February 2024

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

To the Point

Dealers for the Ages

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 30, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

Anniversaries have a way of nudging us to reflect. A natural byproduct of chronicling Farm Equipment’s 55th year was the examination of courageous dealers who bet on themselves and their team’s ability to serve the North American farmer.
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Sponsored Content: Trade Values & Trends

Compact Track Loaders Values Guide — Model Year 2022

January 31, 2024 | Posted in Used Equipment Remarketing

This month's equipment value guide highlights Compact Track Loaders from Case IH, John Deere, Kubota and New Holland. All of the Compact Track Loaders included in the selection are model year 2022 units and appeared in the Winter 2022 IronGuides Issue. For more detailed values use IronGuides.com, an online appraisal tool for agricultural equipment that adjusts for your machine’s unique region, options and usage.
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Trending Now

Percent of Employees Still with the Company 2 Years After Merger

January 30, 2024 | Posted in Data & Forecasts

According to the results of a Jan. 17 Farm Equipment Text Poll, more than one-half (54.2%) of dealers report that within 2 years of a merger, 40% or more of the employees will no longer be with the company.
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Sold-Out Crowd Gathers for the 2024 Precision Farming Dealer Summit

By Farm Equipment Staff posted on January 10, 2024 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service, Dealer News, Manufacturer News

Centered on the theme “Proven Strategies for Precision Success,” the program featured 2-days of dealer-to-dealer roundtable discussions, panel presentations, general sessions and intense networking opportunities.
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2024 Inaugural Dealer Hall of Famers

The first-ever class of inductees left a legacy of excellence for today’s — & tomorrow’s — industry leaders

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 29, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

Last year, we announced a new recognition program to chronicle North America’s finest dealer professionals. With each passing year, more leaders leave us, and the Farm Equipment team agreed it was time to document the stories of our industry’s “greats”
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Ronald D. Offutt, RDO Equipment

RDO Equipment, Fargo N.D. Primary Lines: John Deere, Vermeer, TopCon, Wirtgen, Ariens, Stihl Locations: 86

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 25, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

If there’s such a thing as a reluctant Hall of Famer, Ron Offutt might be it. In the time we’ve known him, he appears more comfortable behind the scenes, elevating and promoting the achievements of his staff when it comes to taking a bow.
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Cleve Buttars, Agri-Service

Agri-Service, Kimberly, Idaho Primary Lines: AGCO, Darf, ProAg, Trimble, JBS, Unverferth, Stinger, LandPride, Kirby, Woods, Hustler Locations: 13

By Dave Kanicki posted on January 26, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices, Dealer News

From the time he started Agri-Service, Cleve Buttars understood that to succeed, his business needed to be laser focused on people. First, it needed to be customer centric.
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Paul Wallem, Wallem International & Central Sands International

Wallem International, Belvidere, Ill, & Central Sands International, Plainfield, Wis. Operated from 1970-1987 Primary Lines: International Harvester, Zimmatic, Steiger, Butler Locations: 2

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 15, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues

Paul Wallem is a unique selection in Farm Equipment’s Hall of Fame for several reasons. He’s the oldest living dealer selected at age 89, has been out of the dealer business for nearly 40 years and well, his business didn't survive the disastrous 1980s.
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Charlie Hoober, Hoober Inc.

Hoober Inc., Intercourse, Pa. Primary Lines: Case IH, Kubota, JCB, Kuhn Krause, Great Plains, Geringhoff, Kinze, Unverferth, Woods, Land Pride, J&M, MacDon, Meyer Manufacturing, Yetter, Soil-Max, Montag Locations: 12

By Kim Schmidt posted on January 26, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

“The first time I met Charlie Hoober, he said, ‘I’m Charlie Hoober from Intercourse, Pa. You won’t remember my name, but you’ll remember where I’m from,’” says Leo Johnson of Wisconsin’s Johnson Tractor. But over the years, Hoober made an impact on those he met beyond just the name of his town.
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: David Meyer & Peter Christianson, Titan Machinery

Titan Machinery, Fargo, N.D. Primary lines: Case IH, New Holland, Case Construction, New Holland Construction Locations: 147

By Ben Thorpe posted on January 17, 2024 | Posted in Dealer Succession, Dealer News

There are few dealer success stories larger than that of Titan Machinery. From humble beginnings as Co-Founder David Meyer’s 2-store North Dakota operation in 1980 to the 147-store publicly-traded powerhouse it is today, the almost half-century history of Titan Machinery is full of progressive business practices and mentalities.
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Ferenc (1932-2017) & Tom Rosztoczy, Stotz Equipment

Stotz Equipment, Avondale, Ariz. Primary Lines: John Deere, AerWay, Alamo, Art's Way, Bigham Brothers, Brandt, Darf, Demco, Domrie, Great Plains, Harvest Tec., H&S, Haybuster, J&M Manufacturing, Jay-Lor, JCB, Loftness, Kirby, KMW, Loaders, Krone, Kuhn/Kuhn Krause, Landoll/Brillon, Rhino, Wil-Rich, Wishek Locations: 25

By Kim Schmidt posted on January 29, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

The late Ferenc Rosztoczy never considered that his professional calling would come in farm equipment. His son, Tom Rosztoczy, president of Stotz Equipment, says his dad’s entrance to the ag space was one of many big life decisions made over the course of his life.
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Earl Livingston, Livingston Machinery (Parallel Ag)

Livingston Machinery (Parallel Ag) Chickasha, Oklahoma Primary Lines: AGCO, Claas, Apache, Kinze, Duolift, H&S Equipment, Lemken, RhinoAg, RoGator, Vermeer Locations: 13

By Dave Kanicki posted on January 29, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

