This morning, as part of a Labor Day message at church (“The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard,” Matthew 20), our pastor recapped the jobs he had in his lifetime. It spurred a conversation with my 17-year-old, Hayden, as he starts his senior year of high school.

The 2021 Dealership Minds Summit welcomed back farm equipment dealers from across the United States for the 7th annual gathering of the brightest minds in the industry.

In this episode of the Precision Farming Dealer podcast, “How We Did It: Conversations with Ag Equipment's Entrepreneurs” (sponsored by Osmundson Manufacturing), Executive Editor Dave Kanicki sat down with Frank, Pam and Mike Lessiter of Lessiter Media.

The shifting nature of precision farming demands a foundation for employee commitment, yet the unique structure of any given dealership eliminates the possibility for any universal blueprint. Rarely does the perfect formula come from direct replication or an unhinged maverick move, but the best plans often fall somewhere in between.

The 2017 Precision Farming Dealer Summit succession planning roundtable in St. Louis “played” to a packed room. Moderated by Tim Norris, former CEO, Ag Info Tech (2016 Most Valuable Dealership), Mount Vernon, Ohio, the participants included family-owned precision dealerships with a handful to employees all the way to businesses with hundreds of employees.

U.S. General George Patton’s famous quote, “A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow,” is sound advice for any farm equipment dealer.