Articles by Kim Schmidt

Industry-Consolidation
Industry Consolidation Part 3

What’s Driving Consolidation Among Farm Equipment Dealers?

Farmer consolidation and growing capital requirements for dealers has contributed to the need for dealerships to expand and grow.
All aspects of the ag industry have been consolidating over the last several years, and it seems to have picked up recently. This is no different for farm equipment dealerships. Some of the consolidation is being led by the major equipment manufacturers, some of it is in response to farm consolidation (see “Farms Shrinking in Number, Growing in Size,” page 12), and still some is due to dealer owners exiting the industry.
Read More
Kim Schmidt

What Would You Ask the Head of Your OEM?

We’ve hit the road this week heading to Boone, Iowa, for the Farm Progress Show, and it looks like it’s going to be a wet one! In addition to checking out the latest products, our editors are setting up interviews with top management at the 5 major OEMs for a special series we’ll be developing in the coming months.
Read More
OTR-Full-Episode-08-24-2018_ipad.jpg
On the Record

Optimism Fluctuates Among Tariff Concerns and Low Commodity Prices

In this episode we report on Deere & Co.’s third quarter earnings, which saw net sales increase 32%. In the Technology Corner, Jack Zemlicka discusses precision farming dealers’ 5-year investment projections. With uncertainty stemming from tariffs, trade and commodity prices we also look at how manufacturers, dealers and producers are responding. Finally, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, farm income, capital spending and farmland values are all down.
Read More
Greenland-Main

Greenland Equipment

Carman, Man. Category: Under $75 Million in Revenue. Carman, Manitoba, John Deere dealership Greenland Equipment’s focus on customer service and parts and service helps the business achieve a strong absorption rate and impressive return on assets.
Carman, Manitoba, John Deere dealership Greenland Equipment’s focus on customer service and parts and service helps the business achieve a strong absorption rate and impressive return on assets.
Read More

‘What? So What? Now What?’ Identifying & Adapting to Trends in Your Market

Consultant David Parker encourages dealers to go through the exercise of identifying trends in their marketplace, how those trends are going to impact their business and how they need to respond.
There’s no doubt that the ag market is changing. Whether it’s growing use of equipment leases, farms consolidating, farmers retiring, “new” buyers turning to used equipment, or some other trend, every dealer is facing a different market than they have in years past.
Read More

Poll: Likelihood of Farm Bill being Signed by President

Both the House and the Senate have passed their versions of the 2018 Farm Bill and it now goes to committee to reconcile differences between the two versions so one bill can be presented to the president. Do you think the 2018 Farm Bill will be signed by President Trump before the current Farm Bill expires on Sept. 30?
Read More
Kim Schmidt
To the Point

Wanted: Private Equity Investors?

What happens in the auto industry often finds its way into the farm equipment industry, and it’s no different with dealer consolidation. And while dealers have been merging and acquiring each other for years, recently there’s been a growing interest from private equity investors — both in the auto dealer world and our own
Read More

Top Articles

Current Issue

FE_OctoberNovember_1026_BookWithPages_Curl_art.png

Farm Equipment

Reality Check Tech Shortage Goes Beyond Attracting Students

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More
Top Directory Listings