Workforce development is a challenge that all businesses face these days, and it seems that it is hitting farm equipment dealers and manufacturers particularly hard.
As a businessperson, I’m impressed by the many ways that grower ingenuity and hard work are paying off, even in an enduring down market. However, as a marketer I am a bit distressed — all that variation in equipment, customer operations and facilities makes it even harder to reach customers with relevant messaging.
Low unemployment, declining populations and a widening skills gap are all contributing to the challenges farm equipment dealers face in workforce development. Solving the problem needs participation from dealers, associations, OEMs, schools and the community.
Workforce development is an issue impacting all sectors of the U.S. and Canadian economy, and farm equipment dealerships are no exception. Currently, unemployment rates in both countries are low — 3.6% in the U.S. and 5.7% in Canada.
Meeting the workforce development challenge at farm equipment dealerships requires effective outreach, close ties to high schools and technical colleges, and an understanding of what makes members of the latest generation of workers tick.
Brent Bazin, corporate service manager at Young’s Equipment, shared the dealership’s history with international recruitment and why they see it as a valuable option when looking for new employees.
A talented technician cannot be found overnight. When there are not enough near your dealership looking for work, you need to come up with a new strategy to bring in a good technician.
The labor shortage isn’t just impacting farm equipment dealers, manufacturers are facing the same struggle. “It’s stifling to think through the challenges. We have to be able to find the right people, enough people and to keep them there and be able to manage our business,” says Mark Core, executive vice president & CMO for Vermeer.
Having a defined onboarding process can forge trust between the manager and employee right away, and also define the role and initial responsibilities of a new precision specialist. Riesterer & Schnell, a 14-location John Deere dealer in Wisconsin, sets incremental objectives for new precision hires.
Within dealerships, some of the most impactful, and often toughest decisions come on the hiring side. This is especially true when hunting for precision talent.
The Agricultural Equipment Technician program offered through the Sun West Distance Learning Centre has opened the door for high school students to get an understanding of the ag industry and potentially get an early start on careers as technicians.
Now in its 2nd generation, Kinze Manufacturing’s father-daughter team discuss challenge and triumph, and their aim to innovate with new products dealers want to sell and farmers want to buy.
Among the many slogans that Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has coined, these two sum up a critical aspect of his championship culture: Clemson aims for a benchmark, a standard of excellence, that is unchanging.
Micro-processors monitoring Li-ion surge charging in real time allows rapid battery recharge while protecting battery cycle life. Inventors say it’s scalable to current farm tractor electric prototypes.
Low unemployment, declining populations and a widening skills gap are all contributing to the challenges farm equipment dealers face in workforce development. Solving the problem needs participation from dealers, associations, OEMs, schools and the community.
Workforce development is an issue impacting all sectors of the U.S. and Canadian economy, and farm equipment dealerships are no exception. Currently, unemployment rates in both countries are low — 3.6% in the U.S. and 5.7% in Canada.
Meeting the workforce development challenge at farm equipment dealerships requires effective outreach, close ties to high schools and technical colleges, and an understanding of what makes members of the latest generation of workers tick.
Brent Bazin, corporate service manager at Young’s Equipment, shared the dealership’s history with international recruitment and why they see it as a valuable option when looking for new employees.
A talented technician cannot be found overnight. When there are not enough near your dealership looking for work, you need to come up with a new strategy to bring in a good technician.
Web-exclusive content for this issue includes: The latest episode of the new podcast series “Our Dealer Story”, Stay up to date on used equipment trends with the “Used Equipment Remarketing Roadmap” podcast., Labor Budgeting: A Roadmap for Success Webinar, Conversations with Ag Equipment’s Entrepreneurs: Kinze Manufacturing's Jon Kinzenbaw and Susie Veatch podcast.
In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, Marc Johnson, principal with Pinion, provides 4 factors that will be important for dealers to watch in 2025 that will impact their business.
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.
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.
Finance Scope is able to provide the best financing opportunities for equipment dealers and customers through a diverse mix of lending companies under one single platform. Our large group of lenders, allows for competitive rates regardless of credit scores. Additionally, dealers and customers have access to the industry’s best expertise surrounding finance and lease structures, for all purposes, within the agricultural and construction industries. We provide all of this into one online platform to provide our customers with the best available tailored finance solution for their equipment.