While eliminating service stress during busy season seems almost impossible, there are creative ways to prevent burnout and put valuable hours back on the clock.
Swiderski Equipment’s precision farming department required postseason planter inspections, helping farmers get precious time back that would have otherwise been lost to extensive maintenance during growing season.
“This year we decided to go full force with the planter inspections because of all the failures we were seeing during the growing season,” says Abby Weltzien, service & parts manager of Swiderski’s precision farming department in Mosinee. “We wanted to drive home the importance of it to the customers and help educate them on the issues they could run into if they don’t fix certain problems with their planter.”
A proactive approach to troubleshooting technology problems even before they occur can minimize the time spent on a customer’s farm during the busiest times of year. Selling and supporting a variety of precision service packages allows John Cooper, precision farming manager with Swiderski Equipment to increase efficiency and profitability when in the field.
Planning for the unexpected comes with the territory for precision specialist. For John Cooper, precision farming manager with Swiderski Equipment, being able to draw on 8 years as a farm equipment mechanic is an asset to overcoming mechanical obstacles encountered during a precision installation.
When troubleshooting technology, one of the keys to getting paid for service time is accurate documentation. For John Cooper, precision farming manager with Swiderski Equipment, he uses a mobile app to clock in and out of time spent on a customer’s farm and to create an invoice for the service visit.
As a precision farming business grows, equipment dealerships may decide to make this area an independent revenue stream. This is the approach Swiderski Equipment and precision farming manager John Cooper took with its precision business, seeing revenue triple to close to $1.5 million during the last 5 years.
Precision specialists tend to be busy year-round, but when it comes to training new employees, planting season is often an excellent test of stamina, problem-solving skills and technological aptitude. As the precision farming manager for Swiderski Equipment, John Cooper understands the seasonal rigors of long-hours, increased responsibility and the need for constant communication with new hires.
Drawing on diverse experience in the farm equipment industry, John Cooper, precision farming manager with Swiderski Equipment, provides customers with a versatile, innovative service experience.
Drawing on diverse experience in the farm equipment industry, John Cooper, precision farming manager with Swiderski Equipment, provides customers with a versatile, innovative service experience.
As much troubleshooting as precision specialists do in the field, they often need to travel with an arsenal of cables, clamps, switches and fuses. Spending time on the road with specialists, I’ve learned that they need to expect the unexpected and be prepared for it.
There was plenty of technology on display at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., a few weeks ago. Farm Equipment editor Mike Lessiter caught up with Monarch Tractor’s John Issacson and got his take on the top 5 applications in autonomy right now.
The college offers an associate degree in Applied Science in Agriculture (60 credit hours). Students enrolled in this program may specialize in precision farming technology by selecting up to 15 credit hours in this area and agriculture business, sales and agronomy.
The college offers an AAS in Precision Agriculture and customized precision ag- related training for agricultural producers, insurance underwriters, equipment dealer and agricultural cooperative employees and others.
Offering training on Ag Leader, Trimble, Reichhardt, Norac and Integris Systems in twice yearly customer training events (spring/fall). Also offering individual training opportunities on any HTS Ag products and SMS software, year round.