The story of Harms Grain Equipment begins years ago in Crystal Lake, IL when Gail Harms first opened his doors for business and started the company's rich history in the farming industry.

Gail returned from World War II, a twice wounded veteran of the Pacific Theater’s Philippines Campaign, to finish his Agricultural Sciences degree at the University of Illinois.  After graduating he returned to his home town and became a teacher.  It was not long after that he realized that there was a gap in the grain equipment industry for a company that could offer something he coined “full service grain products solutions”.  Gail envisioned a company that would sell brand new equipment, build and install that equipment, and then offer to buy that equipment back when the farmer wanted to upgrade and modernize.  Well years later that same motto is still the cornerstone of Harms Grain and continues to be the driving force and foundation.

Paul and Patty, Gail’s son and daughter-in-law, purchased the company from in 1992 Gail in what Paul once called “a very good business offer.”  To provide a seamless transition, Gail told Paul, “Well, son, you worked for me for 15 years, and now I’ll do the same 15 years for you.”  Paul, who earned a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Illinois, took the helm along with his wife Patty, who earned a B.A. in Education and a minor in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, became the office manager.  One year after purchasing Harms Grain, Paul and Patty moved the company to its current location in Marengo, IL.

Today Harms Grain Equipment works with farms in the third and forth generations of the original farmers that first started working with Gail along with the new generation of greenhorns to farming just stepping into the industry.  No matter if you are a new customer or one that had been with Harms Grain from the start, all our customers receive the same personal service and customer care with customized grain solutions that have been the staple of Harms Grain Equipment for six decades.