AUBURN, Ill. – Springfield Plastics Inc. (SPI) based in Auburn, Illinois, continues to increase its Iowa presence. The company has now hired its third new representative in Iowa. This action follows on the heels of the opening of a new yard in Humboldt. SPI is taking serious its commitment to providing a high quality drainage product to Iowa farmers. Springfield has produced drainage pipe for more than 40 years and has always been known as the highest quality producer.
“Our quality commitment to the farmer is second to none. Most pipe companies feel the agricultural market is a substandard market where quality is not important. Our philosophy is like the farm community. We feel family, trust, integrity, commitment and give back when you can, are characteristics that cannot be understated,” said Steve Baker, president.
Iowa farmers now have a choice they have not had in many years. They can purchase a drainage pipe for their fields that is produced from 100% virgin resin. Most companies serving Iowa use recycled materials to lower the cost of their pipes. The offset in costs is not worth the offset in the quality. Scientists and engineers have always been concerned with the wide variability of the physical properties in recycled materials and how they affect the long-term performance of drainage pipe. A recent study in a side-by-side comparison showed that virgin resin performed more than nine times better than recycled materials in the tests. The inconsistency in the materials can impact strength, lead to stress cracking, uneven wall distributions and poor deflection. The farmer/landowner could be looking at system failure if any of these product breakdowns occur.
The low crop prices and the increasing intensity of rainfalls have raised the need for farm drainage systems. Today’s environment will not allow anyone to farm without drainage. There is no greater payback on the farm than a drainage system. Drainage is not an inexpensive investment. Springfield wants to insure to its customers that they get the best pipe for this investment. They don’t want it to be a 25 or 50 year investment as some companies suggest. Many clay tile systems are still working after 100 years.