Hillco Technologies is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Hillco Annual Photo Contest. This year’s entries highlighted the diversity of harvest conditions across the country — from steep river valleys to Midwestern corn and soybean fields — and showcased Hillco equipment working reliably in real-world operations.
After two rounds of voting and hundreds of community participants, three standout images rose to the top.
Case IH | Wheat Harvest | River Valley Terrain
This year’s champion features one red Case IH Axial-Flow combine harvesting wheat along a sweeping river valley, framed by rugged, steep hillsides. The dust patterns, terrain, and glistening river in the background do an incredible job of highlighting the golden wheat crop in the foreground. The drone-view vantage point didn’t hurt either- no wonder it was a clear favorite among voters.
John Deere | Midwest Corn Harvest | Hillco Sidehill Leveling System
Voters awarded second place to this Midwest corn harvest scene featuring a green machine equipped with a Hillco Sidehill Leveling System. The combine is shown working cleanly across the slope, kicking up some dust. What set this image apart was the unexpected patriotic visitor in the foreground — a bald eagle resting near the water’s edge as the harvest carried on in the background. It’s a rare glimpse into the kinds of encounters operators experience in the field. What a treat!
Corn Harvest | Midwest | Long-Standing Hillco Customer
Third place goes to Topf Farms, a long-standing Hillco customer with years of experience operating Hillco-equipped combines. Topf Farms has relied on Hillco for many seasons, and as Denny Topf explained in a recent interview, the farm discovered early on that running Hillco Leveling Systems on their combines delivered enough efficiency that “it actually made the payment on the Hillco” due to reduced machine hours.
He also shared that once they saw those savings, “we’ve had them on the machines all the time” and have continued choosing Hillco for every combine since.
Beyond ROI, Denny noted the operational comfort advantage: “It’s a lot more comfortable riding pretty much level than in sideways all day.”
And for crop capture and performance, he emphasized that with Hillco leveling, “you can sure get all the crop that you possibly can.”
This background makes the Topf Farms entry, and win by voters, even more meaningful. Their 3rd-place winning photo (below) captures soybean harvest under the big Midwestern skies of Iowa. The lighting and natural perspective resonated with voters, offering a calm, authentic look into the Midwest harvest operation.
We extend our appreciation to every operator, farm, and family who submitted photos this year.
Your submissions offered an authentic look at harvest work across hillsides, river bottoms, rolling fields, and Midwest row-crop country.
If you’re already thinking about next season, now is a great time to start capturing moments. Entries every year are open to a wide spectrum of Hillco-supported equipment, including:
Whether you run a Hillco Leveling System in wheat country, a Hillco Sidehill machine on a John Deere combine in the Midwest, a Hillco Specialty Crop Header in mint, or any other Hillco product, we encourage and look forward to you sharing your perspective in next year’s contest.
