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The
Staheli West
Story

A Taco Restaurant
And A Prayer

Dave Staheli, the founder Staheli West, conceived the idea of steaming hay from a taco restaurant.  While praying for help and guidance, he recalled watching workers use a steamer oven to transform cold, hard tortilla shells into soft and pliable ones. This sparked Dave's curiosity: could the power of steam have a similar effect on dry hay?
Dave StaheliFounder
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Watch the Inspiring and Miraculous
Staheli West Story

The Staheli West story is truly inspiring and miraculous. From the inception of the idea to use steam for baling hay to finding key suppliers and early adopters, divine help and guidance seemed to appear at every turn. Thanks to Dave's unwavering dedication to the concept, thousands of farmers worldwide now benefit from the DewPoint machines. Witness the entire Staheli West journey in this four-part documentary video series.

From Desperation to Inspiration – The Idea to Apply Steam to Hay is Born

YEAR: 1994
The summer of 1994 was exceptionally dry, and hundreds of acres of hay had been sitting on the ground for days. This was a problem that Dave Staheli faced time and time again while managing Brent Hunter Farms in Cedar City, Utah. Out of desperation, Dave prayed for a solution to the problem, and that's when he recalled seeing the workers at a local taco restaurant steam tortilla shells. The idea to apply steam to hay was born.

From Inspiration to Creation - Baling Hay with Steam for the First Time

YEAR: 1994-1998

Dave had received the idea to apply steam to hay and had tested the concept with his wife's pressure cooker but struggled to know what to do next. After some encouragement from his brother Mike at a family Christmas party, Dave started researching how to generate steam. Dave's interest turned to boilers, but he could not find a boiler company willing to design a boiler for the hay field. While praying once again for direction, he received a phone call and was able to find a company that was willing to work with him.

There were many ups and downs along the way for Dave, but through persistent trial and error and inspiration, Dave developed a machine that was used for years on Brent Hunter Farms.

From Creation to Automation – Automating the Hay Steaming Process

YEAR: 1998-2009

Steaming hay with the early DewPoint steamer prototypes was proving to be extremely advantageous in the haymaking process. He even gained the attention of three of the largest Ag equipment manufacturers in the world. Dave worked on the steamer project for eight years with one of these companies before eventually regaining the rights.

With the original concept in mind, Dave completely redesigned the DewPoint machine and brought his "boiler on wheels" concept to a whole new level of automation, making the steamer easy to run and more user-friendly.

After redesigning the steamer in 2006, Dave knew he needed to figure out a way to manufacture the machines and take them to the world. After creating a website and uploading a few videos to YouTube, Dave started gaining the attention of his first customers.

From Automation to Transformation – Transforming the Business and Industry

YEAR: 2009-2018

The newly designed DewPoint 6110 was catching the eye of some of Staheli West’s first customers, and the first orders were placed. However, there was just one problem. Dave Staheli didn’t have enough money to build the first five machines. With complete trust in Dave and the DewPoint machine, each of the first customers paid half of the price of the steamer upfront so that Dave could get the materials coming to build the first ones in 2009.

The business started to grow, and word was spreading quickly about the DewPoint steamers. Staheli West purchased their first facility in 2011 and quickly expanded to the facility we are in today in 2013. Through marketing efforts like the “72-Hour Challenge,” Staheli West was expanding its reach not only in the U.S. but also abroad in areas like Mexico, Australia, Canada, Argentina, and New Zealand.

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    Staheli West
    Through The Years

    We take pride in sharing our journey, recognizing our story as a testament to our dedication, faith, and values. However, we understand that the most significant milestones in our mission to revolutionize the agricultural industry are yet to be achieved.
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    1963

    Dave Staheli developed a childhood fascination for playing with farm toys, often modifying them to enhance their functionality and suit his requirements. From an early age, Dave was consistently engaged in tinkering and inventing new farm equipment with his toys.
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    1994

    Dave’s obsession with playing with farm toys in the sandbox continued into his adult years, only now he wasn’t just playing with toys, he was managing Brent Hunter Farms in Southern Utah.
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    1994

    Dave Staheli experiences a very hot and dry summer. While seeking inspiration from above, he recalls seeing the workers at a taco restaurant softening taco shells with a tortilla steamer. He uses his wife’s pressure cooker to steam some dry hay from the field. He was amazed at the results.
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    1995

    Dave developed the first prototypes for three-string balers. He eventually discovered that the steam needed to be applied right at the baler pickup for optimal leaf retention.
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    1996

    The first steamer to be placed between a tractor and big baler was developed and successfully operated in the field.
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    1998

    The University of Wisconsin was commissioned to test the effectiveness of Dave's hay steamer. They found that, compared to baling at night under natural dew conditions, baling with steam during the day reduces leaf loss by 58%.
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    2006-2008

    After working with a major agricultural company for 8 years on the steamer project, Dave Staheli receives the DewPoint license back and with his original concept in mind, goes back to the drawing board. The first DewPoint 6110 was developed for Brent Hunter Farms.
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    2010

    After two successful seasons with the 6110 prototype, the first five machines are built in Hunter’s hay barn for commercial sale.
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    2011

    Staheli West purchased its own manufacturing space in Cedar City, Utah. Staheli West occupied this space for 2 years.
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    2013

    Staheli West purchased a larger facility on Airport Road in Cedar City, Utah. We still occupy this space today. Both Staheli West and Staheli West Parts & Service call this property home.
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    2013

    Staheli West made its inaugural international sale by sending its first machine across the pond to Australia. John and Evan Ryan were the pioneers who acquired the initial DewPoint machine, becoming the first Australian customers. Subsequently, Australia has evolved into our second-largest market for DewPoint machines, and our equipment is now distributed worldwide.
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    2013

    Staheli West set out to bale as much high-quality hay as possible with one tractor, one steamer, and one baler in a 72-hour period. With a goal of 4,500 bales, Staheli West baled around the clock for different farmers in Enterprise, Utah. Staheli West ended up baling 4,648 bales on 1,330 acres during the “72-Hour Challenge”
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    2015

    Staheli West released a new machine model for the large square bale market called the DewPoint 6210, which boasted a new burner with a self-cleaning fan, reduced maintenance, and had other new features.
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    2020

    Staheli West launched the DewPoint 331, marking the company's initial release of a steamer tailored specifically for 2-tie and 3-tie balers since its inception.
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    2023

    Staheli West released a new cutting-edge hay steamer called the DewPoint 632. This new machine provides longer run times, greater efficiency, easier service and maintenance, and it is easier to operate with its new interface and operating system.