The Dealer Day in the Life journal series are daily logs from farm equipment dealers as they adjust to the business world amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. https://www.farm-equipment.com/rss en-us With many North American dealers heading into the thick of spring planting, more than 9,000 miles away, dealerships in Australia are preparing customers for seeding crops ahead of winter. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18329 Mon, 11 May 2020 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18329-todays-recap-down-under-precision-dealers-working-through-kinks-in-supply-chain Waiting for parts is not what any farmer wants to do when they’re gearing up for spring planting. Presho, S.D., no-tiller Adam Ehlers, has encountered delays due to COVID-19. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18255 Mon, 27 Apr 2020 09:07:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18255-todays-recap-adam-ehlers-no-tiller-presho-sd College students around the U.S. have had their semesters abruptly turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of North Dakota State University (NDSU) precision ag students have returned to their home farms to complete their semester through online classwork. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18253 Fri, 24 Apr 2020 11:07:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18253-todays-recap-xin-rex-sun-assistant-professor-precision-agriculture-north-dakota-state-university kschmidt@lessitermedia.com Dealership marketing managers at farm equipment dealerships have been pushing digital tools for sales and lead management for years, but the adoption of such tools has been slow. The current coronavirus crisis forced the adoption of such tools for Koenig Equipment, a 15 store John Deere dealership group in Indiana and Ohio, says vice president of marketing Marguerite Kleinedler. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18248 Thu, 23 Apr 2020 12:09:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18248-todays-recap-marguerite-kleinedler-vp-marketing-at-koenig-equipment mlessiter@lesspub.com Ty Rankin is the GM at Lone Star Ag (previously known as Parmer County Implement), a 2-store operation carrying Kubota, Claas, MacDon, JCB and Oxbo. Lone Star Ag is specialized in its product offering and doesn’t deal with planters and sprayers like dealers in other parts of the country. Its business is very much harvest related. “All of our equipment, with the exception of Kubota, focuses on silage.” http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18245 Tue, 21 Apr 2020 11:40:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18245-todays-recap-ty-rankin-gm-at-lone-star-ag-friona-and-dalhart-texas Connnely-Rankin.jpg 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. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18243 Mon, 20 Apr 2020 15:29:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18243-todays-recap-lance-larsen-precision-service-coordinator-agtegra-bath-sd Lance Larsen kschmidt@lessitermedia.com For the most part, the service departments at 21st Century Equipment’s 17 stores are operating as normal as customers prepare for spring planting, with one exception. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18229 Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:34:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18229-todays-recap-carolyn-lorenzen-jeff-dillon-lead-service-coordinators-21st-century-equipment-scottsbluff-neb 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. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18218 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 15:00:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18218-todays-recap-todd-lassanske-general-manager-mcfarlane-mfg-sauk-city-wis Mitchell Hora thrives on the collaborative aspects of agriculture. As a farmer, agronomist and owner of Continuum Ag, a precision farming-focused consulting business in Washintgon, Iowa, this time of year, Hora is accustomed to close contact customer interaction, setting up field trials and scouting at clinics across the country. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18220 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 14:28:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18220-todays-recap-mitchell-hora-founder-continuum-ag-washington-iowa Mitchell Hora 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. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18210 Mon, 13 Apr 2020 14:28:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18210-todays-update-stotz-equipment-precision-farming-team Stotz Equipment Adjusting to the service realities caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, Stotz Equipment’s 18-person precision farming team has been able to maintain a high level of customer support, relying on telematic tools and proactive communication with farmers and also internally with each other. kschmidt@lessitermedia.com With nowhere for their product to go, many dairies have been forced to dump their milk. Dairy farmers make up a significant portion of Messick’s customer base. Seeing their customers struggle, staff at the 5-location dealership wondered if there was anything they could do. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18209 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 16:39:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18209-todays-recap-neil-messick-messick-messicks-elizabethtown-pa Messicks Milk Delivery kschmidt@lessitermedia.com Jordan Kite, Equipment Asset Manager for new and used equipment for Agri-Service, is in his third week of working from home because of COVID-19. Typically in his role, Kite regularly travels among Agri-Service’s 9 locations. Now, he’s relegated to his home office. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18204 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 08:19:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18204-jordan-kite-agri-service-journal-april-7-2020 There’s no break in the action for farmers whose work feeds the world even in the midst of pricing downturns and a rigid infrastructure unable to adjust to shifts in demand. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18207 Thu, 09 Apr 2020 03:00:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18207-todays-update-tony-peirick-farmer-watertown-wis Tony Peirick Karlen grows peas, lentils, corn, soybeans, winter wheat and spring wheat. Karlen says he saw what was happening in China back in January and February and has tried to plan ahead to alleviate his concerns for his crops. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18195 Wed, 08 Apr 2020 08:33:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18195-todays-recap-brad-karlen-no-tiller-reliance-sd 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. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18191 Tue, 07 Apr 2020 08:15:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18191-todays-recap-pete-youngblut-owner-youngblut-ag-dysart-iowa Pete Youngblut mlessiter@lesspub.com Heritage Tractor was among the first John Deere dealerships in the country to invest in Sedona Technologies’ online customer portal in January 2018, in what became the dealership’s “Virtual Parts Counter.” http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18183 Fri, 03 Apr 2020 18:14:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18183-todays-recap-craig-murray-senior-director-of-aftermarket-heritage-tractor-baldwin-kan mlessiter@lesspub.com Farm Equipment caught up with Bob Doran, owner of Doran Distribution Services, Mount Horeb, Wis. today to gain a perspective of recent events in farm equipment — from the distributor’s seat. Farm Equipment caught up with Bob Doran, owner of Doran Distribution Services, Mount Horeb, Wis. today to gain a perspective of recent events in farm equipment — from the distributor’s seat. ]]> http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18181 Fri, 03 Apr 2020 08:13:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18181-todays-recap-farm-equipment-distributor-bob-doran-of-doran-distribution kschmidt@lessitermedia.com In these strange times we’re in these days with the Coronavirus, Farm Equipment asked 4-Store President/CEO Shawn Skaggs, Livingston Machinery, to keep a 1-day journal on Wednesday, April 1, the dealership's first day of having two of its locations closed to customers while still remaining open for business. Farm Equipment asked 4-Store President/CEO Shawn Skaggs, Livingston Machinery, to keep a 1-day journal on Wednesday, April 1, the dealership's first day of having two of its locations closed to customers while still remaining open for business.]]> http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18172 Thu, 02 Apr 2020 12:54:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18172-shawn-skaggs-livingston-machinery-journal-april-1-2020 mlessiter@lesspub.com In these strange times we’re in these days with the Coronavirus, Farm Equipment asked 4-Store Dealer Principal Leo Johnson, Johnson Tractor (Dealership of the Year Alum), to keep a 1-day journal on Monday, March 30. http://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18156 Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:37:00 -0400 https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/18156-leo-johnson-johnson-tractor-journal-march-30-2020