Pott. Co. Welcomes a New YouTuber: Doug Applegate!

Praxidyn owner, Doug Applegate of Oakland, Iowa, has started his own YouTube channel,  Inventive Farmer!  Thanks to some advice from family friend, Cole the Cornstar and encouragement from Welker Farms, the Applegate channel has already kicked off strong!  With only one video post thus far, Doug is already over 300 subscribers and 1000+ views.  Not bad for a first post!  But if you know the Applegates, you know they can make anything happen.  Plus, they always put time and dedication into everything they do right down to the YouTube channel logo that they had made specially for them on 99 Designs.  Definitely check it out - it has an intricate amount of detail!

Of course, Doug and Kathy Applegate will tell you that they were farmers just finding ways to make their operation more efficient when they designed their first pieces of equipment.  The Applegates give credit to 4-H and FFA for being the catalyst that started their family journey of seeing a project to fruition.  Each year, the projects built by Brent and Luke (Doug and Kathy’s sons) grew as their knowledge base grew.  In 2004, Brent and Luke designed, engineered, and built a seed tender to accommodate the operation’s new planter.  The technology developed with the seed tender led to their product, Mixmate.  So fast forward to 2021, and Doug knew that starting The Inventive Farmer was a way to give back.  The channel will focus on helping people understand agriculture, providing a learning venue for kids and adults alike, and lifting up youth towards new career paths. 

The YouTube channel is a companion to their Praxidyn manufacturing company that builds Mixmate.  The Mixmate system automatically mixes chemicals and records each mix used for spraying crops which improves speed and financial efficiency.  Doug said that although it started out for farmers, Mixmate is now becoming popular with coops and turf management companies.  The family has put every effort into making their vision a reality.  They gave me a tour of their operations and you can’t even begin to imagine the technology and detail that goes into each product. The business actually employs 7 with 12 dealers in the United States and one in Canada at this time.  In fact, Doug shared that they are going global after selling their first machine in 2017!  So The World Bank has identified the Mixmate system as a product that could provide technology to agriculture in struggling countries like Uzbekistan.  Doug was also just completing an email to Russia when I arrived and Kathy was finishing up corn cob jelly as their hospitality is second to none!  Every visitor goes home with a taste of the Applegate kitchen and an appreciation for farm families. They believe their business is an act of faith.  If you know the Applegates, you know the one place you’ll find them besides the family farm is at their church.  With business cards quoting Proverbs 3:6, it’s no surprise they give credit to their Christian roots. 

If you get a chance, be sure to check out the Inventive Farmer channel.  I guarantee you’ll learn something new!  And don’t be afraid to reach out - I happen to know they will be more than happy to show you what they’ve been doing!

For me, the YouTube channel, the Mixmate, the attitude, and the entire set-up once again proves the amazing talent we have right here in Pottawattamie! 

We’re cheering for your global success, Applegates!