Two rural equipment manufacturers, Ariens and Excel Industries, recently faced crises that put the companies — and their leaders — in the national spotlight. Ariens faced scrutiny for an employer/employee rights issue and Excel faced the tragedy of a mass shooting at its facility by an employee.
Preferred bidders are being lined up to acquire Kukje Machinery Co., the South Korean agricultural equipment manufacturer whose tractors are sold under the Branson name in the U.S. and other markets.
As the market for local foods continues to expand, the customer base for many rural lifestyle dealers includes direct-to-consumer (DTC) farms. Comparing data from USDA’s 2007 and 2012 (most recent data) Census of Agriculture show DTC farm operations with DTC sales of food increased from 116,733 to 144,530. At the same time, the number of farmers’ markets grew to 8,268 in 2014, up 180% from 2006.
Despite its name, Tractor Supply Co. (TSCO) doesn’t sell much in the way of agricultural equipment. Unless a rural lifestyle equipment dealer is into selling products for livestock and pets, truck hardware and seasonal products like lawn and garden items, gifts and toys, TSCO isn’t directly competing for customers who want to purchase farm machinery.
They finish an “in-town” job at 5 p.m., only to start their second job as a farmer as soon as they get home. Your customers with off-farm employment need durable, reliable equipment so they can profitably raise crops and livestock during their limited evening and weekend hours.
Power Centers of Madison shares best practices for working through the seasonality of the outdoor power equipment market in the ‘Season-to-Season’ series.
Power Centers of Madison shares best practices for working through the seasonality of the outdoor power equipment market in the ‘Season-to-Season’ series.
There’s likely not a product in the arsenal of a rural lifestyle dealer that would more characterize the definition of “feast or famine” than generators.
Mike Lane started his dealership 16 years ago and now serves as the West Coast distribution hub for LS Tractors. He says he’s built his dealership, Lane Tractor Sales of Los Molinos, Calif., by offering a large inventory of price-competitive and reliable equipment — and making the most of opportunities.
The rural equipment market, both new and used, is not showing signs of the downturn being experienced now for production agriculture dealers. For instance, values for used tractors in the 100 horsepower or less range have been trending up in recent years, compared with an overall downward trend for used farm equipment, according to Machinery Pete’s Fourth Quarter 2015 Used Values Index.
Long before technology was available to detect lethal gases in coal mines, miners carried canaries into the mines with them to act as an early warning system. If the canary died, it meant the gas levels had risen to where the miners’ lives were in danger and it was time to evacuate. While we don’t actually use canaries in our dealerships to alert us of potential issues, we do have three simple numbers that warn us of impending doom.
I’m a huge fan of using video for marketing. I was hooked the day I went online to find information about how to fix cracks in asphalt driveways. A how-to video popped up in the search and I’d much rather watch someone show me how to do something than read about it. I used the product in the video and applied it just the way I was shown and it helped me fix my problem.
There’s likely not a product in the arsenal of a rural lifestyle dealer that would more characterize the definition of “feast or famine” than generators.
They finish an “in-town” job at 5 p.m., only to start their second job as a farmer as soon as they get home. Your customers with off-farm employment need durable, reliable equipment so they can profitably raise crops and livestock during their limited evening and weekend hours.
Power Centers of Madison shares best practices for working through the seasonality of the outdoor power equipment market in the ‘Season-to-Season’ series.
Power Centers of Madison shares best practices for working through the seasonality of the outdoor power equipment market in the ‘Season-to-Season’ series.
Middleton Power Center and Prairie Power Center, which make up the Power Centers of Madison, carry 11 different lines of equipment. While manufacturer representatives regularly visit the dealership, Duane Nolden, co-owner, says the only new line they’ve taken on in the last 2 years is Ventrac.
Every few years, Middleton Power Center and Prairie Power Center, which make up the Power Centers of Madison, invest in facility improvements, says co-owner Duane Nolden.
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