Wayne Hunt is a man of influence, but you wouldn’t immediately know it based on his humble demeanor. Whether it is building up his team leaders to carry on his legacy or advocating for the ag industry in politics, his reach is far and wide. In fact, the interview for this article was interrupted by a lobbyist Hunt closely advises as it was the first day the Kentucky legislature was back in session. 

Among Hunt’s accomplishments: H&R Agri-Power was the 2024 Farm Equipment Dealership of the Year and has been selected as a Best-in-Class dealer a record 3 times; the dealership was recognized as a No-Till Innovator in 2023 — only the 2nd machinery dealer to be honored with the award; Hunt has served on the Kentucky Agriculture Development Board since 2000 and the Kentucky Agriculture Finance Corp.

“He is so well known beyond Christian County and even beyond Kentucky,” says Ross Morgan, who retired from H&R Agri-Power in 2023. “I was working with a  national board and someone asked if I could get a meeting with [former Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). I said, ‘I can’t get that. But Wayne can.’ That’s how well-connected and how involved he is. He has the respect of leaders at that level and they’ll pick up his call.” 

Here are some words used to describe Hunt: astute, visionary, poster-child of a modern-day leader, humble and analytical. But if you ask him, he’s “just plain Wayne.” 

Prior to getting into the farm equipment dealership business, Hunt owned a successful fertilizer business, Agri-Chem. He eventually sold the fertilizer business to Hopkinsville Elevator Co. in 1997. In addition, the Hunt family farms 11,000 acres, a trusted testing ground for the dealership and Case IH. 

Agri-Power Inc. was founded in 1990 when Hunt took over the Case company store in Hopkinsville, Ky. But, before he bought the store, Hunt paid his good friend Ross Morgan, who ran H&R Implement Co., a visit. 

“He’s a good friend; I didn’t want to hurt his business,” Hunt recalls. “I went and met with Ross and talked to him. I said, ‘I’m going to do this thing. I’m going to listen to you. What do you think?’ And he said, ‘Good opportunity, you ought to do it. It won't hurt me. You ain’t got to worry about that. It won't hurt me.’” 

Three years later the friends would become partners when they merged their dealerships. 

Service Focused

“Our primary reason for getting in the business was we weren’t being serviced at our farming operation to a level that was satisfactory to us as customers,” says Wayne’s son Steve Hunt, president of H&R Agri-Power.

“We added “Service” to the name  because that’s what we were known for in the fertilizer business. We didn't work Sundays, but I’m telling you, we gave farmers 6 good ones. If they wanted anhydrous on Sunday, we’d set out everything we had Saturday night, and they could come and get it. We were known for service. That's how we got into the implement business. Didn't think anything about it, really.”

Growth Mindset

H&R Agri-Power was formed in 1993 by the merger of H&R Implement Co., Inc. and Agri-Power Inc. The two dealerships brought the New Holland and Case IH brands together before the two manufacturers officially merged in 1999.  

Since then, the business has grown 2,900%, says industry consultant Dr. Jim Weber, who has been working with H&R Agri-Power for 30 years. “At that time, H&R was a 4-location operation generating $25 million in sales, having grown from a single store location 5 years earlier with sales of only $3 million,” he says. “Since then, however, H&R has grown to 21 locations operating in 6 states and doing $750 million  in revenue.”

Like many other early consolidators, Hunt says H&R Agri-Power’s growth has been the result of other dealers seeking them out. “They came to us and said, ‘We want to join a bigger company. We think we need to join a bigger company and we picked you all to join.’”

That growth mindset continues today. When asked what excites him most about the future, Hunt says, “Growth, we aren’t going to quit growing.” 

In 2006, H&R Agri-Power formed an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). By 2014, employees owned 18% of the company. That year, with more growth on the horizon, Hunt and H&R leadership talked with David Meyer, chairman of Titan Machinery, about the idea of going public with the dealership. At the end of the day, Hunt didn’t think it was the right move going public was the right fit for them, but going 100% ESOP was. The decision ensured the dealership could continue growing and that the employees would benefit from it. 

“We were looking for growth money,” Hunt says. “We were growing and growing. We had to do something different. With the 100% ESOP we have a growth fund of our own because the profits stay in the company.”

