Farm equipment automation is on the minds of precision dealers, whether it’s a tangible reality or far-fetched fantasy within their business. But regardless of the take, it’s hard to ignore the impact the emerging technology will have on the ag industry. Looking at results of the 2020 Precision Farming Dealer Benchmark study, some 43% of responding dealers cited autonomous vehicles as an area of at least moderate importance to grow revenue during the next 3 years.

Commercialization of autonomous systems is fast approaching and recent momentum in the ag industry suggests unmanned implements on the horizon at the edge of a farmer’s field. Cheap, reliable labor could be a strong selling point — particularly as both dealers and farmers are challenged to find and retain permanent employees. So, what are dealers doing to prepare for the opportunity?

In today’s Precision Farming Dealer podcast we hear from two dealers who will share how they are adding autonomy equipment to their precision line up and how and when they are looking to incorporate self-driving technology sales and service into their business plans of the future.

First we’ll hear from Bill Lehmkuhl, owner of Precision Agri Services, a single-store independent precision dealership based in Ohio. After Bill is done, we hear from Ben Flansburg, BCA Technologies Division Manager for LandPro Equipment, a 21-store John Deere dealership group that covers New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.