We paid a visit to Sloan Implement in Vincennes, Ind., as harvest season wrapped up for part 4 of the “Boots on the Ground” series for our sister publication, Farm Equipment. The dealership formerly known as Alliance Tractor was acquired by the 22-store Illinois and Wisconsin John Deere dealer July 15.

Going from 4 stores to 26 stores has its perks, like the addition of a precision call center — which is staffed by Integrated Solutions employees on a rotation. I’m sure there were some hiccups along the way but judging from the local newspaper’s Reader’s Choice Best Dealership Award plaque sitting on store manager Jason Boyles’ desk, 2024 wasn’t too bad for our friends in Vincennes.

Salesperson Ryan Seger admits the process of transitioning from Alliance to Sloan would’ve been more challenging if it happened last year when there was a stronger demand for equipment. Sales were relatively slow during the summer due to a significant drop in commodity prices, but that wasn’t a big surprise. They expect that challenge to continue into 2025.

“I think 2025 is going to be similar to 2024,” Boyles says. “It’s going to be a slow ag year, so we’re just continuing to work through our used inventory. We’ve still got quite a bit of used inventory to sell, and we’re pulling back on the amount of new equipment we’re selling.

“You’ve got to stay positive about it. You don’t want to be down about a downtime because that translates when you’re trying to sell something to a customer. If you don’t feel confident about the deal, they probably won’t feel confident saying yes to it. We’re trying to stay positive and get through another possible down year, but hopefully we’ll turn the corner by the end of it.”

As purse strings tighten, there could be an opportunity for dealers to pick up more precision sales. Seger has noticed a stronger demand for precision upgrades than big money items like new tractors and combines.

“Precision technology has been big for us,” he says. “So many times in the past, customers would trade up to a newer model tractor or combine and then they’d get the newer AMS equipment that comes with it. But since a lot of customers are keeping their current models, there’s been a big demand for updating globes, receivers and monitors. Deere just came out with new G5 monitors, and a lot of customers are upgrading to those."

Seger and his team are optimistic about 2025 despite the anticipated challenges. Moving used equipment will be the top priority, and they're taking an aggressive approach to make it happen.

“For a while, it was hard to actually get out of the office because we were processing so many orders,” Seger says. “But now, with the slowdown, we’re going to have to be more proactive with customers and working with them directly at their farms. We’ll be on the road a lot more.”

“The nice thing now about having 26 stores and more salespeople is if each of us would just sell 1 combine, that would reduce our inventory tremendously,” Boyles says. “That’s our goal right now — pick your customer, find a home for a few pieces of equipment and get them moved.”

How would you sum up 2024 for your dealership, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’re focused on tackling in 2025? Email me at Nnewman@LessiterMedia.com. Also if you get some free time over Thanksgiving weekend between eating leftovers and watching football, fill out our annual Precision Farming Dealer Benchmark Survey and let us know how your precision business stacks up to others!