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Mike Lessiter

Mike Lessiter

Mike Lessiter, a second-generation ag journalist, has been Editor/Publisher of Farm Equipment since 2004. He has covered business-to-business operations, manufacturing, and marketing topics since 1992 and has held various roles with the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Assn. and the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers. Mike is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was named president of Lessiter Media in 2007.

Contact: mlessiter@lessitermedia.com
Articles

ARTICLES

To The Point: Precision Farming: Go/No-Go Decisions

By Mike Lessiter posted on April 1, 2012 | Posted in Operations & Finance

Ever since our farmer subscribers (mostly from our 41-year-old No-Till Farmer publication) heard we publish a magazine for equipment dealers, they have shown an eagerness to talk "dealer" matters. At the last 8 National No-Tillage Conferences we hold each January, farmers have cornered me to talk and, more often than not, get something off their chest.


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A New Company Emerges from Dark Days

By Mike Lessiter posted on December 20, 2011 | Posted in Manufacturer News
Calmer Corn Heads founder Marion Calmer had not one, but two, sets of "dark days" before making the decision to hang out his own shingle. On two occasions, he had contracts inked with major-lines, expecting to see his single-chain corn head mass-produced by the majors.
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To The Point: New Ideas from the Newly Merged

By Mike Lessiter posted on October 13, 2011 | Posted in Manufacturer News
With the first-ever “Dealership Minds” edition on Birkey’s Farm Stores in February 2011, we set out to detail how each of the“cogs” in a benchmark-worthy dealership function together as one “machine.” What became the most talked-about project of the year created challenges for our editorial team when it came to this year’s encore performance.
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To The Point: Ethics: You Still Out There?

By Mike Lessiter posted on October 13, 2011 | Posted in Best Practices
Lots going on these days. Weather challenges, rapidly advancing technologies, crazy markets, uncertainty on government programs and another year-end buying rush, to name a few. But just as critical as these things are to your operation, we, as a business magazine, also find an obligation to cover other management issues from time to time.
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Leveling Systems Increase Harvest Productivity on Sidehills

The desire for less grain loss and faster harvesting are putting sidehill leveling systems into the sales conversation throughout the Midwest.
By Mike Lessiter posted on April 11, 2011 | Posted in Niche Equipment Markets
Anyone who has ever watched with awe the harvest on the steep hillsides of the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest knows how critical the combine leveling system is to a farmer's ability to work the steep hills (up to 60% slopes) and its extremely fertile soils. Without this technology, agriculture, at least cost-effective agriculture, in the region would be severely limited.
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