Machinery Pete Podcast

50 years ago this week, on January 6, 1971, Vermeer Corp. of Pella, IA introduced the first round baler to the ag industry. Pete talks with Jason Andringa, President/CEO of Vermeer and also grandson of company founder (founded 1948) Gary Vermeer about how the round baler came to be. Pete, Andringa and Mark Core, Exec. VP, also talk about how Vermeer has handled the pandemic as well as how the company rebounded from the devastating 2018 tornado at their Pella, IA factory.

Machinery Pete talks with Kurt Miller, Director of Used Equipment for Heritage Tractor, a 21-store John Deere dealership in MO, AR, KS, NE and OK, about their unique new -1% Finance Program (They Pay You!) on any of 65 used combines they have for sale. Since the program started three weeks ago, they've already sold 22 combines. Pete and Kurt also talk about the latest trends in the farm equipment market through the crazy year of 2020. Pete ends the episode with a shout-out to an inspirational hero of his, a Minnesota legend, who recently passed away at the age of 100.

Micah Moulin of Adams, NE is a busy young man with a full time job and a cool growing business, "Moulin Farm Art and Repair." His unique pencil drawings (now paint as well) of tractors, trucks and farm scenes have caught on in a big way with special commission orders coming in from around the country. Hear how it all got started for Micah and where his passion for drawing comes from.

Machinery Pete and auctioneer Kurt Aumann with Aumann Vintage Power of Nokomis, IL discuss the collector tractor market, including the 1971 IHC 1066 (1st one made!) with 2,993 original hours Aumann sold it for a new record price of $86,100 on a 9/22/20 collector auction in Iowa. Aumann tells stories on the following record price setting tractors he's sold over the years (IHC 1468 for $52,000 in Kansas in 2017; John Deere 4000 gas Power Shift for $82,500 in Minnesota in 2015; Oliver 2255 FWA for $56,700 in Illinois this year.

Machinery Pete gets the scoop on the story behind the 1992 John Deere 4760 tractor with only 3.6 actual hours on the Raptor Enterprises auction October 28, 2020 in Speers, SK by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. Also, a 1988 John Deere 4450 2WD with only 256 hours is on this sale. Pete talks with Brendan Kramer, Territory Manager with Ritchie Bros., to get the story behind these tractors + other barn finds on this auction, with why and how the equipment has hardly any hours.

Machinery Pete talks about the big announcement last week about making the Auction Price Data FREE at www.MachineryPete.com. Over 726,000 sale prices on ALL types of farm and construction equipment, updated daily. Pete also spotlights an upcoming market-setting auction for used Combines, the August 17, 2020 absolute online dealer inventory reduction auction for Ag-Pro John Deere dealership locations in Ohio, over 40 Combines on this auction.

Pete talks with his friend Jeff Ryan, farmer/writer from Cresco, IA. Ryan is known as "Guy No. 2" for his long-time online blog/columns about life and farming in northeast Iowa, always with a humorist slant that brings a smile. Or a tear. Ryan tells Pete about overcoming the Essential Tremor he grew up with and how an incredible brain surgery in 1998 - while he was awake on the table, changed his life. Guy No. 2 has been known to drive his yellow dune buggy on Christmas Day around Cresco, IA....snow or no snow.

Machinery Pete talks with Bob Sinclair, owner of Sinclair Tractor, and auctioneer Dan Sullivan with Sullivan Auctioneers about Sinclair Tractor's huge absolute online dealer auction in southeast Iowa on June 30, 2020 that featured 80+ late model farm equipment items, including 20 John Deere S680 combines. Pete also touches on some eye-opening latest search traffic stats and sales data on smaller HP tractors, ATVS/UTVS and garden tractors, way UP due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Story behind the famous Silver Bullet Flying Combine from the mid to late 1980's, seen at tons of fairs and shows all over the country + in the movie "Race Against the Harvest" starring Wayne Rogers from TV show M.A.S.H. Machinery Pete talks with Gail Brookins of West Fargo, ND, who along with husband Ernie Brookins built and operated the Silver Bullet Flying Combine. Gail shares amazing stories from the road of the Silver Bullet.

Machinery Pete has a fun conversation with rising star in the #AgTwitter world, Ontario farmer Andy Pasztor (@apasztor82 on Twitter), known as #AndyClean for the wonderfully obsessive way he cleans and shines farm equipment.

Machinery Pete talks about the opportunity he's seen for a number of years now: when selling farm equipment, personalize it to make it worth more $$. Pete shares successful examples of this that he's seen over recent years whether sellers were dealers, auction firms or private farmer sellers.

Machinery Pete learns the story of the beautiful, looked-like-new 1977 John Deere 4430 tractor that was the star of the 2020 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, KY this past mid February at the John Deere exhibit. Pete talks with owner Don Cummings of Seymour, IN about his 4430, its unique history and the amazing reaction the tractor elicited at the Louisville farm show. Cummings is now considering selling his prize 4430.

Machinery Pete takes a spin around farm country to get the pulse on how the coronavirus situation has been affecting the ag scene the past couple weeks. Pete talks with a trucker from Iowa, an auctioneer from Minnesota who just had two big online farm sales, a friend from the farming town of Fairmont, MN, which has 9 + coronavirus cases, and a farm equipment dealer from Missouri. Pete also provides the latest update on used equipment pricing.

Machinery Pete talks about the COVID-19 virus and the immense impact on the farm auction industry. Pete walks us through the past week day by day as auction firms dealt with unprecedented challenges and rose to meet them to serve both buyer and seller. Pete interviews auctioneers Dan Sullivan with Sullivan Auctioneers (IL) and Allen Henslin with Henslin Auctions (MN) about what the past week has been like. Pete also comments on how used farm equipment values held up over this challenging week.

Engineering is our topic, specifically the field of farm equipment engineering. Machinery Pete wishes he'd have known more about engineering when he was young. Pete talks with Maury Salz, President of CLAAS Omaha, Inc. about their new award winning CLAAS Lexion 8000-7000 Series Combines, but more in depth about the field of Engineering and the myriad career paths forward. Salz went from building tractors and farm equipment to building helicopters before hopping back into the farm equipment space. Salz tells Pete about an exciting upcoming event and learning opportunity, ASABE's Annual AIM event in Omaha, Neb. July 13 -15, 2020. A great chance for young folks interested in Engineering to learn more about the industry.

Tim Brannon, owner of B&G Equipment in Paris, TN has been involved with Allis-Chalmers and AGCO equipment his whole life, even before becoming a dealer in 1978. Brannon shares his wealth of knowledge, history and amazing stories on the iconic Allis-Chalmers brand. Even avid AC lovers will learn a lot from this conversation!

Machinery Pete shares the story of an Iowa family that collects vintage John Deere combines, sometimes very rare ones, to go along with their antique tractor and farm implement collections.

Machinery Pete sits down with Ohio Hall of Fame auctioneer Kevin Wendt, owner of The Wendt Group and also Showpig.com. Kevin talks about his auction career, building these two growing businesses and also about how they purposefully give back in powerful ways, changing many lives for the better in the process.

Tag along with Machinery Pete to three farm auctions in 2019 on which 40-year-old tractors with low hours sold for record or near-record prices, continuing a trend Pete has been documenting for many years.

Machinery Pete talks with Meredith Bernard from Milton, N.C. who is better known as "This Farm Wife" on social media and YouTube. Bernard's vlogs on YouTube about daily life on their North Carolina farm have gone viral and built a huge following both inside and outside of ag, helping to tell farming's story to non-farmers, which is so important in today's world.