RACINE, Wis. — ​Case IH and the Great Plains Technology Center (GPTC) in Frederick, Okla., were jointly honored on May 22, 2012, with a citation from the state of Oklahoma for continuous commitment to the safety of wheat harvest workers. Presented on behalf of Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb and State Representative Don Armes, the citation noted that for the past 20 years, Case IH and GPTC have partnered “…for the promotion of harvesting safety through the ProHarvest Kickoff.”

The presentation coincided with the 2012 Case IH ProHarvest Kickoff, an annual safety training program for custom harvesting crews. “This is the 20th consecutive year we’ve held the safety training at the Great Plains Technology Center,” says Dan Renaud, the Case IH combine specialist who organizes the event. “On behalf of Case IH and GPTC, we’re honored that the state of Oklahoma recognizes and appreciates our efforts to keep custom harvesters safe.”

Renaud credits Jim Smith, the GPTC’s agricultural & machine repair instructor, for hosting the annual spring training. “It’s a half-day training which starts out with breakfast provided by the Frederick, Okla., FFA Chapter that Case IH has partnered with for many years also, on two consecutive days, and involves hundreds of custom harvester crew members, in addition to more than two dozen Case IH employees there to answer questions. Every year, Jim opens his doors to us for the duration.”

According to Renaud, the goal of the ProHarvest Kickoff is to get crew members thinking about safety before the harvest season starts. “Usually between 70 to 80 percent of the attendees are on their first harvest run. Many are young, between 18 and 23 years old,” he explains. “So we review combine safety procedures and show safety videos and photos to remind them that no one is invincible, no matter how young and strong they are.”

Case IH is the only major agricultural equipment manufacturer that offers this type of safety training for this important combine harvesting segment, most of which are members of the U.S. Custom Harvesters Association, which also involves combine operation and productivity training. “The ProHarvest Kickoff training has always welcomed all brands,” Renaud says. “We don’t care what color combine you run. Everyone is welcome. Combine safety is our ultimate goal.”

The term ProHarvest refers to the Case IH ProHarvest support program that has been supporting the wheat harvest for over 25 years. This effort currently includes two, company trained four-man teams equipped with support trailers loaded up with Case IH parts, test equipment and service tooling that follow the custom harvesters on their months-long run every year, from the starting point at the Texas/Oklahoma border north to the Canadian border. The Case IH ProHarvest teams support local dealerships, make sure combine parts are stocked and keep the custom cutters rolling. 

​Case IH is a global leader in agricultural equipment, committed to collaborating with its customers to develop the most powerful, productive, reliable equipment – designed to meet today’s agricultural challenges. Challenges like feeding an expanding global population on less land, meeting ever-changing government regulations and managing input costs. With headquarters in the United States, Case IH has a network of dealers and distributors that operates in over 160 countries. Case IH provides agricultural equipment systems, flexible financial service offerings and parts and service support for professional farmers and commercial operators through a dedicated network of professional dealers and distributors. Productivity enhancing products include tractors; combines and harvesters; hay and forage equipment; tillage tools; planting and seeding systems; sprayers and applicators; site-specific farming tools and utility vehicles. Case IH is a brand of CNH (NYSE: CNH), a majority-owned subsidiary of Fiat Industrial S.p.A. (FI.MI).​

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