Those of you who were in St. Louis for last week’s sold-out Precision Farming Dealer Summit (or following us online) heard the news. The Dealership Minds Summit is returning in 2017.
It seems as if I blinked and 2016 came and went. It was certainly a wild year, and while many people are glad to move on and forge ahead with 2017, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the successes your dealership and employees had last year.
John Deere and Case IH are dominant players in farm equipment, but it’s a big wide world out there, with every color of the rainbow equipment selling daily all across North America.
Comparing Deere & Co.’s outlook for 2017 issued on Nov. 23 to that of USDA’s issued earlier in the year, you would have to conclude that the world’s largest manufacturer of farm equipment is a bit more optimistic about the year ahead than is the U.S. ag agency.
In working with dealers, I’ve encountered three simple non-numeric, non-financial ways to evaluate a dealership. Each of these questions came from a successful dealer principal or from an OEM dealer development manager.
Shortly after Case IH and New Holland introduced their concept autonomous tractors at the Farm Progress Show in late August 2016, Colorado-based market intelligence firm, Tractica, released a report predicting rapid growth in robotic tractor sales by 2020.
The rollout of the Case IH and New Holland autonomous, or driverless, tractors at the Farm Progress Show in August sparked a whole range of reactions, from spirited conversations and conjecture, to skepticism and indifference.
2016 is shaping up to be a difficult year but there are some bright spots shining through. U.S. farmers continue to exhibit some financial strength and that should allow them to take advantage of any future buying opportunities that might arise.
A sale to set the market is how the Nov. 29, 2016, absolute dealer auction for SEMA Equipment in Rochester, Minn., was being viewed by all in the farm equipment space — dealers, ag lenders, famers, auction firms. It’s easy for me to be on hand for this big sale as it was right where I lived for the past 27 years, in Rochester, Minn.
Built on 90 years of expertise, Yetter Farm Equipment leads the agriculture industry in designing effective and innovative equipment for residue management, seedbed preparation, precision fertilizer placement, harvest attachments, strip-tillage, and more.
Montag is the industry’s innovative leader for precise, accurate metering of fertilizer, seed and other nutrients. The Montag system has become the standard for deep banding of fertilizer. Montag is also pioneering the technology for cover crop seed application. The new Cover Crop+ is able to meter the smallest seed, and can be mounted to tillage implements, combines, plus Hagie sprayers and detasselers.
At Machinery Scope, we believe you deserve the best risk management solutions for your investments in heavy equipment. Since 2013, we have been proud to offer extended warranty, appraisals, and inspections. Machinery Scope is a family-owned business built on our experience in farming and equipment dealerships. We understand your business and provide a personalized and professional level of customer service. Machinery Scope has built a strong warranty product with our customers in mind, offering the same professional level of service from the time you get a quote, through the processing of a claim.