the 2nd graduating class. In August of 1873, he began building the first tower silo seen in The United States.

Standing 16 feet above ground, the silo had a thickness of 'two floorboards' with tar paper between them. The base of the silo was 8 feet below ground, it was built with the same properties as a basement during that time.

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Herbert Boyer (left), Stanley Cohen (right)

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Stanley Cohen born in 1935, is revered as an American geneticist and professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and graduated from both Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Herbert Boyer born in 1936, is known as an American biotechnologist. He was born in Derry, Pennsylvania and graduated from both Saint Vincent College and the University of Pittsburgh.

Together they transferred genes from one living organisms to another, which became a fundamental discovery for the field of genetic engineering.

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Cohen and Boyer's scientific discovery of how to transfer genes from one living organism created many opportunities has become essential to the success of many farms. This discovery was a stepping stone for the advancement of genetic engineering. The genetic modifications made to crops and organisms are made to strengthen and promote healthy growth; while also protecting the crop or organisms against preventable infections.

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Gregor Mendel is widely known for discovering and creating the law of inheritance, however this discovery was made possible through the use of cross-pollination. Recognized and heavily used by Mendel in his experiments, cross-pollination is essentially the origin of a plant's genetic components being altered. This process has led to a natural enhancement to a wide variety of plants and crops.

For instance clementines originated from sweet oranges and mandarins, through cross-pollination we now have clementines. Additionally, peppermint is a cross between a spearmint and water mint plant.

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The silo is an essential part of a farm, it ensures the storage and health of grain throughout and after harvesting season. Prior to Hatch's design, the health of the stored material was unreliable and silo's were often easily infested with rodents.

Hatch's design ensured neither the grain nor silage was lost completely to rot or spoil. Hatch emphasized that the only limitation to his silo was that the corners were known to rot and wood could be chewed through. It is through this information that silos began to transform to rounded shapes and denser material.