IT’S NOT SURPRISING that agricultural equipment designs used in sustainable farming systems were often created on the kitchen table. Many prototypes of brand-name tools used for no-till and minimum-till crop production were born when innovative farmers saw a need for certain technologies not available from traditional market sources — and they “built it themselves.”

More than a few well-known agricultural companies can trace their history to farm shops. I know this has been the case in the United States and Canada — and it is also true in my region of northwest Italy.

I like to think I am a good example of how frustration in the field can lead to positive results for the agricultural industry. In this case, it encouraged me to design, develop and patent the low-disturbance Quasar air seeder, which features Collovati opener technology — a unique wide sweep that combines seed and fertilizer placement with minimal disturbance of the soil terrain.

After several years of field research and market development — and a couple “false starts” — my company, Technoagricola, was acquired by the Tonutti Group in January of 2008.

Tonutti S.P.A., founded in 1864, is Italy’s leading innovator of agricultural technology, with a long history in hay equipment. Just recently, Tonutti USA, a division of the company, expanded its headquarters in Memphis, Tenn. We expect to begin…