How 4AG Is Growing Oklahoma Manufacturing One Product at a Time
Spencer Smith did not start 4AG, a no-till farming equipment manufacturer, with a roadmap.
He started it by doing the work himself. Manufacturing. Shipping. Invoicing. Talking to dealers. Fixing problems as they came up. Learning on the fly, because at the time, there was no business accelerator to guide him through the process.
“I learned everything the hard way,” Smith said. “The Oklahoma Grassroots Accelerator didn’t exist yet.”
Years later, when the Oklahoma Grassroots Accelerator launched with support from OCAST, Smith saw something different. Not a shortcut, but an opportunity to sharpen what he had already built.
From Experience to Expansion
4AG began with a single product: a gauge wheel tire designed for no-till farming. Manufactured in Oklahoma, the tire lasts far longer than standard alternatives. In an industry where parts are often replaced yearly, Smith has yet to see one wear out.
What started as one product grew into several. Gauge wheel tires that fit planters and air seeders nationwide. Closing wheels for crops like cotton and sugar beets. All designed with longevity, quality control, and real-world use in mind.
Then came the Catch-All Bag.
Designed to mount on feed trucks, the bag keeps hay net wrap out of truck beds and roadside ditches. Simple. Practical. Needed.
Before manufacturing a single unit, Smith did what he always does. He called dealers.
“If even 20 percent say they’d use it, that’s enough for me to move forward,” he said.
The response was stronger than expected. A TikTok video featuring the Catch-All Bag surpassed 100,000 views. Orders followed from Montana, Wyoming, Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, and beyond. Cases shipped daily.
The accelerator did not create the idea. It validated it.
Confidence as Capital
For Smith, the most transformative part of the accelerator was not funding. He chose not to take an investment.
It was mentorship.
His mentor, David Woods, met with him repeatedly, hosted him, and spoke candidly about growth pains, scale, and the realities of manufacturing. They spoke the same language.
“That was probably the most transformative part,” Smith said. “He’s been through a lot of what I’m going through now.”
That kind of mentorship is intentional. Through OCAST’s support, the Grassroots Accelerator connects founders not just to capital, but to people who understand their industries, their challenges, and their communities.
The result is confidence. Not hype.
“Since the accelerator, it’s given us more credibility as a business,” Smith said.
OCAST as the Connector
OCAST’s role in this story is not abstract. It is structural.
By supporting the accelerator, OCAST helps founders like Smith access mentorship, credibility, and networks that are difficult to reach alone, especially in industries that are essential to Oklahoma’s economy.
The program reinforces a core belief behind OCAST’s work: innovation is not limited by geography. It can happen anywhere in Oklahoma, and OCAST is committed to supporting that innovation wherever it emerges.
This is not about chasing trends. It is about building companies that last.
