Henry Guenter contributed to The Western Producer for six years, writing the Inside Machines column on problems found in combines and service tractors.
“I used to work at Massey Ferguson for 28 years, so I had tips for people to learn,” Guenter said.
“I know about (their problems) from experience.”
Guenter tested and reviewed new equipment as a technical service manager at Massey Ferguson, which later became Agco.
He travelled extensively to farms during those years across Western Canada and 19 states.
Farmers would identify problems on their machines and Guenter would fix them.
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As a result, he decided to take his experience in machinery to print.
“I felt I had some things I could write up on, tell people some of my experiences as a farmer,” he said.
“They (readers) didn’t need books or ideas, they needed someone that’s been around the country, and I seemed to be the man.”
Guenter wrote more than 50 columns during his time with the Producer.
He wrote about how important it is to service a tractor and provided safety tips for hydrostatic drives and the basics in electrical circuits.
In 2011, the Producer helped him put together a book of his columns, which he sold to his readers.
Guenter said he felt valued as a columnist.
“They (the Producer) accepted my advice at face value and just printed (my articles) and made me feel important,” he said.
“I got a lot of feedback. In fact, (Western Producer managing editor) Michael Raine, he said mine was the most responded to than any article he was in charge of.”
