The 2025 Precision Farming Dealer Summit was one for the books in many ways. Record snowfall in Louisville, Ky., during a wicked winter storm was offset by a warm welcome from attendees who came from near and far to learn, network and gain insight to advance their precision dealerships, products and services. As it was this Book’s first such event, I jotted down some highlights, quotable quotes and intel shared during the 2-day event — which brought attendees and speakers from across the U.S., not to mention friends from Canada, Germany’s Michael Horsch and team, and others.

A tip of the cap to those who made the trip, those who couldn’t but joined in virtually, including livestreamed executives who generously shared their time and input, and the entire Lessiter Media team whose tireless efforts helped to deliver what so many attendees assured us was a solid and successful Summit. Thanks also to the sponsors and their reps whose efforts at hauling their wares did not go unnoticed, and who we suspect benefitted from high quality discussions that delivered high level access and ROI.

Precision Farming Dealer Benchmark Study Reveal

To gain insight into dealers’ attitudes and what to expect in the year ahead, Spud Armstrong of Ag Technologies Inc. joined executive editor Kim Schmidt to discuss the latest Precision Farming Dealer Benchmark Study which will be featured in the upcoming issue of Precision Farming Dealer.

2025 Most Valuable Dealer in the Spotlight

Skip Klinefelter, founder and CEO of Ag Technology Solutions Group (2025 PFD MVD), captured the audience’s attention. He shared high-value expertise and offered his tried and true strategies to the successful expansion of the business. From ensuring you “get the right people on the bus” in terms of sales, technicians and office staff, to focusing on the management structure — which includes developing an organizational chart, to installing ERP and CRM software at the start (not later!), Skip engaged the eager-to-learn crowd with wit, wisdom and hard-earned intelligence.

Hiring Right

In classroom style with a twist of wit and good storytelling, Nick Rust, Precision Ag Coordinator at H&R Agri-Power, offered a straightforward strategic session on hiring right, training and maintaining good talent, building teamwork, being vulnerable when necessary and tough when called for. Rust made the distinction between shadowing and training. He focused on tried and true methods of ensuring the team always knows the top priority: driving the customer experience. Sometimes, he noted, that means management needs to show vulnerability. “We need to make sure they know why we’re here,” says Rust. Making sure he refers to his team as “precision ag specialists,” he discussed bringing the staff together from different shops for teambuilding and for a week’s worth of curriculum so they learn and grow together. Letting them see that everyone is working on the same goals is key. So is having a little fun, he added, even if the boss doesn’t always win. By virtue of the company being an Employee Stock-Ownership Plan, H&R AgriPower is in a better position to reinforce the message of customer satisfaction to the team members who see the benefit of a successful business they’re part of. 

“Equipping the Modern Farmer” not only captured the essence of the event and its forward-thinking programming and participants, but was the title of the classroom session presented by Cody Boeck of Boeck Farm Outfitters. Offering valuable, actionable insights for selling and servicing new technology, he presented a host of important steps necessary to answer the demands of the technology user, as well as precision specialists and the equipment dealers who are working to optimize both entities. Top tips for selling to farmers came down to a few key concepts.

“Just because you’re marketing does not mean your customers are paying attention,” said Boeck, who underscored the importance of knowing a handful of unique approaches that need to be taken when selling to farmers. Know who won’t buy. Understand where the product is in the ‘hype cycle.’ Be realistic with the macro marketplace. Position yourself to be on deck and, last but not least, empower your sellers.

Panelists Weigh in on Ideas and Innovations

“Farmer to Dealer Panel: What Farmers Want from You” brought Technology Editor Noah Newman to the stage to get valuable input on ag tech from Mike Starkey and Loran Steinlage. “Great forum for precision dealers to learn first hand how they can earn more of farmers’ business,” said Mike Lessiter of the session.

In a literal lunch and learn session, PFDS 2025 planners optimized the participant’s time by delivering three ag tech gurus to the stage for an overview of some of the latest innovations in the marketplace. From VisorPro’s Vi AI technology to Monarch’s electric tractors and Greeneye's smart spray system, the luncheon session panel delivered a heaping helping of details on the emerging technologies and the why behind the buy for precision farming dealers.

Roundtables Mix Realities and Real Dealer Solutions

Roundtable sessions, 12 in all, brought together bright minds, great ideas and candid conversations about a broad range of topics with tried and true practices to improve dealer performance. Precision Ag’s Next Frontier, Billing Out Labor, Onboarding, Training and Identifying the Right Number of Techs, Selling Precision ROI When Wallets are Tight, and many more hot topics.

We would be remiss not to thank those who offered to moderate those roundtables: Fastline’s Jim Patrick; Reichhardt’s Josh Kistner; Jake Ridenour of PTx Trimble; from MACKAYBEN and Machinery Advisor Consortium (MAC), Russ Green; Ag Express’ Travis Alhorn; John Isaacson of Monarch Tractor; Chad Baker, Baker Precision Planner Works; Broc Finch, Parallel Ag; and Laforge - John Else. These dealer professionals and their counterparts who joined them brought some of the brightest “behind the scenes” minds in the business together for candid, open, deep dive conversations about the very real struggles they face on a range of fronts with their products, services, staffing issues and customer demands.

Here’s a snapshot summary of several of those insightful exchanges.

Parallel Ag’s Broc Finch moderated a one hour session, “Billing Out Labor: Finding What Works for the Dealership & the Customer.” Were it not for lunchtime, the attendees could have easily continued for an entire afternoon, as nearly a dozen experts joined in sharing best practices, practical solutions and candid quick fixes for the myriad challenges they face. From getting sales reps to stop making promises the shop (and the bottom line) can’t keep, to finding talent in a shallow pool, to relocating the manager’s office so as to allow for greater billing productivity, there was no shortage of gems brought to light.

In another roundtable, MAC’s Russ Green, of MACKAYBEN, facilitated “Selling Precision ROI When Wallets are Tight” which quickly took off and developed into a solid session with input and insight from around the country and around the room. Joining in to share smart solutions and “been there done that” tips were: team members from Johnson Tractor, Precision Ag Services, AgriSpray Drones, along with Vetter Equipment, Blue Harvest out of Canada, among others, Russ Green recapped his dealer-to-dealer roundtable this way: “This business is not about just wholegoods or parts and service. It’s time for precision farming to put its elbows on the table.” His group discussion stressed the 4 T’s of precision success — teamwork, trust, tenacity and transparency.

Drone Technology Front and Center

One of 4 unique application drone experts, Monarch Drone Solutions’ Dakota Crow gave a thorough and enlightening overview on the products he and his team are providing, and ways drone technology is supporting precision farming and dealerships. Jake Church of Buckeye Ag Supply, Blake McGrew of Drone Deploy Aerotech and Thomas Rindfuss of Truss Services also shared their expertise on selling drones for application usages. 

Precision product demonstrations were a popular classroom option during the Summit, allowing those in attendance to get an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals behind the farming technologies which have emerged on the market to supply the demand for efficiencies. Reichhardt Electronic Innovations systems, Agri Spray Drones and a handful of other high-value innovative products on the program helped to elevate and educate Summit-goers and led to valuable Q&A exchanges for the precision dealers who’ll need to know the ROI behind their buys.

OEMs 

A blockbuster OEM panel including high-level representatives from Claas, CNH Industrial, and PTx Trimble (an AGCO brand) closed out the first day of the Summit with rock solid intel. Stay tuned for digital coverage of this important session and what industry leaders shared as they position their products, teams and dealers for an uncertain but cautiously optimistic year ahead.

Quotable Quotes

“Customers definitely get more critical in a down cycle.”

“Training, and retraining customers is key.”

“We’ve gone back to the basics…to get customers to purchase items they may not have thought were necessary but know are valuable…”

“We find ourselves doing more try before you buy in tough economic times…”

“Don’t overlook the benefit of taking time to collaborate with community colleges … really helps us find new talent, but also offered us small piece of property to test equipment and we’re able to use data as a sales tool…”

“Hire for character, train for competency.”

“The biggest challenge is getting people who want new things but don’t want to pay for them.”

“You’ve gotta bring them in and get them building back one step at a time…”

“Customer loyalty is so important … so don’t be afraid to train the farmers to make some of their own repairs and you’ll make more money …”

“Precision ag is where it’s at.”