We like the famed Wayne Gretzky quote: “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it’s been.”

In this year’s series, the third such project Farm Equipment (FE) has done since 2006, Scott Harris is the newest exec we’ve sat down with and mic’d up, having just 8 months on the job. In the 14 years our company has operated FE magazine, Case IH has shown the greatest interest of all the major lines in the relationship with FE editors and the publication’s position in the dealer universe. (That isn’t to say the coverage pleased them, but dialog and the ability to pick up the phone with our staff has been important to Case IH).

I'm personally proud today to tell you that Frank Lessiter's new book, From Maverick to Mainstream: A History of No-Till Farming, has arrived. It's Dad's 4th book in a long and influential career as an ag journalist.

As many of you know, a favorite “To the Point” theme of late is grit, perseverance and the other intangibles that we want so much from our workforce — and must commit ourselves to bringing out. In my blog on Sept. 11, 2018, I asked for your help. You answered with your emails and web commentary. So, here’s my end of the deal, a FREE just-completed downloadable eGuide — “Talent Development in the Farm Equipment Industry: 3 Ways to Defeat Complacency.”

This summer, my dad (Frank), Darren Foster and I tagged along with the first group of VIP dealers and customers that converged on Downs, Ill., for a look at Horsch’s brand new Ag Vision Farm, which was purchased earlier this year from Beck’s Hybrids. 

This summer, my dad (Frank), Darren Foster and I tagged along with the first group of VIP dealers and customers that converged on Downs, Ill., for a look at Horsch’s brand new Ag Vision Farm, which was purchased earlier this year from Beck’s Hybrids. 

Titan Machinery’s top marketing executive sets table for much-higher level discussion on the role that marketing should play in dealerships, including owning all customer growth.

One of the benefits of covering an industry like farm equipment is learning from some great business minds. That, and tapping into free consulting in the name of business journalism. I do file away your wisdom from our interviews, and several of you even taken my calls when I’m looking to calibrate our thinking over here. While our industries are different, many of the people challenges are the same, and I will take a sound and trusted lens-adjustment from any corner.

There comes a time when a non-family leader is the right course. As ownership grays in our industry, it takes a confident, mature owner to know when to deploy a new field general.