In 2009, Mark Muench of Ogden, Iowa, was getting frustrated about the lack of development for tillage equipment. He felt that it was one aspect of agriculture that had come to a standstill as far as new developments and improvements go. After trying Salford tillage equipment, he felt like he was getting closer to what he wanted.

Fast forward to the fall of 2012, and Muench is running a Salford dealership out of his farm shop. He sold his first machine in 2013. Today, he says that his Salford dealership is the largest single-location dealership in Iowa, and that they sell more parts than any dealership in the state.

“I had been strip-tilling corn on corn for a few years, and I was having trouble managing corn residue,” Muench says. “That’s why I bought the first Salford, to chop up the residue. I wanted to reduce the number of passes, so I started reconfiguring a Salford to be able to do what I wanted in one pass.”

Muench says he took his rolling basket and harrow off and put them on the back of the Salford machine, essentially taking the Salford components and rearranging them for strip-till. 

“When I was doing these configurations, I was talking to the Salford engineers a lot, and one day their territory rep was in the area and stopped by to visit,” Muench says. “He mentioned they were trying to get more dealers in my area, and I got to thinking, ‘Well, gee, I’m always working on these things and learning about them anyway.’ From there, it just fell into place.”

Muench says that because Salford was still relatively new in the grand scheme of agricultural equipment, he knew that farmers weren’t going to just buy them without trying them. Because of this, Muench knew there would be a lot of effort involved, but he was up for the challenge. 

“I felt like it was my attempt to help improve tillage in general,” Muench says. “It seemed as if tillage, compared to other aspects of agriculture, was lagging behind 30 or 40 years —  especially if you compare it to improvements with tractors and combines. It was my attempt to make agriculture better and to make tillage more sustainable by doing it in a better and more efficient way.”

Muench says while it depends on the day, he estimates that his time is split roughly 50/50 between the Salford dealership and his own farm operation, where he primarily grows corn and soybeans. Although since hiring some staff for support, he says he spends less time doing actual field work.  

Because of Muench’s long family history of farming, he feels he can bring a unique perspective to the dealership side of the agriculture business. 

“I feel that my role is to try and get as much history on what the farmer is currently doing and then try to figure out what he or she is trying to achieve,” Muench says. “We work with everyone from no-till to maximum tillage and everyone in between. I never want someone to end up with a machine they don’t like.” 

Even if it takes 2 or 3 years, Muench says that he’s committed to making sure his customers are satisfied. 

“We might bring them a demo in the spring or fall, and I like to use that as a benchmark to see if the machine is too aggressive or what changes are needed,” Muench says. 

Having spent so many hours in the field, Muench knows how important it is to find a machine that does what the farmer needs. It’s why he got involved with Salford in the first place. 

“We’ve tried to grow by taking care of customers, having the parts and the service,” Muench says. “I deal with the big companies all the time from the farmer’s side, and I’m baffled at how some things slip through the cracks. I’m not saying we’re perfect, but I built the business from the farmer’s perspective because that’s what I am, and I know how critical time is and how frustrating it is not having the right part.

“I think a mistake machinery dealers make is focusing too much on the machine itself. We always look at it from the agronomy perspective: the seedbed, the final yield. We ask why are we doing it, what are we trying to achieve and can we improve it? It’s all about a perfect seedbed.”