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... Kroeger is co-owner of Old School Manufacturing, makers of The Weed Zapper brand of electrical weeders. While using electricity to kill weeds isn't a new concept, and other companies around the world sell similar machines (see sidebar "ELECTROCUTION SOLUTIONS," below), what makes The Weed Zapper unique is that it was developed by Missouri farmers whose own search for a weed-control solution sparked the growing family business.

FROM HOGS TO HIGH VOLTAGE

Generations of the Kroeger family have been involved in farming. Ben's grandfather, Sonny, was a row-crop farmer and pork producer for more than 50 years. His father, Tony, also had a farrow-to-finish hog operation but eventually left agriculture behind after starting a commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) business in the late 1980s.

Ben and his brother, Mike, joined their father's HVAC and electrical company in 2007, but they also farmed about 300 certified organic acres together on the side.

"When you're certified organic, it's not a matter of if you'll have weed trouble. It's a matter of when," Ben said. "We were looking for new solutions." ...