According to the executive leadership team at Stotz Equipment (a 23-store operation with stores in 8 states), the period following its Greenline Equipment acquisition in 2005 was a miserable time for the dealership.

We’ve consistently made money over the years,” Jeff says about Lake County International, a single-store Case IH dealership in Madison, S.D. “All of sudden we go from $12 million in sales in 2008 to $18 million in 2009. How do you plan for that sort of thing?”

I think the timing of our renovation project was perfect, says Jeff Bloom, co-owner of Lake County International, a single-store Case IH dealership in Madison, S.D. He says the culture of the dealership is built on service, and the store expansion, which more than doubled the size of the entire facility, gives the dealership the opportunity to expand its service and parts operations.

While they may not agree on much, most farm equipment dealers do agree the single most important factor in meeting the looming challenges ahead for the industry and the difference between success and failure in the future boils down to one common denominator finding top-level talent, especially in the shop.

Gordy Brower of Brandon, SD, has been named Sales Manager at MDS Manufacturing

When Calvin Schmidt recently contacted Farm Equipment, his inquiry was rather straightforward: What does the law have to say about tractor hour meter tampering? Unfortunately, the answer isn't nearly as straightforward as the question. What was discovered is that regulations differ significantly by state and province and enforcement is often spotty.

Hour meters on tractors and combines act much like car and truck odometers. Both can be used to gauge the overall wear and tear on a machine. Yet, where there is a federal law to protect odometers from being tampered with, there is far less regulation on hour meters.

Generally speaking, it is against the law to perform fraudulent practices relating to motor vehicle odometers. The replacement, disconnection or the reset of an odometer of any motor vehicle on which the odometer does not recognize the true mileage driven is a fraudulent practice and can be punishable with a class 1 misdemeanor.

Regardless of where you are in the world, the main focus of all farmers is to increase their yield and get more out of every acre or hectare. What's different is how that goal is accomplished in different areas of the world. There are a number of global planter and seeder technology trends dealers should keep an eye on that will make their way to North America. Looking ahead, technological advancements in planting equipment will come from marrying the needs and developments abroad with those of North America. The combination of Western European speed and North American accuracy would result in highly efficient and precise seeding and planting equipment.