Earl Livingston became known as “Big Baler Man” because of his pioneering work in introducing big hay balers to Southwestern U.S. farmers. This, along with his commitment to around-the-clock servicing of those 24 hour a day farmers, earned him that title and the loyalty of farmers across 15 states.
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Orhan Yirmibesh, 1914-1999

Badger Farm Store, Clinton & Avalon, Wis. Primary Lines: Oliver, White, New Idea, Massey Ferguson Locations: 2

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 8, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues, Dealership Marketing

According to Clinton historian Tom Larsen, Orhan Yirmibesh was an Istanbul native who attended an all-male Turkish boarding school since age 8 and graduated from American Robert College. In 1936, he arrived at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison to pursue a graduate degree in economics.
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Inaugural Farm Equipment Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Derek Stimson, Rocky Mountain Equipment

Rocky Mountain Equipment Calgary, Alta Primary Lines: Case IH, New Holland, Bourgault, Degelman, Krone, MacDon, Vaderstad, Unverferth Locations: 43

By Kim Schmidt posted on January 29, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

Derek Stimson got his first taste of dealership life at the age of 14 when working as a service technician at his father’s dealership, Hi-Way Service. By the time he was 18, Stimson was attending Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, while also working full-time at the Taber, Alta., dealership.
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Niche Equipment Markets

How to Sell: High-Speed Tillage

A good demo is the key, and that requires good upfront planning so the customer can see how a highly versatile high-speed disc can help meet their specific wants and needs

By Gregg Wartgow posted on January 31, 2024 | Posted in Niche Equipment Markets

Is it true? Is there such a thing as a piece of equipment that actually sells itself? According to several dealers who are having success with high-speed tillage, this is about as close as it can get.
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Operations & Finance

Dealers Report Growing Revenue, Equity & Margins

The most recent Cost of Doing Business report saw multiple dealer metrics hit 5-year highs

By Ben Thorpe posted on January 31, 2024 | Posted in Data & Forecasts, Operations & Finance

North American dealers reported strong financial results for 2022, according to the results of the 2023 Cost of Doing Business study from the North American Equipment Dealers Assn. (NAEDA).
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Dealer Success Academy

Get Your Rural Lifestyle Business Ready for 2024 at the Dealer Success Academy

By Ben Thorpe posted on January 31, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices, Niche Equipment Markets

Dealers have been through a lot the past 4 years. Between high equipment costs, elevated interest rates and now an election year, economic forecasts for the year ahead indicate some degree of a slowdown.
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Preparing for M&A Success – Part 1

How to Navigate the Moving Parts of a Dealership Transition

Lance Formwalt, general counsel for NAEDA, explains how best to prepare for a transition and what one may look like

By Maclaren Krueger posted on January 31, 2024 | Posted in Operations & Finance, Dealer Succession

Dealership transitions can be an intimidating process, but with advanced preparation, effective structure and proper generational considerations, it doesn’t have to be as daunting.
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Most Valuable Dealership

12th Annual Precision Award Program Honors Top North American Dealer

HTS Ag is Precision Farming Dealer’s Most Valuable Dealership for 2024

By Noah Newman posted on January 31, 2024 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

The 2024 recipient of Precision Farming Dealer’s 12th annual Most Valuable Dealership award is HTS Ag, founded in 1995 with 4 locations across Iowa.
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Day in the Cab

First Customer Contact Builds Trust & Strong Relationships

Integrated solutions consultant serves Deere dealer’s growing customer base as 'first responder' to precision & digital service calls in Oklahoma & Arkansas

By Dan Crummett posted on January 31, 2024 | Posted in Precision Ag Sales & Service

It was the shortest day of 2023 and Landon McGarrah was catching up on paperwork and taking a deep breath after one of his longest days on the job the day before.
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Ask the Expert

The Dotted Line of Responsibility

By Casey Seymour posted on February 1, 2024 | Posted in Used Equipment Remarketing, Department Management

Understanding who is responsible for the performance of a position or a department has incredible implications for the department but also for the person being managed and the person managing the department or position.
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Featured Articles

Featured Articles

To the Point

Dealers for the Ages

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 30, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

Anniversaries have a way of nudging us to reflect. A natural byproduct of chronicling Farm Equipment’s 55th year was the examination of courageous dealers who bet on themselves and their team’s ability to serve the North American farmer.
Read More

Trending Now

Percent of Employees Still with the Company 2 Years After Merger

January 30, 2024 | Posted in Data & Forecasts

According to the results of a Jan. 17 Farm Equipment Text Poll, more than one-half (54.2%) of dealers report that within 2 years of a merger, 40% or more of the employees will no longer be with the company.
Read More

2024 Inaugural Dealer Hall of Famers

The first-ever class of inductees left a legacy of excellence for today’s — & tomorrow’s — industry leaders

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 29, 2024 | Posted in Best Practices

Last year, we announced a new recognition program to chronicle North America’s finest dealer professionals. With each passing year, more leaders leave us, and the Farm Equipment team agreed it was time to document the stories of our industry’s “greats”
Read More
Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Farm Equipment February 2024 Digital Edition

January 25, 2024

Login to view the February 2024 issue of Farm Equipment in an interactive, flipbook format.

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Online Extras
Online Extras
Online Extras: February 2024 Issue

January 31, 2024

Web-exclusive content for this issue includes:

Hall of Fame—Cleve Buttars

Hall of Fame—Charlie Hoober

Hall of Fame—Paul Wallem

Hall of Famers David Meyer & Peter Christianson

Hall of Fame—Ferenc & Tom Rosztoczy

Hall of Fame—Earl Livingston

Hall of Fame—Derek Stimson

Behind-the-scenes look at HTS Ag with president and general manager Adam Gittins

Day in the Cab Video Series

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Farm Equipment

February 2024

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