Vetter Equipment unveils a series of online videos to refresh customers on planter systems and potentially reduce in-season volume of precision service calls.

With planting season right around the corner, precision farming dealers will soon be deployed to the fields to troubleshoot technology problems, some of which arise on an annual basis.

But at least one farm equipment dealer is trying to decrease the volume of repetitive issues that arise for customers, by producing a series of YouTube tutorials that provide an overview of precision farming setups on planters.

Vetter Equipment, a 9-store Case IH dealership network in Iowa, began posting the free refresher videos on more than a dozen different planting topics, including connecting hydraulic hoses from the tractor to the planter,  how to record field boundaries and obstacles on the Pro700 display, adjusting in-cab pneumatic down pressure control, and seed calibration tips to ensure proper accuracy and placement.

“This was kind of the brainchild of our planter technicians and precision specialists who going into the planting season year after year, encountered some recurring frustrations,” says Gary Anderson, manager at the Nevada, Iowa, location which produced the videos. “They wanted to utilize some of the mediums out there and people are familiar with YouTube, so it seemed like a good opportunity.

“Providing this service gives customers the option of not having to make that panicked call to the dealership, but also saves them the cost of a service visit.”

So far, staff at the Nevada location have produced 13 videos. Anderson says the hope is once planting season ramps up, precision farming technicians won’t be as overwhelmed, because customers will have taken advantage of the online tutorials. The dealership began promoting the videos its planter clinic on March 4 and Anderson says there are plans to create a similar series of online tutorials ahead of harvest.

The initial planter technology videos were launched directly through YouTube, but once maintenance of the Vetter website is completed, the goal is to house the video library on the dealership’s site.

“We’re trying to set ourselves apart from the competition and this is another way we can do that,” Anderson says.

He adds that the Nevada store is the “guinea pig” for the project, but he sees potential for other Vetter locations to produce similar series in the future.

“This could certainly grow to the rest of our network,” he says. “As more customers hear about this, and realize this can help them not have to pay for a service call, it could be a backdoor marketing tool to build confidence in the company.”