Custom Orders

Oakfield Apparatus understands the need for specialized equipment. If there is a customized part or tool that is needed for your job, please contact us. We would be happy to work with you to design something custom.

Company History

In 1945 Eugene Walgenbach, then a Soil Science graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, and his professor, Dr. K. C. Berger, recognized a need to extract reproducible samples of farmland soil for proper scientific analysis. They approached Jos Steiner in Oakfield, Wisconsin to manufacture the equipment. The three men worked together to fine tune the design and produce these new products in a small machine shop in Oakfield.

The first commercial products were probes to remove soil cores for analysis. This was followed by an auger to remove samples in hard pan and pebbly soils. The probes and augers are compatible with extension rods, handles, and tips for use in different soil types. The product line was extended to include a hay sampler to extract samples from hay bales and an insect sweep net. The philosophy was to make it easy and affordable for people to use the products by creating interchangeable parts.

Eugene Walgenbach’s son, Tom, took over the business in 1990 and in 2017 Tom brought in his family to continue the strong tradition of customer service and expand upon the world class products.

Oakfield Apparatus Classic Footstep Soil Probe (Model LS) Video