The Fendt flag has firmly been planted in southern Minnesota.

The Agco plant in Jackson is now the home of the Fendt brand, and Nick Farfsing said that is intentional — with the location in the heart of the Corn Belt.

Farfsing, the Fendt director of marketing for North America, was one of many Fendt and Agco team members on hand May 1 to mark the opening of the Fendt Lodge, a customer experience center which aims to become the brand’s center for customer visits, launch events, dealer meetings, factory tours and corporate gatherings.

Fendt has a long history, with origins in Marktoberdorf, Germany, and was purchased by Agco in 1997. The Jackson plant produces track tractors and Rogator models. In addition to Jackson, Minn., Fendt also has U.S. plants in Hesston, Kan., and Beloit, Kan.

Fendt Lodge’s grand opening was more than a celebration just for the Fendt brand — it was an event that brought out local, state and national representation. But most importantly, according to Eric Hansotia, chairman, president and CEO of Agco Corp., it is a celebration of and for farmers.

“We really appreciate all of our farmers that are here to help celebrate today. It’s really because of you that we built this Fendt brand home right here. None of this would have been possible without you,” Hansotia said. “You are the pioneers in the industry. You’ve had the courage and the foresight and the leadership to experiment and to try the Fendt brand.”

Farfsing envisions the Fendt Lodge, which is connected to the Jackson factory, to become a destination for travels along Interstate 90. It’s also north of Lake Okoboji, just across the border in Iowa.

“This space is all about education,” he said; “the opportunity to learn about Fendt, learn about the problems we solve for farmers. We see it also as a great opportunity to learn from farmers.”

Visitors to the Fendt Lodge can also experience “the factory — to see what a world-class factory looks like, experience the Fendt brand with a number of interactive displays and simulators so you can be behind the wheel of Fendt equipment, or you can even take a test drive on the test track,” Farfsing said.

He also sees the Fendt Lodge as a place to build community “as a place for us, our employees, for our dealers and for our farmers to come together as a community — and learn and grow together.”

Building the community is already in place as Farfsing said about 8,000 visitors annually pay a visit to the Jackson Agco plant, and “with the lodge, we hope to see 12,000 to 15,000 on an annual basis to come through.”

Check out this slideshow to experience the Fendt Lodge grand opening.