The 8th Annual Precision Farming Dealer Summit, held at the Hyatt Regency at The Arch in St. Louis, Mo., on Jan. 9-10, 2023, drew a record crowd of 201 attendees, including 70 different dealerships from across the United States, Canada and Australia.

Centered on the theme “Charting the Next Course for Precision Success,” the program featured 2-days of dealer-to-dealer roundtable discussions, panel presentations, general sessions and intense networking opportunities.

This year’s event included a number of firsts. For the first time ever, the Summit featured an OEM panel. AGCO’s Seth Crawford, Case IH’s Kendal Quandahl and John Deere’s Matt Olson shared the stage for a discussion about their precision vision. The company leaders jumped at the chance to address elite precision dealers about their strategic direction for business, outlook on autonomy and the approaches embraced by the best-performing dealers in their networks. Another first, Verge Ag held its official product launch for Equipment Explorer. 

With a larger focus on the products precision specialists need to know about, for the first time the Summit featured Tech Talks and a special advanced technologies panel that featured AquaTill and Salin 247.

From the single-location independent retailer to the multi-store farm equipment dealer, the precision manager to the technology specialist, intense knowledge sharing and networking were in abundance throughout the Summit.

The 2023 Precision Farming Dealer Summit was made possible with the support of these title sponsors: Ag Express Electronics, DigiFarm, Laforge Systems Inc., Reichhardt Electronic Innovations, Martin-Till, MonTag, SurePoint Ag Systems, GBGI, Simpas, VergeAg and Yetter Mfg. Co. Fastline Marketing Group also served as the event’s official marketing partner.

Also announced at the Precision Farming Dealer Summit was the return of the Dealership Minds Summit, which will be held Aug. 1-2, 2023, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bloomington, Ill.     

Matt Olson, John Deere product marketing manager – precision ag, Kendal Quandahl, Case IH precision marketing manager, and Seth Crawford, SVP Precision Ag Digital for AGCO, addressed dealers and answered their questions during the Summit’s first-ever OEM panel.

PRODUCT LAUNCH: During the 2022 Precision Farming Dealer Summit, Verge Ag unveiled a new solution within its Launch Pad portfolio called Equipment Explorer. “With our Equipment Explorer solution, we have our proprietary algorithm that really drives that aggregate data. An equipment dealer can compare one piece of equipment to another piece of equipment on a customer’s actual field, which is truly unique. It’s the first of its kind in the marketplace,” explains Chad Matthies, vice president of enterprise operations for Verge Ag. Click here to view a video showcasing the new solutions.

A first-ever, private brand meeting for Case IH dealers at this year’s Summit was held at the end of the first day, including an open dialog and exchange on a variety of precision topics and programs with Case IH and their dealers represented at the Summit.

Front (l-r): Sean McGuire, Fastline Marketing Group; Jim Steinke, AgExpress Electronics; Marc Adams, GBGI; Roger Murdock, Montag Mfg.; Brian Meyer, Verge Ag; Tom Patterson, Martin Industries; Steve Riddle, DigiFarm Back (l-r): Kim Schmidt, Precision Farming Dealer; Jayme Paquin, Reichhardt Electronics; Jason Jimmerson, Simpas; Derek Allensworth, Yetter Mfg.; Kyle Frazier, Laforge; Blaine Ginther, SurePoint Ag; Russ Morman Ag Leader; Michael Ellis, Precision Farming Dealer.

LandPro Equipment was recognized for the first time publicly as the 2023 Most Valuable Dealer. Pictured are Mike Lessiter, editor/publisher, Ben Flansburg, LandPro precision farming division manager, Nick Lewis, LandPro VP of sales, and Kim Schmidt, executive editor.

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