The business, and the farm equipment industry, have seen a number of changes over Hunt’s career, but he says most of them saw coming. “That’s my strength,” he says. “We see farther down the road. I’m a dreamer, or whatever you want to call it and always have been. I’m not afraid to take a chance;  to take a risk.” 

Hunt says Morgan was more conservative in his approach to the business and that made them a good pair. “He was conservative, while I was apt to take a shot and if it doesn't work, we’ll do something else,” Hunt says. 

No-Till Innovator

H&R Agri-Power was honored with the title of 2023 No-Till Innovator. They are only the second machinery dealer ever to have been honored with the award. From no-till’s very beginning, Hunt and H&R Agri-Power has displayed a commitment to no-till farming and has helped implement regenerative ag practices in the dealership’s Southern and Midwestern territories and beyond. 

Hunt recalls the dealership’s no-till origin story. As the farm equipment dealer for Harry Young Jr., who planted the first commercial no-till plot in 1962, H&R Agri-Power became the first dealer in the U.S. to test and demonstrate the Case 500 no-till drill and one of the first dealers to promote the twin spinner option for combines to better spread residue. Both contributed to the success of no-till, a practice that has become standard in the dealership’s Kentucky territory and beyond.

Wayne Hunt Photo Gallery

“H&R Agri-Power was the first dealer in the U.S. to test and demonstrate the Case 500 no-till drill,” says Phil Needham, owner of Needham Ag Technologies and long-time no-till advocate. “They were also one of the first to promote the twin spinner option for combines to help spread residue better across wider heads. Uniform residue spread is critical for no-till.”

The Hunts also used their own farm to promote no-till and help educate other farmers in the area about the benefits of the practice. The Hunts are nearly 100% no-till on their own roughly 10,000-acre farm. Approximately 3,350 of those acres are 100% no-till wheat.

Needham points out that the list of H&R Agri-Power’s contributions to the world of no-till is extensive, and it continues to grow today, as they operate in an area of Kentucky which has been historically successful with no-till.

Continuous Improvement

H&R Agri-Power has a board of directors that includes: Weber, Tom Yohe (formerly of Hoober’s Inc.), Wayne Hunt, President Steve Hunt and CFO Ronnie Barnett. But they aren’t shadow directors; Hunt puts them to work.

About 4 years ago Yohe said he’d like to stop by some of the dealership’s Southern stores as he was making his way home from a trip to Oklahoma. Hunt  told him he should stop in at all the stores. “Just drop in, and ask them what they like,” Hunt told him. 

Hunt tasked Weber to do the same thing. “I don’t care how long it takes. I’m not going to make the arrangements, you go whenever you want,” Hunt recalls. “I’d just like a good analysis of what you saw.”

What Hunt got in return is a 145-page strategic management document that includes all the weaknesses the staff shared with Weber and Yohe. Hunt keeps it on his desk and still reads it. When Tom Sutter joined the business as COO in 2024, Hunt shared the document with him to get an understanding of where the dealership was a few years ago. 

Hall of Fame Digital Extras

• Leading the Charge
• 2024 Dealership of the Year
• Our Dealer Story Podcast: H&R Agri-Power
• H&R Agri-Power Recognized as 2023 No-Till Innovator  

At 81 years old, Hunt remains CEO of the dealership but has passed along a lot of the day-to-date management. But don’t think that means he plays a passive role in this operation. Instead, Hunt is always looking to improve — personally and professionally — and describes himself as the biggest dreamer in the company. 

Letting go of some of that day-to-day control has been challenging, but has been an important step. “It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve faced. You sit at the head of the table and listen as plans are made. ‘What are we going to do? What do you think?’ 

“My comment usually is, ‘Well if that’s what ya’ll think.’ I might not be totally sold on it, but I’m going to go with it, to let them have the room,” he says. “I wasn’t always right. Somebody once commented, ‘Wayne, everything you touch turns to gold.’ My comment was, ‘You don’t know how much we’ve touched. It’s not that way.’ I have been a very blessed individual in my lifetime.”

Weber describes Hunt as a visionary and someone who leads from the front. 

“His primary functions have been, and continue to be, to develop a culture that supports the customer while establishing a climate that rewards employee exceptionalism,” Weber says. “As such, he has always surrounded himself with high caliber individuals and expects them to do their job. His praise is noteworthy, and his criticism is always constructive. He himself is continuously seeking ways to improve not only his business but also himself as a leader.” 

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