[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 91 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      175TH ANNIVERSARY OF CASE IH AGRICULTURE AND FARM EQUIPMENT

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate the 175th 
anniversary of Case IH Agriculture and Farm Equipment and to recognize 
its outstanding commitment and contribution to Wisconsin's economy.
  Mr. Jerome Increase Case, born in 1819 in western New York, was well 
acquainted with agricultural equipment even as a young man. Case 
provided threshing services to local farms and realized at the young 
age of 16 that farming techniques needed improvement after witnessing a 
demonstration of an early threshing machine that could thresh more in 
one hour than a man could all day. After settling in Wisconsin in the 
early 1840s, Case build his first thresher-separator in Rochester, WI, 
but when the town refused to let Case draw electricity from the local 
mill, Case loaded his invention into a wagon and headed to Racine, WI.
  The J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company was founded in 1842 at a time 
when Racine's tallest building was the local grain elevator. By 1848, 
the company was Racine's largest employer. As a true pioneer in the 
field of agricultural equipment, J.I. Case manufactured the first steam 
engine tractor in 1869. The Old No. 1 is still on display at the 
Smithsonian Institution. Although it was mounted on wheels, it was 
still drawn by horses. The first self-propelled steam engine followed 
in 1876.
  Case machines were first transported beyond U.S. borders in 1871 and 
won first prize at the Paris Exposition. By 1886, Case became the 
largest producer of steam engines in the world.
  During World War II, the company's plants manufactured aircraft 
wings, aircraft towing tractors, artillery shells, and doors for the 
Sherman tank. In fact, the company's 1942 centennial was celebrated 7 
years late because of the war.
  In 1985, Case IH became the Nation's second-largest farm equipment 
manufacturer after J.I. Case purchased the agricultural division of 
International Harvest and the business legacies of two major equipment 
companies were united under one company. In 1999, Case IH merged with 
New Holland Ag to form a parent company, CNH Global, although equipment 
was still produced under the Case IH name. Since the merger, Case has 
remained at the forefront of the farming industry, seeking new ways to 
adapt to the changing trends. In 2010, Case IH created the world's 
first tractor to meet the tier 4 emissions requirements of the 
Environmental Protection Agency. Case IH Agriculture and Farm Equipment 
currently works with more than 4,900 dealers and distributes products 
in more than 160 countries.
  As one of Wisconsin's founding manufacturers, Case has been a major 
contributor to Wisconsin's farming legacy. Over the past 175 years, 
this proud company has provided jobs for countless Wisconsin families 
and economic growth for the State I am so proud to represent.
  I offer my sincere congratulations to Case leadership and workers as 
they celebrate 175 years of business, and I wish them the very best for 
many more years of success in Racine and around the world.

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