In a survey of growers last week, Precision Farming Dealer asked where their local farm equipment dealer could best invest in staff training to better serve farmers’ precision ag technologies needs.

Here’s a sampling of the advice that your customer — the farmer— wants to share about where you should spend YOUR dealership’s training dollars...

“They need to learn how to operate the cab display and specifically how to set it up at the beginning of the season. They also need to learn more about diagnosing problems based on the error codes that are displayed.”

— Keith Wendte

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“Having invited experts that could offer ‘what they are doing and how’ would be a start.  More hands-on training at a higher level than basic ‘here is what it does’ would be great.”

— Dean James, Danville, Pa.

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“Besides more service techs, give more training to the buyers — farmers — of this technology at the dealership BEFORE they go to field the first time. 24-hour-a-day phone service or, at a minimum, a website with detailed suggestions on how to check for a problem, and then suggestions on how to fix the problem.”

— Ken Heinzmann, Centralia, Ill.

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“All the service and sales personnel — not just one local expert — need to know the new technology and be able to answer questions about its application.  Maybe offer classes every month until the staff and farmers get up to speed on all the new technology.”

— Steve Millage

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“Infield training. It’s easier to learn when you’re doing it for real.”

— Travis Willford

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“They have got to start sending some of their brightest young candidates to more in-depth training on electronic, electric/hydraulic, computer control systems etc., and also have a systems approach to the whole precision farming system that they want to sell. Too many dealerships are still just trying to sell the hardware because you don’t have to steer your tractor or you can make all of these pretty-colored maps!”

— Brent Woodman, Kenesaw, Neb.

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“General training on maneuvering in the screens is an ever-challenging and never-ending issue due to the updates and the frequency of them. The bigger issue is the troubleshooting part. It's not good to have to be so reliant on someone else who is often needed by five other farms who are just as reliant as you are for him.”

— Joe Brightly

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“Technical support. Classes for the operators would be nice too, so that we weren’t trying to figure everything out on our own.”

— Peter Zeiliff, Jr., Middleport, N.Y.

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“Provide training, and a certain amount of support along with the purchase. Then, be there afterward if the need arises. Once you make the switch, you are likely to be out of the field and not working until whatever problem can be repaired or corrected.”

— Charles Grantham, Raleigh, N.C.

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“Put on more emphasis on the training with EZ-Steer technology and also show the farmers the new technology out currently. EZ-Steer and all this new technology is changing fast and some of us farmers want to stay on top of the new technology.”

— Ordway Boriack, Giddings, Tex.

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“I would say to hire a young college grad and have him properly trained by your particular company. Around here, those people will make more than a Class A mechanic. Send your sales people to understand the advantages of precision farming and where to sell it and where to discourage it.”

— David Bryan

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“They need somebody at every dealership who knows how to calibrate."

— John Moreton Cape Girardeau, Mo.

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“They need to provide training on set-up, troubleshooting and programming. They need to provide training equal to factory training on their product because they do not always have techs available to help you when you need it.”

— Charo Schmitt

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“They need to run this stuff a little bit to see how it works. You can sell product from the literature the company gives, but every area of the world has different features and different needs that are custom to that area.”

— Daniel Geisler, Versailles, IN

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“Hire young people who are interested in electronics and are teachable. Send them to the best schools available. Be ready to pay them because if they are good enough to do your job, they can command a high wage in agriculture electronics repair and troubleshooting.”

— Ed Winkle

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 “Cab time, Cab time, Cab time. Using these products is the only way to be very proficient at not only selling it, but maintaining the systems and the relationships with customers.”

— Lynn Andrews, Carthage, Mo.

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 “Just better troubleshooting skills and having dedicated staffpeople just for that purpose.”

— Bill Hammitt, Portsmouth, Iowa

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 “More training on farmer types of questions and issues and the ability to deliver the answer clearly and quickly to me so I can get back running.”

— Daniel Davidson, Waterloo, Neb.

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“A software program dealing with possible equipment problems could be helpful. So, if he could access it and search for solutions dealing with a specific problem. Much like a dictionary. This is the problem we are having, what are the possible solutions?”

— Donn Branton

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