All About Tractors - By Paul Wallem Our family milked 30-35 cows when I was a kid. I recall a lot of work was involved. Dale Christian’s dairy near Lomira, Wis., milks 3,400. One hundred times more! During a four-hour tour, Dale showed me an incredible operation that involves his four sons and 45 employees. In the wings are 600 calf hutches, always full. The Christians also farm 3,000 acres, all going into silage. Tractors for field work represent several colors. More tractors are needed at the dairy, involving John Deere, CaseIH, New Holland, Volvo, and more. Slurry is pumped from the milking parlor and feeding area into a 20 million-gallon holding pit. Tankers haul it throughout the day to the fields to be discharged into the soil. The entire operation, from feeding to milking and slurry removal to field application, flows like clockwork. Established in 2004 by Dale Christian, the dairy functions like a well-oiled machine. Largest worldwide tractor manufacturers – 2023 1 MAHINDRA 2 JOHN DEERE 3 MASSEY FERGUSON 4 CNH 5 SONALIKA 6 ESCORTS GROUP 7 KUBOTA 8 FENDT 9 DEUTZ-FENDT 10 CLAAS First CaseIH electric CaseIH has announced its first all-electric tractor, the 75c Electric, which features autonomous features, 75 horsepower, and a 110 kWh battery. It is reported to provide four hours of running time under heavy application and six hours under light load. Dealer Minds Summit I spent a day and a half at the Dealer Minds Summit. It’s an annual program that I believe will benefit all farmers. Conducted by Lessiter Publications through their dealer magazine FARM EQUIPMENT, the summit brought together agricultural dealers of all brands. Featuring presentations and round tables, dealer group management shared ideas on providing the best support for farm customers. Forty-five companies operating over 500 dealerships attended. Their objective was to learn from each other how to best manage their locations. Many considered having a “bench” for each key position vital. For you, the customer, that means that if the parts or service manager or another key supervisor is out sick, his temporary replacement has been trained ahead of time to care for you. A “bench” is particularly important to you when you are involved in precision farming and rely on instant help with machine downtimes where onboard computers exist. Owner transition was another key topic for the group. The retirement or death of an owner/manager should be anticipated and planned for so that the change does not negatively affect their customers. All dealership employees will do better for you and their customers if appropriately trained. One dealer group places each new employee with a trainer for 90 days. This mentor uses orientation and networking with other employees to educate the newcomer about the job he has. I believe this kind of meeting involving all brands and colors will benefit you, their farm equipment customer. A 75-year-old poem – still appropriate today “Just a farmer,” you said And I laughed ‘cause I knew All the things that farmers Must be able to do They must study the land And watch the sky And figure just when Is the right time and why To sow and to plant To buy and to sell To go to the market and well- You know the books That farmers must keep To pay all those taxes And be able to sleep And you know the fixin’ That farmers must do When machines like mad monsters Blow a gasket or two I guess when God needed Folks to care for his earth He chose “just farmers” ‘Cause He knew their true worth – Harriet G. Coon Paul Wallem was raised on a dairy farm in Illinois. He spent 13 years with corporate IH on domestic and foreign assignments before resigning to own and operate two IH dealerships. He is the author of THE BREAKUP of IH and SUCCESSES and INDUSTRY FIRSTS of IH. See all his books at www:PaulWallem.com. Email your comments to pwallem@aol.com. |
