Subtlety can be overrated when it comes to managing used farm equipment inventory. Sometimes, bluntness is necessary to force dealerships into a defining decision that cuts used equipment levels in half and increases annual equipment turns by 1.5 in less than 3 years.

Casual parts counter conversations or chewing the fat on a service visit have long been catalysts for capturing a customer’s business. Face-to-face interaction and the ability to “read” the purchasing interest or intentions of farmers are tools of the trade for savvy salespeople.

Scaling pre-season spring planting projects is as much an art as it is a science for Lance Larsen, precision service coordinator with Agtegra, a 5,000-plus farmer cooperative based in Aberdeen, S.D., and 2014 Most Valuable Dealership.

Spring planting poses enough daily challenges for precision farming specialists without having to wonder when, how and if they will be able to access needed hardware or call on experienced back-up to tag-team complicated service calls to get farm customers in the field. Fortunately, the 18-member precision farming team at Stotz Equipment is ably navigating through the added seasonal uncertainties, without sacrificing quality or communication.

Visiting with Pete Youngblut, founder and sole proprietor of Youngblut Ag, a precision farming dealership in Dysart, Iowa, it’s immediately clear that his primary focus is on preparing customers for planting — because he has to — regardless of the circumstances. I caught up with Youngblut in the middle of a hydraulic steering installation on a Case IH MX180 tractor the afternoon of Monday, April 6.

Anticipation can be a frustrating and ambiguous objective when it comes to forecasting the when and how the next ag tech innovation will influence a dealership’s precision farming business.