In typical years, the first quarter is a busy time for our staff, with a lot of time spent out of the office at industry events, meetings and visits with dealers. It’s hard to believe that with the exception of a few regional visits to dealers it’s been a year since we’ve done any extensive travel.

In Cobb., Wis., Anne Blotz, service manager, walks through the service department at Ritchie Implement, a 4-store Case IH and Claas dealer in southwest Wisconsin and Farm Equipment’s 2015 Dealership of the Year. 

Workforce development has become an increasingly important topic for the farm equipment industry in recent years. While a lot of attention has been given to the challenge of finding and retaining qualified service technicians, the workforce development issue is much larger than that.

Koenig Equipment is no stranger to change. In its 117 years in business, it has seen changes that range from trading horses for implements to a shift in its major line (including several years of operating both John Deere and Case IH stores). 

With wrenches turning in service bays in preparation for spring planting, dealers and farmers are well into their annual routine of row unit maintenance, seed meter calibration and prescription loading. 

What began with Verlyn Fast’s idea for a 60-foot flat-fold farm sprayer in 1990 spawned a manufacturing company that has matured into a major player in the North American ag sprayer and liquid fertilizer applicator market. 

We are all acutely aware of how divided our country is along cultural and political lines. Much of that division derives from the concept that there is something inherently right about a majority, a democratic concept we are inculcated with from birth as Americans. 

Trey Hill isn’t sure what the future of farming has in store, but he is positive about one thing. “I’m a firm believer in utilizing technology, and I think that’s going to play a big role in how I manage my farm,” he says.

Can fishing help you appreciate the value of customer retention? If you’re “just fishin’,” catch and release is OK. But if you want to eat or sell the fish you catch, you want to do the things that hook the biggest fish.

DRT Corporation’s spray-boom recirculation features easy-to-install, universal fit technology to improve sprayer cleanout efficiency and opens the door to more accurate on-the-go chemical injection.

Last month I started this series off by talking about where to find young talent. As discussed, there are several different places and ways to bring good, young talent from colleges and technical schools to the dealership. 

The Summers Manufacturing Supercoulter Samurai tillage tool was designed for farmers who enjoy the simplicity and benefits of true vertical tillage tools but wish to move more dirt than the original Summers Supercoulter. 

The Smart Integrated Multi-Product Prescription Application System (SIMPAS) is a multi-product variable rate system to automate and variably apply multiple inputs across a field. 

Designed to suit virtually any agricultural machine type, make and model, the Topcon AGS-2 receiver and steering controller combines field-proven steering with leading network reception and tracking functionality. 

The new 3-point mounted strip-till system from Environmental Tillage Systems (ETS), the SoilWarrior Edge, combines the durability and versatility of a SoilWarrior system with a tractor mounted 3-point system designed for primary tillage and zone freshening.