There’s probably nothing worse than watching money leave your pocket and feeling there’s nothing you can do about it. Fortunately, in the case of Steve Kastning, he believed there was something he could do about the losses he was incurring.
While combining his lentil crops during harvests, Kastning noted with increasing alarm the amount of lentils that would sit and shake on his combine’s cutter bar and fall to the ground. Lentils that aren’t harvested won’t be sold. After expressing his frustration to his wife, Chrisa, she challenged him to find a way to solve the problem. Motivated to find a practical and cost-effective solution, Kastning embarked on a journey to create a versatile attachment that could be easily adapted for different crops.
Today, Duck Foot Parts, which he co-owns with Chrisa, manufactures a unique paddle tine from the company’s plant in Saskatoon, which solves the problem of combine header loss. The tine – shaped like a duck’s foot – can now be found on farms across North America as well as Australia, Germany, France and Latvia. This innovative solution to a common issue experienced on farms just goes to show how Saskatchewan continues to be a world leader in agriculture technology.
“I just started tinkering with a little piece of PVC plastic and I knew that I wanted to clip it right on the reel pipe because there were others out there that you had to remove and replace the actual factory tine,” explained Kastning. “I used them once before and they didn’t work very well. It’s very time consuming to put those tines on and then take them off. I wanted to go with something that would slide right over the existing tine and clip onto the pipe. That’s how it all started.”
After some trial and error, Kastning found someone who could create CAD drawings of his new innovation. He then took those drawings to a company that could 3D print them to get the prototype exactly the way he wanted it before investing in plastic injection molds.
Convinced he had a workable idea, Kastning began testing them on his own farm. The prototype worked well but when they ran into more challenging terrain, some would come off. He shared his prototype with a few farmer friends and one suggested that Kastning cut an edge on the sides of the Duck Foot™ and then attach a zip tie.
That alteration vastly improved the product’s effectiveness, so Kastning had a few more people test the device, and the results were promising. At that time, Kastning was limiting production because he wanted to make sure all the bugs were eliminated before selling it on a larger scale.
One of his friends who was testing the device thought it worked so well that Kastning should start marketing it, even though he was still a bit hesitant at this stage.
“My friend said, ‘You should put them on Twitter anyways.’ I didn’t have a Twitter account. He said, ‘Well, do you mind if I put them on Twitter?’. I said go ahead and that was in 2017. A farmer from Australia reached out to him on Twitter and he gave him my number and he called me.”
It turns out that the Australian farmer had a large farm operation and also sold MacDon headers and parts. After a couple of conversations, the farmer placed an order for several pallets of Duck Foot™ paddle tines, and the company’s first official sale was completed – even if it was half a world away. Because of this connection, Duck Foot Parts’ access to a new market kickstarted their success. It’s truly a perfect example of the importance of sharing Saskatchewan’s story with the world.
Encouraged by the results, Kastning took his invention to the 2018 Canada Farm Progress Show in Regina. His booth created a real buzz and there were plenty of sales. To top it off, he received a Sterling Innovation Award, which recognizes innovations that result in productivity improvements on farms.
“That was kind of a pivotal moment when we realized that we had something,” explained Kastning. “Initially, I decided that I would sell to neighbors, friends, and some people in my own area, and that it would help out on my own farm. After that show there was a moment when we realized that we better start going a little harder at it.”
Soon afterwards, they launched their website and developed a comprehensive marketing plan that included advertising and attending trade shows. Up until that time, the company was producing parts in the United States, but growing challenges, including logistical and high shipping costs, convinced Kastning to look closer to home. They found a manufacturer in Edmonton and that worked well for several years, but increasing product demand made him look at moving the manufacturing process in-house.
During that same period, the Kastnings had a chance encounter with a long-time specialist in plastic injection molds who suggested that if the company ever wanted to create its own manufacturing plant, he would be interested in coming on board as a partner. That combination of events led them to open their own manufacturing plant, DFP Manufacturing, in 2023. Now the company has complete control over production, quality, and shipping.
Although products have been sold internationally for several years now, Kastning said he is placing special emphasis on the Brazilian market. The country is well-know for its soybean production and his tines would have a significant financial impact on farmers in that country. However, that opportunity also faces import fees, challenges in developing product support, and high taxes. Kastning is looking to establish local manufacturing partnerships to overcome these challenges.
Kastning added that Saskatchewan is a great place to conduct business and credits the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) – the province’s export development agency – and an overall supportive business climate in the province for helping the company’s success.
He is looking forward to a productive 2024 with further development of its American distribution network, expanding into other European countries that are showing interest, while continuing to scale up production at the Saskatoon plant.
“There are a lot of businesses just in the Saskatoon area who are looking at us now to do their manufacturing locally, rather than having it done overseas. It’s looking really good and it’s great to be based in Saskatchewan.”
What started out as one person’s mission to solve a particular problem, now has the potential to impact the agriculture industry not only in Saskatchewan, but worldwide. The future sure does look bright for Duck Foot Parts.