Ben Thorpe

Ben Thorpe is the Associate Research Editor of Farm Equipment and Ag Equipment Intelligence. He joined Lessiter Media in 2019 after 1 year working with the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers. He graduated with a writing degree from Carroll University.

bthorpe@lessitermedia.com

Articles

ARTICLES

Generating Cash Part 4: Selling Aged Equipment in the Wholegoods Department

By Ben Thorpe posted on June 1, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

In a recent webinar, Trent Hummel, consultant and trainer with the Western Equipment Dealers Assn.’s Dealer Institute, outlines key areas where dealerships can find room to generate extra cash in their wholegoods department.

Special Report

Dealers See Mixed Bag of Brand Loyalty & Dealer Loyalty

Though dealers surveyed in 2020 indicated the lowest rate of decrease in brand loyalty yet, many also saw farmers more willing to prioritize quality dealer service over staying loyal to a specific color.

By Ben Thorpe posted on June 1, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices, Data & Forecasts

In addition to canvasing growers, Farm Equipment editors reached out to several dealers to ask how they perceived brand loyalty to have changed in recent years.

Generating Cash Part 3: Billing Efficiency & Warranty Losses in the Service Department

By Ben Thorpe posted on May 25, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

Trent Hummel, a consultant and trainer with the Western Equipment Dealers Assn.’s Dealer Institute recently gave a webinar for Farm Equipment where he explained how dealers should be taking down credit card numbers ahead of time, when to get OEMs to help pay for warranty losses and how to increase billing efficiency.

Generating Cash Part 2: Optimizing the Parts Department

By Ben Thorpe posted on May 18, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

In a recent webinar, Trent Hummel, consultant and trainer for the Western Equipment Dealers Assn.’s Dealer Institute, explained how dealers can maximize the benefit of their OEM return program, sell obsolete parts to the wholegoods department at a discount and have their technicians assist by upselling parts while on service jobs.

Generating Cash Part 1: Tracking Expenses in Accounting

By Ben Thorpe posted on May 8, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

Trent Hummel, consultant and trainer for the Western Equipment Dealers Assn.’s Dealer Institute, explained in a recent Farm Equipment webinar how simple actions like examining expense reports and arranging for payment as services are rendered can improve cashflow.

Today’s Recap: Todd Lassanske, General Manager, McFarlane Mfg., Sauk City, Wis.

By Ben Thorpe posted on April 15, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices

Todd Lassanske, general manager at McFarlane Manufacturing, talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting day-to-day operations over at the Wisconsin manufacturer.

Last Year’s Weather is Pushing No-Till Farmers to Look at Emergency Tillage

By Ben Thorpe posted on March 24, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices

Regardless of tillage practices, no growers were safe from last year’s weather. With the summer’s moisture sticking around into the fall (and in some places into the winter), many growers missed crucial fall tillage to get their seedbeds ready.

What Tillage Practices Will Get Growers Back on Their Feet This Spring?

Following last year’s weather problems, dealers will likely see growers leaning into a variety of tillage practices to catch up where last year put them behind. Manufacturers share what they expect to see.

By Ben Thorpe posted on March 23, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices, Product Innovations & Introductions

The 2019 planting season wasn’t kind to growers in North America. Overly wet conditions plagued them at every turn, which for many created tough working conditions in their fields.

Precision Farming Dealer Summit 2020 Recap

Help Your Precision Staff Flourish from Onboarding to Seniority

3 precision experts give boots-on-the-ground examples on how to generate real improvements in employee retention and the rate of successful hires.

By Ben Thorpe posted on March 5, 2020 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

The ag industry is in the midst of a labor shortage, and precision ag is no different: one speaker at the 2020 Precision Farming Dealer Summit says one study shows the average burnout rate on a precision specialist is 18 months.

Dealership Minds

Leading by Example in the Parts Department

By Ben Thorpe posted on February 6, 2020 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

Cindy Gough’s leadership of H&R Agri-Power’s parts departments is based on relationships. It’s evident as soon as she steps behind the counter: heads turn and smile at her as she greets everyone, usually coupled with some gentle teasing.

View All Articles by Ben Thorpe

Current Issue

Farm Equipment

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Big Dealer Consolidation Continues in 2024

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Weasler Engineering, we break down the key takeaways from Ag Equipment Intelligence's newly released 2024 Big Dealer Report. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman shows us how cover crop planting could be done autonomously. Also in this episode, CNH Industrial reports a drop in ag sales, AGCO combine and application equipment sales are down year-over-year and a UK New Holland factory strike could impact North America.

Top Directory Listings

Yetter Farm Equipment

Built on 90 years of expertise, Yetter Farm Equipment leads the agriculture industry in designing effective and innovative equipment for residue management, seedbed preparation, precision fertilizer placement, harvest attachments, strip-tillage, and more.

Montag Mfg

Montag is the industry’s innovative leader for precise, accurate metering of fertilizer, seed and other nutrients. The Montag system has become the standard for deep banding of fertilizer. Montag is also pioneering the technology for cover crop seed application. The new Cover Crop+ is able to meter the smallest seed, and can be mounted to tillage implements, combines, plus Hagie sprayers and detasselers.

Finance Scope

Finance Scope is able to provide the best financing opportunities for equipment dealers and customers through a diverse mix of lending companies under one single platform. Our large group of lenders, allows for competitive rates regardless of credit scores. Additionally, dealers and customers have access to the industry’s best expertise surrounding finance and lease structures, for all purposes, within the agricultural and construction industries. We provide all of this into one online platform to provide our customers with the best available tailored finance solution for their equipment.