Editor’s Note: The Farm Equipment Staff and I had the pleasure of seeing the official sendoff celebration for retiring EMDA Executive Vice President Pat Collins on November 2, 2023 at the FEMA-EMDA Convention in Kansas City. Pat was the second phone call I made after acquiring Farm Equipment in July 2004 (from the office of the late Jim Rank at Cygnus Business Media) to get our staff set up and registered for what would be my first FEMA-FEWA (Farm Equipment Wholesalers Assn. as it was then known) in Orlando in October of 2004. Pat has been a tremendous help and is one of the "behind-the-scene stars" who’ve made equipment distribution – sourced both domestically and from foreign lands – work smoother for dealers, farmers and other wholegoods manufacturers. She was instrumental at many international shows and trade commission events that I attended. Cheers to a great 38-year career, Pat! – Mike Lessiter, Editor/Publisher, Farm Equipment magazine.

By Patricia A. Collins, Equipment Manufacturers Distribution Association Executive Vice President, Iowa City, Iowa

Congrats to Farm Equipment magazine on 55 years as THE new source for the farm equipment industry! EMDA member distributors and reps are the indispensable link between manufacturers and dealers, and while communication methods have changed drastically over the past 50+ years, Farm Equipment magazine has always been a key resource to help EMDA members keep up on what’s going on in the shortline industry. 

Whether it’s the profiles of key players in the industry, an in-depth analysis of trends affecting the bottom-line of shortline companies, or learning about new potential manufacturer partners, I can’t count the number of times an EMDA member has said, “Did you see that article in Farm Equipment?”