By: Taylor Graveline
Long before he became the Emerging Innovator of the Year 2025 awardee, Jeremy Matuszewski spent 12 years rattling around North America’s roads selling farm equipment. Those miles exposed a stubborn paradox of farm shops brimming with clever farmer-invented parts, yet a lot of them never reach beyond a county line. Meanwhile, the farmer’s cost side of the ledger was growing brutal. According to the latest USDA figures, fertilizer alone has absorbed as much as 44% of the operating budget for corn and wheat growers since 2020. In that climate, any tool that buys time or trims diesel consumption is a game-changer.
“Launching unknown innovative products takes thinking outside of the box,” Matuszewski recalls of those early years of persuading inventors to let him haul their products to the next Farm Show. In 2013, he converted that improvisation into a business plan and founded Thunderstruck Ag in Winkler, Manitoba. The company would serve as an amplifier and matchmaker—so the farmer who solved a local headache could help a producer twelve time zones away and get paid for it. “The farmers who have invented these products as well as the farmers who are using them both win,” he says.
Why “Designed by Farmers, for Farmers” Matters More Than Ever
Thunderstruck’s rallying cry isn’t marketing fluff but a practical edge. “Farmers know the challenges they face on their farms better than anyone. Their solutions are practical, tested, and built to work in real-world conditions around the globe,” Matuszewski says.
One proof sits in the planter row: the Mudsmith Spoked Gauge Wheel, first welded in South Dakota, vents muck so efficiently that growers credit it with more consistent seed depth and fewer weather delays. On the harvest side, the Razor Edge Concaves—profiled early this year by Real Agriculture—logged test runs in Australia before crossing to North America, where operators back off rotor speed, cut fuel, and still push ground speed higher.
The Truth About Innovation in Agriculture
Outside observers often assume breakthroughs spring from multinational R&D labs. Matuszewski disagrees: “People often think innovation comes from big corporations, but it’s often happening on farmers’ fields and in their workshops.” Thunderstruck’s model validates that claim. Once a shop‑born fix proves itself, the firm locks down quality and plugs the part into a dealer web now serving farmers around the world. Inventors keep their patents and draw royalties; fellow growers buy solutions already stress‑tested by weather, dust, and 3 a.m. breakdowns.
Award-Winning Ingenuity and a Ripple Effect
That grassroots philosophy earned headline recognition in March 2025, when Canada’s Farm Show named Matuszewski Emerging Innovator of the Year, honoring “an up‑and‑coming leader who has already changed the game.” Judges cited his knack for unconventional marketing, his mentorship of farmer‑inventors, and the Razor Edge Concave’s patented design—proof that practical ideas, once amplified, can lift yields and livelihoods worldwide. Matuszewski views the accolade less as a personal trophy and more as validation of Thunderstruck’s wider impact.
Building a Business Guided by Farmer Values
Keeping this enterprise running means borrowing from farm values for office rules. Matuszewski cites four factors that anchor every decision: accountability, ambition, collaboration, and loyalty.
“Farmers have taught me the importance of listening and hard work,” he notes. Their candid feedback shapes Thunderstruck’s products and its culture—one that stays “adaptable and willing to work harder than anyone else.”
The business model is equally farmer‑centric. Inventors keep their intellectual property while Thunderstruck handles manufacturing, marketing, and distribution through a global dealer network. Royalties flow back to the originator, which creates a virtuous cycle of continual refinement.
A Thousand More Ideas
Twelve years after its founding, Thunderstruck Ag ships to five continents and fields a pipeline ranging from farmer-invented spoked gauge wheels to portable fertilizer hoppers. Yet Jeremy insists the company is only getting started: “There are a thousand more brilliant ideas out there. Our job is to make sure the people who need them can find them.”
Experience farmer-invented products designed to close the innovation gap one weld at a time, as Thunderstruck Ag hauls its traveling showcase on a 27-stop tour this year. The next stop kicks off at the Cypress Farm & Ranch in Medicine Hat (June 12–14) and culminates at Agritechnica in Hanover (Nov 9–15), with farmer-born solutions taking center stage at each event. Visit their Trade Shows page for the full schedule and see these innovations up close.
Got a farm shop invention looking for its big break? Thunderstruck Ag is already scouting the next generation of farmer‑built breakthroughs.
Published by Jeremy S.
