Takeaways
- Precision farming dealer internships provide valuable learning experiences in the shop and the field.
- Customer relationships don’t end with the sale; they begin with it. Follow-up visits go a long way towards building credibility and trust.
- Some farmers might not be aware of the precision technology that’s already installed in their equipment.
Our latest Day in the Cab odyssey takes us to Chilton, Wis., where harvest season is beginning to wind down for 14-store John Deere dealer Riesterer & Schnell.
Temperatures are approaching 60 degrees on this sunny mid-November day, continuing a stretch of good weather for local farmers as they put a bow on the 2025 growing season. Let’s get right to the action.
9:10 a.m.
Digital specialist Trevor Balthazor is our fearless leader this morning. We meet in his office for a quick pre-game chat.
Balthazor is coming up on his 4-year anniversary with Riesterer & Schnell. He started as an intern during his junior year at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Rivers Falls.
“Those 6 months of my internship laid the groundwork for everything I know and do today,” Balthazor says. “I learned the ins and outs of the business. It was a great learning environment and a low stress way to break into this industry.”
He’s one of several All-Stars the internship program has produced over the years. And now Balthazor is mentoring his own intern, up-and-comer Matt Schneider, who’s also joining us this morning. We’ll meet him in just a bit.
Balthazor and intern, Matt Schneider, help a customer who’s having trouble downloading manure application reports from the John Deere Operations Center. Noah Newman
