April/May 2016

Dealer Modernization From Concept to Completion

Strip-Till: Selling More Than Iron

Hlavinka Equipment Finds Opportunity in Diversifying

Selling Shortlines Fills Product Gap

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

To The Point: An Issue of Opportunities

By Dave Kanicki posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices, Precision Ag Sales & Service, Niche Equipment Markets

Last summer I was invited to speak to a farm equipment dealership’s sales team on new opportunities in the farm equipment business. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do it, but the fact that managers at the dealership were intentionally addressing the subject of new opportunities told me a lot about that organization.
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Two Perspectives on Strip-Tillage

April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service, Niche Equipment Markets

Strip-till can be a difficult term to define because it can have multiple meanings and interpretations depending on the region or objectives with the specialized farming practice. But at its core, strip-till is about seedbed preparation and tilling a narrow path of soil to create an ideal pocket for planting. Selecting the right equipment and understanding the agronomic aspects of the practice are essential to success, both for farmers adopting the system and dealers supporting it.
Read More

Two Perspectives on Strip-Tillage

Growers: Supporting Strip-Till Goes Beyond the Machinery

Farmers see growth opportunities for dealers who understand strip-till as a sustainable system and can articulate the benefits of this niche practice.

By Jack Zemlicka posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service, Niche Equipment Markets

Kicking the tires on a new tractor or scheduling seasonal maintenance for a combine or planter are common necessities that keep farmers coming through the doors of their local farm equipment dealership.
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Two Perspectives on Strip-Tillage

Dealers: Solid Potential for Growth in Sales & Service

Succeeding in this niche market goes beyond simply selling the equipment. It requires changes from both the dealer and the grower.

By Dave Kanicki posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service, Niche Equipment Markets

Chris Hopkins has been selling strip-till equipment and helping growers polish their strip-till skills for the past 8 years. He says that once they get the hang of it, they almost always stick with it because they can see its inherent benefits almost immediately. Convincing farmers to work with it in the first place is the bigger challenge.
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Products in Action, April/May 2016: Calmer Corn Heads

April 4, 2016

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Counting Steps for Increased Efficiency

PrairieLand Partners’ new facility in McPherson, Kan., was designed to improve workflow and customer interaction, while keeping future growth in mind.

By Lynn Marcinkowski Woolf posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Facilities

A company-wide initiative to upgrade its 9 stores is the force behind PrairieLand Partner’s new facility in McPherson, Kan. The 84,000 square foot facility plus a mezzanine was designed with a “blank slate” approach, literally counting steps to build efficiencies and improve customer service.
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Whayne Supply Co. Renovates to Highlight 'Ag Stores'

By Kim Schmidt posted on April 7, 2016 | Posted in Facilities

Whayne Supply Co., a Caterpillar, AGCO and Claas dealer that has been in business for 104 years recently underwent a facility and brand renovation. “We’re a Caterpillar dealer; we serve construction, mining, power systems and many other markets. Ag was getting lost in our facilities,” says Richard Scott, vice president and general manager of Whayne Supply.
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Full-Time Dealer Agronomists: Western Sales’ ‘Eureka’ Moment

This innovator shares this Deere dealership’s reasons for entering agronomy in 2010 (today with 6 ‘in-house’ agronomists) and their trademarked services for data management, field zoning, prescriptions and scouting.

By Devin Dubois posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management, Precision Ag Sales & Service

The reason we got into agronomic services 6 years ago was after a good equipment customer of ours made the decision to get into an air drill with variable-rate seeding capability. He’d gone to an independent agronomist who developed a seeding prescription with both a nutrient and seed variation. When that farmer took that prescription, got into the cab and plugged it in as he was told to do, it didn’t work.
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Proving It: The Western Ag Research Project 1,200-Acre Test Farm

By Devin Dubois posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

The demand for prescription services has been steady, but slow. Most of our customers have the technology and equipment to employ a variable-rate strategy, but demand has been slow. We think these are the reasons:
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Defining Western Sales' FieldSmart Agronomic Services

