Training horses, raising stock cattle and of course makin’ hay was the way of life for Tyler Schiferl when he was growing up on his family’s ranch in Northeast Nebraska. Schiferl understands both the joys and hardships that accompany ranching and feels blessed to be able to help innovate cutting-edge, quality equipment to help get the job done on ranches and farms all around North America as well as on his home front.

“As a ranch kid from Nebraska who grew up putting up a lot of hay and cowboying, I have a high appreciation for ranching, farming and the kind of products that we build to support that culture,” said Schiferl.

Circling in on his 12th year with Vermeer as a product engineer, Schiferl has had the opportunity to work on developing a variety of Vermeer products. One of his most recent and exciting experiences was the chance to get to work with a team at Vermeer on the ZR5-1200 self-propelled baler. Seeing the ZR5-1200 solve customer issues, just as it was designed to do, has been a rewarding experience for Schiferl.

“I was just with a customer yesterday helping to start up a machine. As we were out in the field, I asked him why he made this investment. He said, ‘My kids who are my help are starting to move away, and I don’t have the help that I used to. I need machinery like this to help me do my job.’ The customer also mentioned that he has had to turn down a lot of small fields in the past because it’s not practical for him to get in there and turn around, but now with this machine he can take those jobs.”

“It’s really cool to see some of our original intent behind the design come to fruition and meet the needs of customers.”

Back home on the ranch, Schiferl’s family has shared in the excitement of his work on the ZR5-1200.

“My dad is very engineering-minded as well so he loves hearing about what I’m doing at Vermeer. My sister and brother-in-law have gotten to drive it and run it, and my dad is eager to get his chance. They appreciate what I’m doing.”

The unveiling of the ZR5-1200 at Husker Harvest Days in 2017 signaled a revolutionary way of makin’ hay, but according to Schiferl, his work with the ZR5-1200 isn’t complete.

“Not only do I support production as they’re building the machines and support the sales and service team as new machines are going to the field, but most importantly, I’m looking forward to future innovations around the ZR5-1200 and discovering what the future holds,” said Schiferl.

Schiferl feels grateful to be doing what he’s doing knowing the impact the engineering innovations he helps develop here at Vermeer have within the agricultural industry.

“I’m blessed that I love what I do and if I could pick any product to be working on right now, it would be this one.”

When Tyler was asked about what features on the ZR5-1200 he believes customers will appreciate the most, he said:

1. Ride comfort
2. Field maneuverability
3. Operation enjoyment