Mississippi farm implement maker works with local power company to harvest profit from liquid-to-powder switch
When a farm implement company switches from liquid to powder coating, it not only reduces paint VOCs, but also eliminates waste and oven emissions—with the help of the local electric utility.
In 1964, C.J. Howse decided it was time to start making his own farm equipment after years of working for somebody else in the industry. So he did just that in the backyard of his home in Laurel, smack dab in the Pine Belt of eastern Mississippi. A mechanic, Howse had been raised in the industry by his father who sold and serviced tractors. With his own experience making, selling, and marketing rotary cutters and tillers, disc harrows, and other widely used farm implements, C.J. seized his opportunity with a loan from the local bank and started his new venture. “He got together with local people who could do the fabrication,” said son Ben Howse. “And they started fabricating, painting, and assembling the equipment. We’ve been growing ever since then.”