By Devin Dubois posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

FieldSmart is the agronomic division formed by Western Sales (a 6-store John Deere dealership) who partnered with two other groups on a suite of services.
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Why to Put Agronomists in the Cab at Startup & Delivery

By Devin Dubois posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

One of the things we’re doing at Western Sales this year is “equipment optimization,” in response to a demand for assistance on startup on seeding and spraying equipment.
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Business Diversity Means ‘Opportunity’ for Hlavinka Equipment

While keeping its focus on ag, this dealer group actively looks for other opportunities to serve its farm customers.

By Dave Kanicki posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Operations & Finance

As the timeline of Hlavinka Equipment will attest, operating a diverse business is nothing new for the Hlavinka family. Since its founding in 1939, when Joe Hlavinka Sr., partnered with the Boettcher family to purchase the Farmers Lumber Co. in East Bernard, Texas, the Hlavinkas have owned and operated various businesses, from lumber and hardware to coffins and construction.
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Building Customer Loyalty Through Quality Service, Not Low Prices

Dealer consultant Bob Clements emphasizes the importance of quality service over low price when developing a profitable service department and building a loyal customer base.

By Jaime Elftman posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Department Management

Quality service, not low prices, builds customer loyalty, and customer loyalty means return business. That’s what every dealership needs to shoot for.
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Mobile Technologies Increase Technician Efficiency

By Jaime Elftman posted on April 8, 2016 | Posted in Department Management

The last 5-10 years have seen leaps and bounds in mobile technology that is making nearly every aspect of our lives easier. Tom Barnes, solutions manager with CDK Global Heavy Equipment, explains how mobile solutions are increasing efficiency in dealership service departments.
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Sponsored Content: Success in Shortline Machinery

Starting Anew to Fill a Product Gap

Eric Woodford left a successful farming and custom baling operation to start a shortline dealership focused on biomass harvesting equipment.

By Kim Schmidt posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Niche Equipment Markets

Eric Woodford left a successful farming and custom baling operation to start a shortline dealership focused on biomass harvesting equipment.
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Create Brand Identity Through Storytelling

Recognizing emerging trends in consumer habits, Washington Tractor has supplemented traditional marketing with videos to reinforce the dealership’s brand.

By Kim Schmidt posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues

Customers are getting hit with advertising messages from every angle — TV, radio, print, social media and even in their email. “People are being absolutely inundated with messaging. So you’ve got to be able to break through with something else,” says Tyler Musson, corporate marketing manager for Washington Tractor, a 12-store John Deere dealership in Washington state.
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People & Profits: Help Different Generations Understand One Another

By George Russell and Erik Thompson posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service, Product Innovations & Introductions, Niche Equipment Markets

Do these comments sound familiar in your dealership? Gen X manager about a Millennial employee: “Why doesn’t he wait his turn, work hard and earn my trust?”
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Ahead Of The Curve: Pinpoint Targeting Aims at Reducing Input Use

By Dan Crummett posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

As financial and environmental pressure continues to mount on farmers to reduce chemical inputs, the marketplace is responding with a host of sophisticated products aimed at better targeting crop protectants. At the same time, the demand for more precise sprayer capabilities opens sales and service opportunities for equipment dealers ranging from new OEM equipment sales to retrofit projects on existing spraying equipment.
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Featured Articles

Featured Articles

To The Point: An Issue of Opportunities

By Dave Kanicki posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices, Precision Ag Sales & Service, Niche Equipment Markets

Last summer I was invited to speak to a farm equipment dealership’s sales team on new opportunities in the farm equipment business. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do it, but the fact that managers at the dealership were intentionally addressing the subject of new opportunities told me a lot about that organization.
Read More

Two Perspectives on Strip-Tillage

April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service, Niche Equipment Markets

Strip-till can be a difficult term to define because it can have multiple meanings and interpretations depending on the region or objectives with the specialized farming practice. But at its core, strip-till is about seedbed preparation and tilling a narrow path of soil to create an ideal pocket for planting. Selecting the right equipment and understanding the agronomic aspects of the practice are essential to success, both for farmers adopting the system and dealers supporting it.
Read More

Full-Time Dealer Agronomists: Western Sales’ ‘Eureka’ Moment

This innovator shares this Deere dealership’s reasons for entering agronomy in 2010 (today with 6 ‘in-house’ agronomists) and their trademarked services for data management, field zoning, prescriptions and scouting.

