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BCS Dedicated to Helping Organic Growers

September 1, 2021

5 Min Read
BCS Dedicated to Helping Organic Growers

BCS has earned an excellent reputation for manufacturing the highest quality of tractors that can handle all sorts of jobs in any season, and Marketing Manager Ryan Bucher notes that the company’s core business is based on small-scale farming.

“We’re here to reduce the physical effort required and increase the enjoyment of those who plant, cultivate, harvest, and maintain their property because we believe in food production by the masses over mass food production,” said Bucher of the Oregon City, OR-based company.

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BCS is making big news by bringing its highly in-demand Model 622 to North America for the first time in 2023.

“The 622, also called the Reaper/Binder, is a dedicated harvesting tractor—it does not take different attachments—that cuts grains and grasses at the base and binds them into a bundle in a single pass,” Bucher said. “It’s popular for sesame, reeds, lavender, wheat—any crop that can benefit from being cut and bundled. Organic grain producers and artisan bread makers have been asking for this tool for some time now.”

“We’re here to reduce the physical effort required and increase the enjoyment of those who plant, cultivate, harvest, and maintain their property because we believe in food production by the masses over mass food production.” - Ryan Bucher

Bucher also highlighted the company’s dedication to introducing and promoting products that help growers by pointing out its newest tractor model, the 779.

“It’s been available in the US for a little over two years, which is still very new for walk-behind equipment,” he said, adding that the model features the same PowerSafe hydromechanical clutch as the company’s flagship model, the 749.

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“But it is the only model with hydrostatic drive to the wheels,” he continued. “This means you can change wheel speed and direction with a single lever and without the need to clutch, a very handy feature for folks who use their tractors for extensive mowing or snow-clearing jobs in addition to providing precision speed control in tillage applications.”

BCS's history dates back to a small shop in Italy in 1942. Luigi Castoldi (the “C” in the company’s name) developed a self-propelled sickle bar mower, which revolutionized agriculture by reducing the time and effort that was needed to harvest hay.

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“His self-propelled mowing machine, Model 243, was among the first walk-behind mowing machines in the world to be equipped with an internal combustion engine,” Bucher said. “Today, Engineer Castoldi’s company continues to fulfill its mission to increase its customers’ productivity while reducing effort. Easy-to-use, versatile BCS two-wheel tractors are used every day all over the world to perform a wide range of tasks, ranging from all types of mowing, soil-working, snow removal, property maintenance, and more.”

BCS can also play an important role for small-scale organic growers, because it provides the only power equipment needed to build and maintain raised beds, prepare perfect seedbeds, shred cover crops in place, and power compost crop residues back into the soil.

"Easy-to-use, versatile BCS two-wheel tractors are used every day all over the world to perform a wide range of tasks, ranging from all types of mowing, soil-working, snow removal, property maintenance, and more.” - Ryan Bucher

“BCS's two-wheel tractors are lightweight for less soil compaction, easily maneuverable in tight spaces like high tunnels or hoophouses and are easy to maintain and repair right on the farm,” Bucher said. “They are designed and built in Italy, where small farms have been the way of life for generations. Appropriately scaled technology and mechanical weed control support the organic farming practices and ideals of conservation and minimizing and eliminating chemical inputs.”

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The experts at BCS are always listening to their customers and learning how they can help them grow the best produce for the organic and local markets. In fact, some of the feedback they garnered led to the development of the Precision Depth Roller accessory for BCS's Rear-Tine Tiller.

“The accessory turns our standard tiller into a hybrid attachment that combines the final bed preparation and cultivating advantages of a Power Harrow with the vegetation-chopping and groundbreaking abilities of a tiller,” Bucher said. “More recently, we’ve added a compost-spreader attachment designed for two-wheel tractors that spreads evenly across 30-inch wide beds, eliminating multiple trips with the wheelbarrow, shovel, and rake.”

"[BCS's two-wheel tractors] are designed and built in Italy, where small farms have been the way of life for generations. Appropriately scaled technology and mechanical weed control support the organic farming practices and ideals of conservation and minimizing and eliminating chemical inputs.” - Ryan Bucher

As BCS looks to the future, it is working on expanding its offerings of attachments and specialized products in order to help organic farmers do their jobs better and more efficiently.

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“We’re focusing on our efforts to provide excellent products and services to the farmers that support the industry,” Bucher said. “An electric version of our tractor is in development, which will provide a powerful tool to farms that want to rely less on fossil fuels and help our customers reduce their farms’ overall carbon footprints.”

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