# 303: Made in Iowa: Ag Equipment, Butter Braids, and Women in Manufacturing (WiM)

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2026-09-22
- Length: 36m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-22-303-made-in-iowa-ag-equipment-butter-braids-and-women-in-manufacturing-wim
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Dominique Hain and Cami Schaefer of Women in Manufacturing Iowa discuss the state's strong manufacturing ecosystem, while Denny Williams of Co-Line Manufacturing and Denise Hill of Weiler explain how automation and agricultural roots drive their success. The group highlights surprising products made in Iowa, including Winnebago RVs, butter braids, and Gushers, and details how Co-Line uses cobots to supplement labor shortages. They also trace the lineage of Iowa manufacturing back to farmers solving local problems, citing Vermeer and Weiler as examples of this entrepreneurial pipeline.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-22-303-made-in-iowa-ag-equipment-butter-braids-and-women-in-manufacturing-wim#t=0) Introduction and Venue: Women in Manufacturing Iowa
- [6:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-22-303-made-in-iowa-ag-equipment-butter-braids-and-women-in-manufacturing-wim#t=370) Iowa's Manufacturing Identity and WiM Chapter Growth
- [11:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-22-303-made-in-iowa-ag-equipment-butter-braids-and-women-in-manufacturing-wim#t=681) Surprising Products Made in Iowa: Butter Braids and Gushers
- [16:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-22-303-made-in-iowa-ag-equipment-butter-braids-and-women-in-manufacturing-wim#t=987) Co-Line Manufacturing: Automation and Robotics Strategy
- [21:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-22-303-made-in-iowa-ag-equipment-butter-braids-and-women-in-manufacturing-wim#t=1260) Weiler and Co-Line: Hiring, Work Ethic, and Geography
- [25:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-22-303-made-in-iowa-ag-equipment-butter-braids-and-women-in-manufacturing-wim#t=1557) The Farmer-to-Manufacturer Pipeline and Final Takeaways

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Women in Manufacturing Iowa (company)
- Co-Line Manufacturing (company)
- Weiler (company)
- Winnebago (company)
- Vermeer (company)
- John Deere (company)
- Cargill (company)
- General Mills (company)
- Pella Corp (company)
- Fathom (company)
- Asset Watch (company)
- Maintain X (company)
- PTC (company)
- Goal Setter (product)
- Butter Braid (product)
- Gushers (product)
- Blue Bunny (product)
- 0 turn round baler (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Inside Conexus Indiana: The Industry Network Driving Manufacturing Tech and Talent | Ep. 46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lights-out/2026-07-31-inside-conexus-indiana-the-industry-network-driving-manufacturing-tech-and-talen) (Lights Out)
- [Obstacles to Quickly Reshoring American Manufacturing w/ Rylan Pyciak](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-05-13-obstacles-to-quickly-reshoring-american-manufacturing-w-rylan-pyciak) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Advocating for Women in Manufacturing w/ Alicia Gilpin](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-05-09-advocating-for-women-in-manufacturing-w-alicia-gilpin) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Breaking Out of the Manufacturing Echo Chamber](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-09-20-breaking-out-of-the-manufacturing-echo-chamber) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Starting Young: The Next Generation of Manufacturing & Engineering Talent w/ Meaghan Ziemba](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2021-10-26-starting-young-the-next-generation-of-manufacturing-engineering-talent-w-meaghan) (The Manufacturing Executive)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-22-303-made-in-iowa-ag-equipment-butter-braids-and-women-in-manufacturing-wim. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Manufacturing Happy Hour.