By Devin Dubois posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management, Precision Ag Sales & Service

The reason we got into agronomic services 6 years ago was after a good equipment customer of ours made the decision to get into an air drill with variable-rate seeding capability. He’d gone to an independent agronomist who developed a seeding prescription with both a nutrient and seed variation. When that farmer took that prescription, got into the cab and plugged it in as he was told to do, it didn’t work.
Read More
Online Extras

Online Extras

Sponsored Content: Success in Shortline Machinery

Starting Anew to Fill a Product Gap

Eric Woodford left a successful farming and custom baling operation to start a shortline dealership focused on biomass harvesting equipment.

By Kim Schmidt posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Niche Equipment Markets

Eric Woodford left a successful farming and custom baling operation to start a shortline dealership focused on biomass harvesting equipment.
Read More

Sponsored Content: Success in Shortline Machinery

Growing and Planning for the Future as a Shortline Machinery Dealer

Over the past 20 years, Inwood, Iowa, machinery dealer Faber’s Farm Equipment has added numerous shortlines to its offering, expanded its facility five times and is now building a second location in Watertown, S.D.

By Jaime Elftman posted on April 25, 2016 | Posted in Facilities, Niche Equipment Markets

Over the past 20 years, Inwood, Iowa, machinery dealer Faber’s Farm Equipment has added numerous shortlines to its offering, expanded its facility five times and is now building a second location in Watertown, S.D.
Read More

Sponsored Content: Success in Shortline Machinery

Meeting Customer Demands with a Diverse Product Lineup

By Jaime Elftman posted on May 9, 2016 | Posted in Niche Equipment Markets

Diversity is key for Ritchie Implement. The dealership's commitment to a variety of product lines, a broad customer base and the addition of third generation management have made the dealer a success. “We don’t keep all our eggs in one basket,” says CEO and Co-owner Ron Ritchie.
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Sponsored Content: Success in Shortline Machinery

Evolving from Repair Shop to Shortline Machinery Dealer

By Kim Schmidt posted on May 23, 2016 | Posted in Niche Equipment Markets

Ag Plus Mechanical has evolved from a one man repair shop to a sophisticated shortline dealership that carries a number of lines.
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Defining Western Sales' FieldSmart Agronomic Services

By Devin Dubois posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

FieldSmart is the agronomic division formed by Western Sales (a 6-store John Deere dealership) who partnered with two other groups on a suite of services.
Read More

Why to Put Agronomists in the Cab at Startup & Delivery

By Devin Dubois posted on April 6, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

One of the things we’re doing at Western Sales this year is “equipment optimization,” in response to a demand for assistance on startup on seeding and spraying equipment.
Read More

[Webinar] Bridging the Precision Gap: Integrating Agronomic Service for Profit

February 25, 2016 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

During this webinar, Devin Dubois, vice president of integrated solutions at Western Sales in Rosetown, Sask., detailed the implementation, challenges and results of adding agronomic service to Western Sales' precision business, as well as key considerations for dealers looking at adding agronomic service. [To view any of our webinar replays, you must be logged in with a free user account.]
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[Webinar] Building a High Performance Service Department

September 14, 2015 | Posted in Department Management

During this webinar event originally held in September 2015, management consultant Bob Clements walks you through the basics of running a shop and making solid profits.
Read More
Products in Action

Products in Action

Products in Action, April/May 2016: Calmer Corn Heads

April 4, 2016

Read Products in Action
Read More

Farm Equipment

April/May 2016

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