Farm Equipment Podcast

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we review the decline in farmer sentiment in April, which saw the Ag Economy Barometer and the Farm Capital Investment Index drop to their lowest levels since October 2024. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman visits with Stotz Equipment.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, Art’s Way Mfg. benefited from increased demand for its ag segment products, reporting Q1 sales up 27.3%. We also cover major business moves as Yetter finalizes the Martin-Till acquisition, catching up with Steve Martin and Derek Allensworth on what customers and dealers can expect going forward.

Lessiter Media CEO and longtime Farm Equipment editor Mike Lessiter shares a preview of the inaugural, invitation-only Ag Equipment Intelligence Executive Summit that will be held just outside of Chicago-O’Hare airport on May 19-20, 2026. Learn more at https://www.farm-equipment.com/aei-executive-summit

Veteran editor Mike Lessiter shares observations of having reported on the business of farm machinery for 20-plus years.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we have details on Deere agreeing to pay $99 million into a settlement fund for the right-to-repair class action lawsuit, and what this means for dealers as Eric Wareham discusses R2R legislation in states like Iowa.

Jim Irwin and 'Old-School' Leadership by Farm Equipment

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we have details on Titan Machinery surpassing its Fiscal 2026 inventory reduction target of $150 million and CEO Bryan Knutson’s perspective on positioning the company for the next phase of the cycle.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we have details on Case IH dealer Ritchie Implement adding the AGCO line to its offering, and what the additional will mean for their business. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman highlights Ag Leaders’s new AgFiniti platform live maps. Also in this episode, Linimar reports marketshare gains for its ag products, including MacDon, Bourgault and Salford and highlights from the 2026 Strip-Till Farmer benchmark study.

45 Years Later and We're ‘Still the Same by Farm Equipment

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we share an update on the beef producers and their equipment plans. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman visits with Bane-Welker on its 3-pronged approach to precision service. Also in this episode, AgRevolution’s Stacy Anthony provides his outlook for 2026 and an update on how customers in his region are feeling and more details on Yetter’s acquisition of Martin-Till, with insights from Martin-Till President Steve Martin.

Data Centers & Rural Land Destruction: Hit the Pause Button by Farm Equipment

The pressure is real in ag’s ecosystem, including manufacturing, retail and service. The current depths will go down in history as rivaling the 1980s, which broke many backs.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we report on Yetter Manufacturing’s acquisition of Martin Industries. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman stops by the PTx booth for a first look at Precision Planting's new ArrowTube.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden puts right-to-repair in the national spotlight. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman highlights the decisions HTS Ag’s Adam Gittins says he might make differently based on what he’s learned. Also in this episode, dealers report precision was a bright spot for 2025 business and OEMs share their outlook for how dealers can use technology to help their high value crop customers.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we bring you highlights from the Precision Farming Dealer Summit and National No-Tillage Conference. Representatives from CNH, AGCO and Kubota were on hand and shared their outlook for autonomy in the ag market.

This episode of the Farm Equipment podcast highlights some of the top viewed videos our editors gathered at Agritechnica 2025 in Hannover, Germany. Our associate editor Mackane Vogel spent the week in Hannover coving the show and the latest technologies on hand. This highlight reel just scratches the surface of everything that was on hand at the show which attracted 2,849 exhibitors from 52 countries and had more than 476,000 visitors from 171 countries. You can read more about Mackane saw at the show as well as FIRA USA earlier in the fall in the January issue of Farm Equipment.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we are closing out the year by dedicating the episode to a preview of the 2026 Dealer Business Outlook & Trends Report.

As a follow up to our last podcast talking about the Precision Farming Dealer Summit, we’ve got Technology Editor Noah Newman back with us. Noah is also heading up the 34th Annual National No-Tillage Conference, which kicks off on January 6, 2026, following the conclusion of PFDS. He joins us to share some highlights of the conference — including some exciting, new and outside the box sessions that were added to the program this year.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at how removing emissions controls from farm equipment could impact the market — from cost of equipment to what it means for the used market. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman has a report from AGRITECHNICA on AEF’s newest launch. Also in this episode, a discussion on how the latest interest rate cut will impact ag, including perspective from lenders, manufacturers and farmers.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at a recent lawsuit between Case IH dealer Burks Tractor and Monarch Tractor. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman catches up with the precision crew at John Deere dealer Riesterer & Schnell for an inside look at their most popular product in 2025.

We’ve got something a little different in store for you today. Joining me on this week’s episode is our very own Technology Editor Noah Newman who is our editorial lead on Precision Farming Dealer and the Precision Farming Dealer Summit. Noah share’s some highlights of the upcoming Precision Farming Dealer Summit — including the anniversary lecture, the kick-off session with HTS Ag’s Adam Gittins and the Day in the Cab panel — coming to St. Louis Jan. 5-6.

To The Point: Strengthening the Next Link in the Chain by Farm Equipment

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we get a market update from Curt Blades, senior vice president of AEM. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman catches up with Paul Welbig, director of precision technology for New Holland, for a conversation about the latest outlook for autonomy in agriculture. Also in this episode, Tennessee dealer Tim Brannon sheds some light on how livestock customers are failing compared to their row-crop counterparts and the latest Ag Economy Barometer highlights how farmers may spend government payments.

In this episode, we are honoring the 2025 inductees into the Shortline Legends Hall of Fame. Farm Equipment Editor and Publisher Mike Lessiter and Executive Editor Kim Schmidt honored this year’s class in front of their peers during the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Assn.’s Fall Convention in Las Vegas.

Blog update … With changes in regulation and incentive, we’re finally starting to put out the fire on the cash-burning EVs.

