April/May 2022

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Early MVP Votes for Service Managers in ‘22

By Mike Lessiter posted on March 18, 2022 | Posted in Best Practices

Several times over the years, attendees of our Dealership Minds Summit (DMS) extended high praise to our editors in foreseeing key challenges 6-9 months in advance and hosting a networking venue to prep them before that topic hit code-red. Among them was our “Succession Planning & Next-Generation Management” for the 2015 DMS and “Used Equipment Remarketing” for 2017.
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Checking in on Dealers’ Employee Development

The Western Equipment Dealers Assn. and Farm Equipment surveyed dealers across North America to gauge their biggest needs for training and developing future leaders.

By Kim Schmidt posted on March 21, 2022 | Posted in Best Practices

Workforce and leadership development is a critical need for the future growth of a dealership’s business. That development must extend beyond training on the tasks needed to do one’s job.
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Executive Q&A

Why Birkey’s Farm Store Set Up an ESOP

Mike Hedge, CEO of 17-store Case IH dealer Birkey’s Farm Store, says the ESOP helps with employee retention and will fuel future acquisitions.

By Ben Thorpe posted on March 22, 2022 | Posted in Best Practices, Operations & Finance

Birkey’s Farm Store, a 17-store Case IH dealership with locations in Illinois and Indiana, announced Jan. 6, 2022, it had become 100% employee-owned as part of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, otherwise known as an ESOP.

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Planning for Growth Key to Designing Successful New Facilities

Messick Farm Equipment, Mt. Joy, Pa., used a 4-year planning and construction process to design and build a modern, comfortable new headquarters.

By Sarah Hill posted on March 23, 2022 | Posted in Facilities

When a farm equipment dealership decides to build a new headquarters, it is no easy decision. It requires many internal discussions and years of planning, with the ultimate goal of better serving customers both now and in the future.
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Johnson Tractor Prioritizes People with Rochelle, Ill., Facility

Little things like heated floors, air-conditioned showrooms and automatic doors can elevate a dealership’s success.

By Ben Thorpe posted on March 24, 2022 | Posted in Facilities, Dealer News

Leo Johnson, retired president of Johnson Tractor, a 5-store Case IH dealer with locations in Wisconsin and Illinois, speaks honestly about the dealership’s previous location in Rochelle, Ill.: It was old.

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Lost Without AgriSync? Consider These Alternatives

Dealers get creative in their searches for a replacement customer service platform.

By Michaela Paukner posted on March 25, 2022 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

If you’re a non-John Deere ag equipment dealer looking for an AgriSync replacement, you’re not alone. John Deere acquired the customer service platform AgriSync in late 2021 and said non-Deere dealers would transition off the service in 2022.
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Leadership Lessons

What’s the Distance From Your Boardroom to Your Breakroom?

By Russ Green posted on March 26, 2022 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

Remember when your dealership was a stand-alone operation? The distance from your boardroom to the breakroom was measured in feet. Now with acquisitions and expansion into big multi-location dealers, some of which span states, that distance is measured in miles.
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Ahead of the Curve

Field Tests Underway for Electric Planter

Iowa start-up Salin 247 field testing autonomous electric drive unit for planting in Iowa and Tennessee fields. Prototype machine also offers post-emergence capabilities in spraying and side-dressing.

By Dan Crummett posted on March 27, 2022 | Posted in Product Innovations & Introductions, Niche Equipment Markets

With a lifetime of farming experience and degrees in agronomy and economics, Dave Krog says he’s trying to whittle variable and fixed costs from today’s equipment outlays with an electric, autonomous drive unit aimed squarely at the 24-row planter.

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Salford Halo VRT

By Ben Thorpe posted on March 28, 2022 | Posted in Product Innovations & Introductions

The Salford Halo VRT is a variable-rate tillage design on a forward folding, high-speed disc frame. The Halo VRT’s wide range of gang angle adjustments allows it to perform spring and fall operations with ease.
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Ask the Expert

The Used Planter Market: Purge & Rebirth

By Casey Seymour posted on March 29, 2022 | Posted in Used Equipment Remarketing

2009–2012 was a booming time for agriculture around the world. Commodity prices were high, and on-farm income was at record levels. As a result, ag equipment dealers’ lots were filled with both new and used equipment.
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Featured Articles

Featured Articles

Early MVP Votes for Service Managers in ‘22

By Mike Lessiter posted on March 18, 2022 | Posted in Best Practices

Several times over the years, attendees of our Dealership Minds Summit (DMS) extended high praise to our editors in foreseeing key challenges 6-9 months in advance and hosting a networking venue to prep them before that topic hit code-red. Among them was our “Succession Planning & Next-Generation Management” for the 2015 DMS and “Used Equipment Remarketing” for 2017.
Read More

Checking in on Dealers’ Employee Development

The Western Equipment Dealers Assn. and Farm Equipment surveyed dealers across North America to gauge their biggest needs for training and developing future leaders.

By Kim Schmidt posted on March 21, 2022 | Posted in Best Practices

Workforce and leadership development is a critical need for the future growth of a dealership’s business. That development must extend beyond training on the tasks needed to do one’s job.
Read More

Executive Q&A

Why Birkey’s Farm Store Set Up an ESOP

Mike Hedge, CEO of 17-store Case IH dealer Birkey’s Farm Store, says the ESOP helps with employee retention and will fuel future acquisitions.

By Ben Thorpe posted on March 22, 2022 | Posted in Best Practices, Operations & Finance

Birkey’s Farm Store, a 17-store Case IH dealership with locations in Illinois and Indiana, announced Jan. 6, 2022, it had become 100% employee-owned as part of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, otherwise known as an ESOP.

Read More
Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Farm Equipment April/May 2022 Digital Edition

March 30, 2022

Read each issue of Farm Equipment on your tablet and desktop computer.
Read Digital Edition

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Online Extras

Online Extras

Online Extras: April/May 2022 Issue

March 31, 2022

Web-exclusive content for this issue includes: additional content on ESOP's, Leo Johnson's retirement and the company’s succession plan, and videos about the new Rochelle, Ill., location.
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