HARTUNG BROTHERS, INC.
MADISON, WI

Hartung Brothers, Inc. - Muncie Illinois Seed Production and Distribution Plant Hartung Brothers, Inc. History 101 In the years before the mega bean contracts, the Texas seed operations, even before the Arena office, the Hartung Family was known for its hard work ethics taught by their parents - Galen and Lorna Hartung. Although many stories could be told of the way Mr. and Mrs. Hartung raised their children, the one that will stand-out is that "hard work will always pay-off". With the "books" being started early in life all the children were taught the value of a dollar and a good loan officer, from the first day they could hold a job outside the home. Whether it was mowing lawns, sweeping floors at the Co-op or selling Amway door-to-door - anything you wanted could be yours, if you were willing to work for it. I knew these folks were serious when I got a bill for school clothes and I was only in the 6th grade! The "free-ride" was over early on for the Hartung children, from that time on the loving respect and low interest loans, were what the kids would come to expect from Mom and Dad. When we talk about the early history of Hartung Brothers, Inc. it is important to understand the environment the players come from. This Company is very much a family business rooted in the work ethic handed to it by the former Chairman of the Board (C.O.B.) Galen Hartung. In the years just before incorporation, 1975, the history of the Company would be traced back to two young men still in their high school days and both at the formative age of 17. Don and Dan, twin brothers, did everything together. Working jobs together, like cleaning the offices at the local feed mill in Cottage Grove, WI or working the Amway route their Mother helped them set-up, at that time they could not drive. But going past the twins’ willingness to work together, there were other players in the mix as well. Robert Hartung who could drive, Randy Hartung who was young enough to be willing to do anything and a new element Gayle Ann Hartung, the oldest daughter, brought home a boyfriend by the name of Jim Noltner. By now it was clear that Dan Hartung had a knack for finding work needing to be done, he was just lacking someone to do it! Don and Dan had been working at the "Corn Palace" in Cottage Grove, WI, a grain drier complex operated by the local Co-op (Cenex) which was managed by Galen Hartung. Now you might think this was set-up by the elder Hartung, but in most cases it was just the opposite. You see, Galen had a policy that forbids family members from working for him. But the Corn Palace manager needed help sampling corn and cleaning dryers. The "boys" were very dependable. So as long as they were not around when Galen was, then everything would be just fine. Well, Dan made a lot of contacts working there and at other Ag related operations in the area. He saw a need for a "custom farming" business doing the work a lot of farmers didn’t have time to do or couldn’t do themselves. During the mid 70’s agriculture was in the middle of a boom period, that was putting a lot of acres, that were formally in the "Soil Bank" into production. Dan saw a need and Don knew they could fill it. In early 1974, the boys rented 40 acres of land between Cottage Grove and Madison to raise field corn, using borrowed or rented equipment to till and plant the field. They didn’t have a combine yet, but what the heck, they wouldn’t need one for 110 days any ways, they had time. Along with the 40 acres of corn, they had also rented a garage and purchased 40 pigs and 4 steers to raise, I think Don lost a bet! This is where the others begin to work into the picture. With the different jobs Don and Dan had (and remember they were still going to high school -juniors), they needed help from time to time. Feeding the hogs was one thing, cleaning their pens was Randy’s job. Dan really loved running the planter, but it was Jim Noltner who ran the combine during the day and worked for his Dad at the Bridge Lounge in Monona at nights. No one was better at plowing a field than Don, I heard him say that many times, but it was Steve and John Hartung who picked the stones on the weekends that helped to get the field work done. Back then, as now it seems, the more that got done the more that could get done and like I said, "Dan had a knack for finding work". In the Winter of ‘74 - ‘75, after the successful harvest of the 40 acres of corn, the little piggies were off to market and the steers were in someone’s freezer, the talk then turned to next year and what the future would hold for these farming want-a-be’s from Cottage Grove. This is when Galen saw a real need to get some order to things and suggested incorporating all the family's talents into one Company, Hartung Brothers, Inc., to make best use of all their assets and limit their liabilities, he always talked like that in meetings. The founding stockholders were: Robert Hartung, Don Hartung, Dan Hartung, Jim Noltner and Galen Hartung. The balance of the shareholders "bought-in" to the Company when age would allow, those members are (in order of membership) Randy Hartung; Steve Hartung; John Hartung; Tara Hartung-McDonald; James Hartung and Gayle Noltner. At this time (1996) all of the shareholders are still active board members and meet on a regular basis. In the Spring of ‘75, with the "Corporation" formed, Dan got to work putting deals together with area farmers to do custom work as well as renting 800 acres of land for cash corn production. This would require equipment like tractors, planters and crop inputs, which would require cash. Galen would prove a big help in getting the start-up money by co-signing the note (loan) at the bank, remember, Don & Dan were not 18 yet and still in school, or at least supposed to be. So with the first hurdle out of the way, Don and Dan began shopping for supplies, Don fell for a John Deere 4-wheel drive tractor (7520) and sold Dan on the idea that a tractor of this size (the first of its kind in Wisconsin) would be needed to plow the new land coming into production. And so the first piece of farm equipment was purchased from Farmers Implement in Madison. The first time I saw an I-H air planter was when Dan brought it to the field behind the new I-H 100 Hydro tractor to plant with that Spring.