PFD Features

What If & What Was: Reflections on Our Journey ... Ag Info Tech

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0400

I often wish I could truly gauge the impact I have made in my lifetime, hoping that it was much more good than bad. Just as tossing a rock into a still pond can send ripples to the other side, many daily decisions send ripples through others' lives that we often do not see.

Rolling Out the Welcome Mat for Autonomy & AI

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 23:00:00 -0500

Robb Vanderloop, Vanderloop Equipment CFO and co-owner, views autonomy and AI as potential game-changers for both farmers and dealers.

Things You Can & Can’t Teach a Salesman

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

If you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, what can you teach a salesman?

Precision Ag’s Multi-Front Blitz

mlessiter@lesspub.com — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Major M&A activity, investment in tech stacks & retrofit kits are securing the beachfront for a whole new era for ag production.

Shared Values & Vision are Vital to Maintaining Employee Engagement

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Tim Norris has learned through experience that one of the best ways to generate employee buy-in and maintain high levels of staff motivation is by cultivating a shared vision.

Future Farming Success Hinges on Customer Relationships

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0400

With principal involvement in three busy agricultural enterprises, Jason Mauck, 40, has to be constantly thinking, planning and doing to keep all the balls in the air as he juggles traditional family farm management, off-farm agronomic innovation, and the headaches and highs of innovating a new direct-marketing meat business.

Turning Data Into Efficiency to Boost Your Precision Business

Tue, 23 May 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Farmers using precision technology generate valuable data about their farming operations. Dealerships often have access to it. But how do you ensure both the dealer and the farmer are making the best use of that data? And how can you segue that efficient use of data into revenue opportunities?

Master Precision Management at Your Dealership

mpaukner@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 22 May 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Whether your precision team consists of 2 people or 20, a commitment to excellent customer service, a solid training program and measurable expense benchmarks will put your precision department on a path to profitability.

Market Forces, Reality & Political Winds Steer Autonomous Equipment Innovation

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Supply chain, logistics, transportation and labor supply challenges magnify Cal/OSHA’s rejection of fully autonomous equipment.

Making Sure the Precision Pieces Fit After an Acquisition

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 01:01:00 -0400

When an acquisition or merger of a farm equipment dealership takes place, the focus is usually on appraising used equipment, evaluating parts inventory and transiting assets.

Hurdle After Hurdle: Yetter's Climb to Success

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:05:58 -0400

The late owner of Yetter Manufacturing, Pat Whalen, says it was a “natural progression,” the way that his grandfather first got the company off the ground and his grandparents were able to start the company in 1930 during the Great Depression.

Digital Innovation Hubs Incubate European Ag Robotics Culture

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Ag-focused Digital Innovation Hubs are just one way Europe is positioning to become a center of agricultural robotic technology. European Union funded projects, such as agROBOfood — a robust consortium of research entities and businesses — are creating collaborative spaces and providing capital to help technology developers apply robotics to the unique challenges of automating agriculture.

Applying Small Sample Trials to Big Picture Precision Planning

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 23:01:00 -0500

Megan and Eric Wallendal are breaking new ground on their farm — technological ground, that is.

Precision Ag Dealers Need Resourceful Problem-Solvers

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Recruiting and preparing the next generation of precision farming professionals is no simple task. Precision farming experts Calvin Knotts, Redline Equipment, Archbold, Ohio, and Karl Huebner, Hutson, Inc., Mayfield, Ky., share their tips and tricks for finding those up-and-coming precision farming professionals in their midst.

Technological Advancements Can Help Farmers Better Understand Their Land

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 12:51:00 -0500

While he doesn’t consider himself an early adopter of technological advancements, Hill does believe new developments in ag tech will influence the ways in which farming changes over the course of the next 10 years.

17 Tips for Generating ROI from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 09:48:00 -0400

The development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and associated ag-specific software programs have made aerial imaging of farms more useful and accessible than ever before.

How to Prepare Your Dealership for Autonomy

mpaukner@lessitermedia.com — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

With the rapid evolution of technology, farmers may not be able to afford to continue to control all aspects of their operations. Autonomous farm machinery could lead to producers outsourcing tasks to a skilled equipment operator, allowing the farmer to focus on other parts of their operation.

3 Precision Managers Share Their Keys to Success

kschmidt@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

What it takes to run a successful precision department or precision dealership today is different from what was required in the past — and is likely far different from what it will take to be successful in the future. Over the last 10 years, Precision Farming Dealer has recognized dealerships that have demonstrated excellence in precision sales and service as part of the Most Valuable Dealership (MVD) program.

Are We Entering Precision Farming Sales & Service 2.0?

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Over the last several years, precision technology has moved from being largely an aftermarket business to most equipment coming equipped with the technology from the factory. As that shift happened, dealers needed to shift how they monetized the precision side of their business.

Training an Entire Dealership to be Precision Savvy

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 23:00:00 -0400

At the start of 2020, we launched what we considered a critical training initiative around precision farming that applied to every employee, no matter their position or responsibility within the dealership.

Creating Precision Opportunity Out of Crisis

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 00:00:00 -0400

Regardless of size, location or brand, the last year was an inescapable labyrinth of lessons for precision dealerships. From rapid adoption of remote support platforms — both for internal communication and external service — to salvaging the most adaptable business objectives to at least maintain the status quo.

Preparing Your Dealership to Sell & Service Autonomous Equipment

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 00:00:00 -0400

Autonomy is on the horizon for the ag equipment industry. Between John Deere’s 2019 driverless tractor concept and Raven Industries accepting preorders for its Autonomous AutoCart, the reality of farmers purchasing and utilizing autonomous equipment is only growing.

Manage the Minutia of a Precision Business to Achieve Measurable Growth

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 00:00:00 -0400

Paperwork, procedures and performance measurements may be considered necessary evils in the day-to-day workflow of a precision business, but done right, they provide invaluable insights into how to improve operational efficiency in a relationship-driven industry.

Nobody Knows It All, but It Pays to Have a Lifeline

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 00:00:00 -0400

During the 2021 Precision Farming Dealer Summit, a group of leaders from the precision ag industry gathered to participate in a panel on their experiences participating in a peer group and how that network offered them a way to vet new ideas with developing products and services and employee management.

Getting Ahead of Early Order Opportunities to Avoid Last-Minute Anxiety, Delays

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 00:00:00 -0400

With wrenches turning in service bays in preparation for spring planting, dealers and farmers are well into their annual routine of row unit maintenance, seed meter calibration and prescription loading.

Helping New Precision Ag Specialists Hit the Ground Running

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:31:00 -0500

It takes a while for new precision ag specialists to really earn their keep around a dealership. Depending on the scenario, it could easily be 6 months before a dealership begins getting value out of a new precision employee, and up to 5 years before that “new” precision specialist is a master of their craft.

Don’t Rely on Rearview Success to Drive Precision Prosperity of the Present

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 00:01:00 -0500

The success of a dealership’s precision farming business is a puzzle with many pieces — employee-customer relations, technological innovation, flexibility and the ability to adapt to unforeseen challenges all play a part.

Redefining the Dollars & Sense Approach to Farm Business Management of the Future

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:01:00 -0500

When it comes to the evolution of farming, it’s been said that the pace of change has never been so fast and change will never be this slow again.

9th Annual Precision Awards Program Honors Top North American Dealer