Along the way, Norbert helped farmers move toward a more sustainable way of farming that reduces wind and water erosion and improves crop productivity and farm profitability.

Timeline

1991

SeedMaster president and founder, Norbert Beaujot, set out to find a better way to seed all crops, including canola, without tilling the land
Developed first opener
- One-pass seed and fertilizer placement
- Sound agronomics, accurate seed placement, optimal stand establishment

1999

Launched Smart Hitch™, enabling farmers to increase yield and precision by seeding between stubble rows

2002

Developed new designs for opener, frame, and Smart Hitch
Established SeedMaster
SeedMaster re-introduced the simplified version of its frame-mounted metering tanks
Opened first manufacturing plant

2003

Sold seven machines with the new design

2004

Opened first production facility

2005

Added 15,000 square feet to manufacturing facility

2006

Developed 80-foot toolbar — largest in North America
Converted Norbert Beaujot’s family farm to SeedMaster Research Farm

2007

Developed packing force sensor technology for drills
First Master Seeders Conference

2008

Released North America’s first 90-foot seeding system — the M90
Developed narrow-fold technology for easy drill transport
Rolled out liquid fertilizer cart systems
Developed row metering system technology

2009

Unveiled Lift Kit™ technology
Introduced new packer tire technology for all SeedMaster drills (tire-in-tire)
Developed auto-adjust Packing Force Sensor™
Initiated new overlap control system named FLIP™

2010

Officially unveiled UltraPro™ canola meter

2011

Auto Zone Command™ overlap control technology introduced
Standardized extended-wear fertilizer knives
Launched new 820-bushel “Smart Cart” (Nova™ XP) with auto-lids, 10 zones, high rates, isolated air dual shoot, and weigh-scale-enhanced metering technology

2012

Unveiled enhanced overlap control and mapping technology — FLIP — launched with a full suite of Raven technology
Developed 10-zone metering system
Released North America’s first 100-foot seeding system — the M100

2013

Developed new corn meter
Standardized auto calibration (SmartCal™)
Officially released Leader SPEC™ program
Began developing new SeedMaster rate calculator app
Introduced high-capacity fans for all Nova cart technology

2014

Opened new SeedMaster Global USA hub in Kenmare, North Dakota
Released new 630-bushel, tow-between Nova XP
Introduced Smart Openers™ and Auto Lift™

2015

EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist