Reflecting on the holidays, it was another blur of wrapping paper, egg nog and pine needles. Surviving the season is always dependent upon prioritizing time among immediate family, friends and relatives.

Last month, I had the opportunity to share some of the results and analysis from our most recent benchmark study at the Western Equipment Dealers Assn. meeting in Arizona. During the course of my discussion, one of the questions I posed to the room was how many are offering some type of data management service?

The last couple of years have seen hiring in the precision department slow as dealerships have been more conservative with where and how they invest in personnel. More emphasis has been placed on retention and cross-training of existing staff, to provide more flexibility with customer service offerings and sales.

Talking with a few more precision retailers, there’s not been a consensus on an expected outcome of the U.S. Department of Justice intervening on John Deere’s planned acquisition of Precision Planting. Some forecast a restructuring of the original deal, which would pare down the power position that Deere would assume in the planter technology market should the deal be approved wholesale.

While navigating this year’s Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, news broke that the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking to block John Deere’s acquisition of Precision Planting from the Monsanto., the parent company of Climate Corp.

Seeking a solution to a troublesome home improvement project, I recently solicited advice from a variety of “experts” to determine the best course of action. While each source offered a different recommendation, the one I was most confident in deploying was from a company that guaranteed its solution.

We’ve all been in a situation at a party, conference or even a meeting where we’re asked, “So, what do you do?” It’s the simplest of questions that somehow seems to bring out the most complex of answers.

Until recently, I’d never lived close enough to a Wal-Mart to warrant making regular trips to the consumer giant. There were always enough other local outlets where I could piece together commercial needs or wants. 

Diversification is an en vogue term when it comes to dealers’ approach to developing a broad base of precision farming services. As more look beyond the shelves stocked with technology components to find recurring sources of revenue, agronomic and data management services are highly visible options to build around.