Howard Hay Company changes hands, still family owned

LITCHFIELD - It’s all about family and Agriculture for the Howard and Bakko family.

After 52 years, there is a new chapter turning over for the familiar Howard company, known as V.C. Howard Hay Co. and Howard Transpiration headquartered out of Litchfield since 1967.

The V.C. Howard Hay Company was started by Vic and Dorothy Howard. In 1998, Brad and Michele Howard took over operations along with Brent and Ronda Howard. The company continued to offer hay grinding, hauling of distillers and compost hauling and corn grinding with their state of the art equipment that served all the needs of their customers since 1967. Now some of the families they are working with are the second generation on the family farms in the 150 mile radius the business serves. Along with the family farmer, the Howards also work with the large capacity feedlots in the area.

Now looking to retire, the Howards have teamed up with

Bakko Bros, whose home base is in Glenwood, Minn. Bakko Bros. is owned by Loren and Carmen Bakko and Steve Bakko along with Loren and Carmen’s daughters Rachel, Ashley and Emily and Rachel’s husband Austin. But don’t think for one minute you are losing a family business! The Bakko Bros. is all about family, too.

With boots in Nebraska, the Bakko sisters Ashley and Rachel, along with Rachel’s husband Austin, are a integral part of the Litchfield operation. Teaming up with the Howards opened up an opportunity for the Bakko line to get parts closer to their customers, since the majority of their customers of the

Haybuster product line are in Nebraska!

Ashley, in her early twenties feels, like she has been around the business for some time, “If I wanted to see my Dad, I would go to work with him. He trusts us. That is why he sent us here. I strive to be like him one day,” Ashley professed.

Thinking back in the summer of 2019, the future of the company and retirement, the Howards put out the thought about contacting Bakko Brothers and now the new team is in place.

Getting parts from Minnesota to the new building here in Nebraska is a valuable asset to save time in getting much needed parts when a breakdown happens.

The Litchfield business will now be known as Howard Hay Company. Brad and Michele will be staying around for a few more years to make sure the transition is smooth.

“We wanted to make sure our customers would be taken care of and also our employees and community,” Brad stated. “And that is exactly what we have found.”

“They are like one of us,” he added. “Ashley, Rachel and Austin don’t sit around. They just jump in and help.”

All the machines are well taken care of with inside storage and are serviced in the shop. With the used oil, they heat their entire building. From engine repair to total rebuild, oil changes, tire repair, welding, the shop does it all with many of the employees being in their position for over 10 years.

The shop also services the many pieces of equipment for the company, along with other customers who bring their machines to Howards, including the NAPA parts store with the inventory to complete repairs in a timely manner.

In the day, V.C. Howard Hay and Howard Transportation would employ 70 employees. The Transportation business was transitioned in 2018 and now Howard Hay employs 23 full time employees. That number increases up to as many as 40 during harvest.

The Howards are very proud of what their company has done over the past 52 years. They give credit to the quality of employees that work for them. They put in the hours when the hours are needed to service the customer. Their slogan is “Beef is best” and this is a company that walks the walk when serving the Ag Producers of Central Nebraska.

Donnis Hueftle-Bullock Brad Howard, right, and Ashley Bakko admire the Haybuster Equipment working on location grinding.

Donnis Hueftle-Bullock A piece of history! At right is a photo taken of another photo that hangs in the offices of the Howard Hay Company. In the 1967 photo, Vic Howard is shown in 1967 with his first machine. It was grinding 15 ton per hour and that was a very good average! Current machines , if grinding good dry quality alfalfa now, are 50+ ton per hour with the average overall at 35 ton per hour. In the busy season, the machines are out seven days a week to make sure Ag clients have the feed they need.

Donnis Hueftle-Bullock At right, a large bale of hay looks small as it’s dropped into a grinder with a Haybuster machine.

Donnis Hueftle-Bullock John Veeder, pictured above, manages the tire shop. Just like keeping the engines running, the tires need to keep rolling down the road. For the past 10 years, Veeder has been keeping the Howard fleet repaired along with other customers from the Litchfield area.

Above: Always looking for ways to keep the equipment clean and in the best condition, the team at Howards developed, in their shop years ago, the wheel cover to keep hay from being packed into wheel wells while grinding.

Courtesy With boots on the ground in Nebraska, getting the parts department stocked to serve the Bakko Bros. Nebraska customers are Ashley, Rachel and Austin standing in front of the new sign. The sign was made in the Howards welding shop on Hwy. 2.

Donnis Hueftle-Bullock Lower right: After being ground in the Haybuster grinder, the feed is loaded into a waiting semi.

Always building, the welding shop just completed the new sign for the Bakko parts location along Hwy. 2. Pictured below are Judson Burns and Chance Schukei.