About Us

Show-Me Shortline Company

Show-Me Shortline Company was founded in 1996 with vision of creating a farm equipment company to help farmers with productivity and profitability. Chris Finck began the company after working on the family farm for most of his life and completing an agricultural degree at the University of Missouri, Columbia. The company began as an import/export wholesale distributor of farm equipment. Regions covered at that time were Australia and New Zealand on the export side, as well as the Midwestern region of the United States on the import side. In 2006 he imported his first Grain Bagging Equipment, which was used/tested on Chris’s farm in Centralia, MO. This was instrumental in developing the grain bagging method in the Midwest and continues to expand across the United States.

Staff

SMS currently employs 4 full-time sales staff, 2 office staff, and operates a warehouse that is staffed by 3 people. SMS is also affiliated with other reputable independent representatives in other territories outside of the mid west.

Premises

SMS built a new warehouse that became operational in September of 2008 at 1302 E Rowland. The warehouse is situated on 34 acres inside the city limits of Centralia, MO, owned by Finck Properties LLC and will allow any future expansion.

Wheat-Belt Industries

Since 1919, Wheat-Belt has been successful in aligning itself with quality farm equipment manufacturers from USA, Italy, Spain, and Argentina. Wheat-Belt Industries operates from a site just outside Calgary, Alberta at Balzac.

Wheat-Belt is the premier Distributor for Tube-Line Balewrappers and Sunfilm silage film to Dealers in Western Canada and North Central USA. Wheat-Belt also distributes lines of mid-size equipment such as spraying equipment and tractor attachments. A significant investment in inventory has been made to provide stock when it's needed.

Hay handling equipment, sprayers for ATV's, rotary tillers and post-hole digger augers are some of the other products supplied to dealers in Western Canada. The Richiger grain bagging system, along with Plastar Silobolsa grain bags have become an important addition to the product offering.

Wheat-Belt also stocks parts for a number of farm equipment manufacturers. If you don't see it on the site, call us. We can probably assist you.

This family run business features a dedicated staff and has many years of experience in agricultural and industrial product application and service. As our inventory continues to expand and our product range broadens, Wheat-Belt will continue to deliver the quality products and service that they've become famous for.

Wheat-Belt History/Background

United Engines and Threshers Limited was incorporated in 1919 at Calgary, Alberta to market steel- rimmed tractors (Engines) and threshing machines. In the mid 1950's the name was changed to Wheat- Belt Industries to better reflect the range of products sold. These products included grain augers, grain cleaners, grain dryers and cultivators. The well- respected Wheat-Belt name remains and the addition of grain bagging and unloading equipment has made the name more applicable.

In 1978, D.A.G. Investments Ltd. was incorporated to enter into a corporate partnership with Chanceford Developments Limited to operate Wheat-Belt Industries. In 1985, the name changed to Vicon Wheat-Belt to reflect a third corporate partner. In 1988, the partnership was dissolved allowing D.A.G. to assume 100% ownership. A move to leased premises took place and Don and Terry Grasley resumed operations as Wheat-Belt Industries.

New Premises Support Growth

After 15 years at a leased warehouse, the company ownership acquired it's own premises. A 5 acre property fronting on to Highway #2, Alberta's main north-south corridor north of Calgary City limits, was purchased. The property is located in the Hamlet of Balzac. The excellent highway exposure combined with the easy access to highways in all four directions makes this location highly desirable. In addition to the great new location, the new, 12,000 square foot building provides room for shipping, receiving and assembling inventory and for storage.

Richiger

The company was founded in 1959 by Maximus Richiger, the descendant of Swiss immigrants who arrived to Argentina at the turn of the century, in the town of Sunchales in the Northern province of Santa Fe. It initiated its business activities as a metal works shop that was commissioned as a parts supplier by Rotania, a firm also based in Sunchales and manufacturer in 1929 of the first commercial self-propelled combine harvester ever produced. Corn headers were built serially for this company, and simultaneously the design and development of Richiger’s own models began.

In this way, the 60’s decade saw Richiger build its first pull-type forage harvester, helping advancement of forage collection and storage techniques in the burgeoning diary farm regions of Cordoba and Santa Fe in Argentina. This initial model paved the way for other lines of machinery and projected the Richiger name brand onto the national scene.

In those years the workshop covered an approximate surface of 500 square meters and skilled craftsmen manned the whole industrial operation. Richiger’s ensuing commercial success permitted expansion and organization of the specialized sectors that compose its modern day manufacturing facilities.

Nowadays Richiger, as an international leader in the fast growing field of grain bag storage and handling, exports its products to all parts of the world.