BCS Pulling Its Weight for Organic Farmers

In the organic industry, a lot of farmers are somewhat small-scale and are looking for help with mowing or harvesting.

BCS two-wheel tractors, built in Italy for more than 80 years, have become a go-to solution for many of these farmers. BCS is a company that has been providing ways to increase its customers’ productivity while reducing physical effort since the early 1940s. 

Ryan Bucher, Marketing Manager, BCS America

“We fit really well into their design of their farms—doing small-scale stuff in greenhouses or in hoop houses or caterpillar tunnels, our equipment works really well, offering more of a hands-on farming with your feet-on-the-ground type of mentality,” said Ryan Bucher, marketing manager for BCS America, the North American importer and distributor of BCS products, based in Oregon City, OR. 

BCS America Model 779 with a Flail Mower attachment

The newest tractor BCS America offers is Model 779, the first two-wheel tractor to feature both rotating handlebars (which all standard BCS tractors have) and a hydrostatic transmission system for instant speed and direction changes without the need to clutch or adjust the throttle.

Operationally, the hydrostatic drive is a real game changer as not only is its single-lever control user-friendly, but it also expands the functionality and productivity of the BCS attachments.

“We fit really well into their design of their farms—doing small-scale stuff in greenhouses or in hoop houses or caterpillar tunnels, our equipment works really well, offering more of a hands-on farming with your feet-on-the-ground type of mentality.” - Ryan Bucher

For instance, when mowing the “outback” with the rotary brush mower, the engine is always at full throttle to assure maximum blade tip speed. As one moves from tall weeds to woody brush, the hydro lever is utilized to decrease the ground speed, thereby increasing the number of “cuts” per forward foot of travel.  

“In our opinion, this is going to work really well for the landscaping industry and is really helpful for people doing extensive mowing or extensive snow clearing—tasks where you have to change the direction and speed rather quick,” Bucher said. “For organic farmers, it’s very convenient for those who are not as familiar with using equipment with a clutch. There’s no shifting with the clutch at all, so it’s an easier learning curve.”

BCS America Model 749 and the rotary plow attachment being used to break new ground

BCS America works with several organic groups, such as the Organic Farmers Association and the Real Organic Project, where their members have the ability to get a one-time discount on products.

The company’s most popular model with market farmers is Model 749, which is considered the standard as it can run just about every attachment BCS America offers, has the power-safe clutch with a five-year warranty, and has become the standard workhorse for the small 1-5-acre farm.

“For organic farmers, it’s very convenient for those who are not as familiar with using equipment with a clutch. There’s no shifting with the clutch at all, so it’s an easier learning curve.” - Ryan Bucher

Another piece of equipment, Model 622, was released in North America for the first time this year and is a stand-alone reaper/binder unit that doesn’t have a swappable PTO attachment like the rest of the company’s tractors. It’s a true harvester as it cuts, bundles, and ties crops in a single pass—dramatically reducing harvest time and effort for small grains as well as sesame, lavender, common reeds, and any other crop that requires cutting and tying in heaps or bundles.

BCS America Model 622 harvesting (cutting and binding) grains

Supply chain issues have been a problem for BCS over the last couple of years, with engines hard to come by—but those challenges seem to be decreasing in 2023, which has helped the company return to full production.

The origins of BCS date back to 1942, in the middle of World War II, when an Italian engineer named Luigi Castoldi saw that there were not enough people to work the fields and harvest hay, so he designed one of the first-ever mechanical hay cutters.

Luigi Castoldi with sickle bar

He teamed up with Camillo Bonetti, a manager at the local tax authority, and Severino Speroni, an excellent mechanic, to form BCS S.p.A. Since then, the company has developed numerous versatile two-wheeled tractors to perform a wide range of tasks, ranging from all types of mowing, seedbed preparation, snow removal, and more.

With more than two million customers in over 100 countries, BCS is the largest manufacturer of two-wheeled tractors and attachments in Europe. BCS products have been imported into the US since the early 1970s, and BCS America was established in 1999.

The origins of BCS date back to 1942, in the middle of World War II, when an Italian engineer named Luigi Castoldi saw that there were not enough people to work the fields and harvest hay, so he designed one of the first-ever mechanical hay cutters.

This year, BCS America will be launching a number of new attachments from a couple of different Italian manufacturers, including some new mowing attachments. The company also plans to unveil its first electric model in the not-too-distant future.

“This is something that the organic folks have been asking about for many years, as they don’t want to use gas on their farm or want a unit to use inside the greenhouse or hoop house without worrying about any fumes,” Bucher said. “We’re hoping to have a prototype very soon.”

For BCS America, its philosophy is simply to make it easier and more enjoyable to grow food.

“We want to support organic food production by the masses rather than mass production of food,” Bucher said. “Our goal is to continue to expand the versatility of our tractors, so people can do any seasonal outdoor task that requires an engine-powered machine.”