AgTec: A strong signal for North America
Being close - to practical experience, the people and the challenges on site. With the AgTec Centre in Minneapolis, HORSCH creates a permanent contact point for North America that combines technology, training and agronomic knowledge.
With the official opening of the new AgTec Centre in June, HORSCH set a strong example in North America. The focus: not only technology, but also exchange and knowledge transfer. The new location in Minneapolis combines training, marketing and agronomic expertise under one roof. With an area of around 36,000 square feet (approx. 3,350 m²), AgTec provides a lot of space for the training and further education of sales and service teams, the organisation of events and direct contact with customers and partners.
Central locatio
The new centre - based on the FIT Training Centre at the headquarters in Schwandorf - is a place where technical knowledge is imparted, agronomic understanding is deepened and exchange with customers, dealers and partners is encouraged. The strategically chosen location in Minneapolis - close to the international airport - offers ideal conditions for this purpose. AgTec can be reached from the airport in just 20 minutes and is also located in the heart of the Corn Belt and therefore close to many customers.
With the large hall, AgTec has enough space to present machines with large working widths indoors all year round and, thus, to carry out practical training courses. In addition to the hall, the centre offers modern training rooms, open office space for the marketing team, a catering kitchen for events and a small shop with HORSCH merchandise. The entire centre is based on proven structures from Europe - but adapted to the requirements of the North American market.
Successful start with training courses
Even before the centre was opened officially, training courses started at the end of January. In the first six weeks after the construction of the centre had been completed, more than 200 people had already been trained. The first phase focussed on the areas of service and sales. Around 120 people took part in the service training courses and around 80 in the sales training. The feedback was consistently positive. Participants praised the practical relevance, the technical depth and the good mix of theory and application. The central objective of imparting not only machine knowledge but also a deeper understanding of agronomic correlations was successfully realised.
During the event, merited sales partners were honoured: GenAG, Ag Authority and HJV Equipment Ltd. from Canada as well as Butler Machinery, Drago Indiana and Altorfer Inc. from the US. 
04 At the official opening, HORSCH presented machines that have been specifically developed for the North American market. 
CEO Lucas Horsch at the opening event.
For HORSCH's objective goes beyond technology: in the future, the dealers should not only be able to sell products, but also offer solutions. This also means that they have to be able to talk about topics such as soil structure, cultivation systems, fertilisation or crop rotation in a well-founded way. This is exactly what HORSCH's training approach aims to achieve.
Official opening
In June 2025, the centre was opened officially. For two days, AgTec was the centre of attention: first a press day with media representatives and influencers, on the following day an opening ceremony with customers, dealers and interested members of the public. The objective was not only to present the new building, but also the idea behind it. A special focus was also placed on the team on site. HORSCH specifically invests in skilled labour in North America - not only in the sales sector, but also in marketing, service and training. The presentation of the local team was therefore an important part of the programme. A highlight of the opening was the presentation of several new machines which were specially customised to the requirements of the North American market. These included a 54-row Maestro with a working width of 27 m and a row spacing of 50 cm, an Avatar with PPF system, a Tiger with a new packer system and a Joker.
Lucas Horsch – CEO HORSCH LLC:
"AgTec provides us with the opportunity to combine technology, training and agronomic knowledge under one roof. It was important to us to create a permanent contact point in North America - for customers, dealers and our teams on site. The focus is on personal contact - close to practice and the people who work with our technology. Minneapolis is centrally located in North America and is easily accessible for our network and our customers in the USA and Canada. Over the next few years, we want to make intensive use of AgTec for training courses, events and professional dialogue."
Agronomy as an important element
A central topic that runs like a thread through all training courses is agronomy. HORSCH pursues a clear approach: technology always has to be considered in an agronomic context. Machines alone are not enough - the decisive factor is how they are used in different crop rotations, in different climatic conditions and in farm structures. This understanding is particularly important in the USA and Canada with their large area of cultivable land and sometimes very different regional conditions. This is why AgTec will be much more than just a training centre in the future. It will develop into a platform for agronomic dialogue - with specialist lectures, expert days, discussion rounds and practical events. The plan is to organise a major event in the style of the Journées de La Lucine every two years.
Practical relevance will also play an increasingly important role in the training courses. In the future, it should also be possible to combine training courses with field demonstrations - to make the link between theory and application even more tangible.
Long-term strategy
The combination of customised technology, practical training and direct exchange makes it clear what the ideas behind AgTec are: combining agricultural practice and technical know-how, encouraging agronomic understanding and strengthening co-operation with customers, dealers and service partners in the USA and Canada in the long term. AgTec stands for more than just training - it is part of a long-term strategy to anchor HORSCH in North America in the long term: not as a manufacturer from Europe, but as a reliable local partner. To this end, HORSCH will continue to invest in strong teams in the future - in sales, service, training and marketing. With AgTec, HORSCH creates the basis for sustainable growth and a strong future in North America.