July 27, 2023 was a day to remember, filled with nostalgia, but also with promise and a nod to the future. Brad Lieser of Tipton, Iowa, was getting two new, lime-green Steiger tractors.
Twenty years earlier, Lieser and his father, Kirk, wanted a front-wheel assist tractor and decided on a Steiger ST310, which continues to be used on their farm today.
“We were going to update a lot of machinery all at once in 2021,” recalls Lieser. “I was visiting with Nathan Wilhelm, territory sales manager, and I told him I wanted a green Steiger” — not the medium green of the other big tractor company, but the signature lime green of the original Steigers.”
It took a lot of planning to make it happen, but finally, the day arrived. Lieser and six members of his operation went to Fargo, North Dakota, to see their tractors being built on the line.
“They were actually just being finished, and my two sons got to drive them off the line,” says Lieser. As if that weren’t exciting enough, Case IH had planned a 90th birthday party for Douglass Steiger at the same time. Steiger, along with his brother, Maurice, and their father, John, were the creators of the Steiger tractor. To meet their farming needs, the sons/father team built the first Steiger tractor in an abandoned dairy barn during the winter of 1957-58.
Jim Droll, sales representative at Kunau Implement Co. in DeWitt, Iowa, didn’t tell the Lieser family that Mr. Steiger would be present when they went to the plant to get their tractors. The surprise celebration just added to the excitement of the trip.
“The crew at the Fargo [North Dakota] plant went above and beyond to make this special for our customer,” says Droll. “I want to thank them for that.”
“We thought we were just touring the plant when we arrived, but the Steiger #1 was parked at the front of the plant, and there were signs welcoming us,” says Lieser. “Douglass and his three daughters were there, and after we toured the plant in the morning, there was a birthday party for Doug.”
“All the people at Case IH have been so nice to my dad and my family,” says MaJeana Hallstrom, one of Douglass’s daughters. On the day of the event, she says her dad was “very honored,” and he appreciated the celebration of his legacy.
Following the birthday lunch, the Steigers were given a VIP tour of the manufacturing facility by Plant Manager Jason Hausauer. “It was special because people came off the line and would tell him, ‘Thank you for creating this job for me and for making this tractor,’” Hallstrom says. “It was very meaningful for everyone involved.”
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Bringing back a classic
Lieser was thrilled to meet the man who originated the Steiger tractor and excited to see the two new Steigers that would return to his farm.
He runs a family row crop and cow-calf operation with his father, Kirk; his wife, Bobbie; their three children, Jesse, Kelley and Lucas; his cousin, Dan; and his father-in-law, Bob Stubbs. They grow corn and soybeans on about 4,000 acres in east-central Iowa.
“The Case IH company, our dealer, Kunau Implement in DeWitt, Iowa, and our salesman, Jim Droll went above and beyond to make these tractors happen and make this a special event,” says Lieser’s wife, Bobbie.
“When I see our tractors in the field, it’s a cool sense of pride to know we have something different from everybody else,” says Lieser. “It’s a positive experience all the way around.”
Family ties
MaJeana Hallstrom was a little girl when the first Steiger was built in the barn-turned-shop on her family’s farm in Minnesota. As a young adult, she began to realize her dad and her uncle, Maurice, were unique innovators who had a special gift for building farm equipment –— almost celebrities in the tractor business.
As a case in point, Hallstrom recalls a conversation from a Case IH event in March last year.
“One of the dealers told my sister and me, ‘My wife asked me what the big deal was about meeting Mr. Steiger. I told her to compare it to her meeting Brad Pitt!’” says Hallstrom with a laugh.
Case IH also put together a special 90th birthday tribute video, including interviews with family members and Mr. Steiger himself. Watch it here.
Now, Hallstrom shares her family’s legacy through the Steiger Heritage Club, for which she serves as president. To learn more about the iconic tractor this family developed and how Case IH is continuing to build upon its storied past, go to: https://www.steigerheritageclub.com/
