This year has shown interesting new developments in market sentiments, with dealers continuing to slowly move away from hardware and steer sharply toward data management for future revenue, according to the seventh annual Precision Farming Dealer Benchmark Study.

Agronomic service is still a push-pull offering for dealers. Some have proactively embraced and invested in providing robust support options to customers that include soil sampling, data analysis and field prescriptions.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, at least in terms of how dealers are selling and servicing precision farming products. While strides have been made establishing precision as a standalone business, dealerships continue to seek a better balance between revenue generated by hardware sales and service.

Despite the downturn in the ag economy, precision farming dealers have largely maintained an ambitious sales outlook, banking on their ability to increase billable service and capture ROI-based revenue from new products.

Copperhead Ag Products was formed in the spring of 2009 after Dave and Todd Terveen, local farmers, discussed available closing wheels with Kevin Berg, a machine shop owner. They put their heads together and developed the Furrow Cruiser Spiked Closing Wheel — an option much different than any others on the market. After a few geometry changes to perfect the wheel’s closing action and the ability to slough off mud, the team began to show the product to local farmers. It was a hit! Marketing of the product began in the summer of 2009 to regional farmers, dealers and at farm shows. Copperhead Ag has since expanded into the Midwest region and beyond, with sales reaching to New York, Texas, Argentina and Switzerland.

Topcon Agriculture is dedicated to developing innovative technology and solutions to help farmers around the world achieve greater profitability through efficiency and productivity.

Finding good employees — and retaining them — is a challenge for all farm equipment dealership departments, but it is particularly challenging for the precision farming department where burnout rates are high.

Most issues within a precision business are caused by non-implementation of what you already know, and that’s why it’s important to have a checklist to print out, take home and check off, what you’ve done and to determine what you haven’t done.

Recruiting outstanding employees is one of the many challenges precision dealers face in today’s job market. Having the best employees can make a huge difference with forging positive long-term relationships with both current and potential customers.