What others often forget is that another is rising up to the challenge because they’re watching you. Most of us behave because we learned from someone ahead of us. That’s how life’s greatest lessons get passed down.

In this episode, Executive Editor Kim Schmidt sat down with Brian McGuire, president and CEO of Associated Equipment Distributors, who had just returned from AED’s Policy Conference in Washington D.C.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we talk with NAEDA Director of Dealer Development Tom Healy about some of the dealer-manufacturer relations issues the association has tackled this year.

The creation of an environmental agenda P&L -- that recognizes the big picture rather than obsessions on any one piece -- can keep foolhardy notions grounded where they belong.

In this episode, Executive Editor Kim Schmid sits down with Brett Davis CEO of the North American Equipment Dealers Assn. Brett’s been in the role of CEO since July, and just 3 months into the job is already busy meeting with dealers, manufacturers, other associations and other service providers who work closely with dealers, like finance and software companies. In our conversation, we cover what these first few months have been like, what he hopes to accomplish as CEO and the challenges he anticipates dealers will face in the evolving ag economy.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at some of the details in a lawsuit between Hutson Inc. and its former CEO, Josh Waggener.

To The Point: Judge me on my Losers by Farm Equipment

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at dealers initial forecasters for 2026 and their latest forecast for 2025 sales. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman visits with Clint Brauer, co-founder of Greenfield Robotics.

In this episode, Managed Editor Christine Book sat down with John Fulton, a professor with Ohio State Univ.’s Department of Food, Agriculture and Biological Engineering,while working on Farm Equipment’s first-ever special report on careers in precision ag for the October/November issue of the magazine.

In this episode, I sat down with George Russell, founding member of the Machinery Advisors Consortium, who we’ve been working with on the annual Big Dealer Report since 2009 to track dealer consolidation.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at how the additional 407 tariff lines to the steel/aluminum tariff list will mean for manufacturers and dealers.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we report from the Farm Progress Show, with an interview from Claas’ Eric Raby. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman reports on InnerPlant’s groundbreaking CropVoice technology. Also in this episode, an update on interest rate cuts from AgDirect’s Greg Roberg and DuoLift gets into the retail dealer business

In this episode, brought to you by Machinery Scope, we sat down with Kim Rominger, who recently retired as CEO of the North American Equipment Dealers Association.

In this episode, we check back in with the executive leadership team at 2025 Dealership of the Year Mazergroup. Starting off with CFO Wally Butler, the Mazergroup shares how the dealership has evolved over the years and how it is facing its challenges head on, from customer experience to developing its team and sales processes.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates and what to expect for the remainder of the year.

In this episode, we have what was likely the last interview with Bob Mazer, president of Mazergroup, who died on July 6, 2025, nearly one month to the day of when this interview was recorded. I was lucky enough to interview Bob back in January for the Farm Equipment Dealer Hall of Fame and then again in June for the Dealership of the Year story. I’m blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know and learn from him. He was a well-respected dealer and leader both in the industry and his community and will be dearly missed.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we discuss how the National Defense Authorization Act could impact the right to repair movement. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman checks in with New Holland and Oxbo on what precision technology products are gaining the most traction with customers. Also in this episode, retired dealer-principal Lee Rogness shares what sort of impact shortlines had on his dealership’s business and we take a look at how the shortlines owned by Linamar fared in this year’s NAEDA Deal-Manufacturer Relations survey.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at how the flooding in Texas will impact the ag industry and check in with some dealers in the region. In the Tech Corner, Noah Newman heads to the Flickner Innovation Farm in Moundridge, Kan., where John Deere dealer PrairieLand Partners is teaming up with local farmer Ray Flickner on a See & Spray Ultimate Trial. Also in this episode, Kubota Canada gets top scores from dealers in NAEDA’s annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations survey and used combine inventories are trending sideways.

In this episode of the Farm Equipment podcast is brought to you by Machinery Scope, Managing Editor Christine Book sits down with Bill Hartzler, co-owner of Lowe & Young. Lowe & Young is the 2025 Dealership of the Year in the small operation category. Bill shares the history of Lowe & Young, the company's defining moments and what challenges they face when covering such a large geographic area.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at how dealers sales forecast compares to the major line OEMs. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman shares a glimpse of Horsch’s new AgTech building in Cottage Grove, Minn. Also in this episode, Lindsay reports revenue growth in the third quarter and prices and inventory are trending downward for 100+ horsepower tractors.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at dealer consolidation has impacting the number of big dealers in 2025. In the Technology Corner, John Preheim, head of precision and electronics product development for CNH, shares CNH’s precision vision. Also in this episode, Pinion’s Marc Johnson provides a mid-year update on the ag equipment market and Leah Anderson with Farm Credit Canada provides details on how shipping fees on vessels built or operated by China could impact Canada.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at CNH Industrial’s goals for growing its precision business by 2030. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman looks into why more precision technology is showing up on smaller farms.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at CNH Industrial’s U.S.-based manufacturing and the potential impact of steel tariffs. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman explores what autonomy in ag could look like 5 years down the road. Also in this episode, a closer look at how trade disputes are impacting the ag equipment business in Canada and an update from Sandhills Global on the used planer market in the U.S.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, Jason Webster, commercial agronomist with PTI Farm, breaks the results of PTI Farm’s 2024 High Speed Planting Corn Study. In the Technology Corner, Colin Hurd, CEO of Mach, shares his technology goals for equipment manufacturers. Also in this episode: an update on the latest used combine inventory and pricing data and a look at AGCO’s worldwide dealer network.

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we have reports from both the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Supply Summit and the North American Equipment Dealers Association's Legislative Fly-In. Those reports cover reaction to the tariffs and what they could mean for manufacturers and dealers alike.