Machinery Pete Podcast

Machinery Pete talks with Andrew McCrea, host of the popular "American Countryside" radio program about his new book, "Total Town Makeover" Rethinking Business, Community and Home in Small Town America. McCrea shares success stories of how small rural towns across the country have taken innovative approaches to reverse decades of decline and work toward securing a more prosperous future.

Machinery Pete offers his annual Thanksgiving advice to use your smart phones to record video of conversations with your elderly loved ones at holiday family gatherings. He demonstrates the value of this by sharing one of his all time favorite interviews he's done, from two years ago with then 91-year-old legendary auctioneer and farm equipment dealer Abner Jacobson of Benson, Minn. Abner passed away May 7, 2019 at the age of 93. Abner's stories of the auction and farm equipment businesses in the 1950's and 1960's will make you smile.

When we hear about an older tractor with very low-hours – the first thing we wonder is what’s the back story? On today’s episode of the Machinery Pete Podcast, Machinery Pete is sharing his favorite low-hour tractor stories he’s come across over the last 30 years.

On today’s episode of the Machinery Pete Podcast, we’re highlighting a 2010 conversation with 95-year-old Harold Brock about the history behind the Ford 9N and John Deere 4020 tractors. Harold was an apprentice to the legendary Henry Ford and also worked alongside historic innovators Thomas Edison and George Washington Carver.

It’s not every day that you find a pristine John Deere 4955 with under 1000 hours. But that’s exactly what Larry Holy of Brookings, South Dakota found in the family barn after the death of his father. On today’s episode of the Machinery Pete Podcast, we’re talking to Larry to find out the story behind this unique tractor. You’ll want to grab this John Deere 4955 because it won’t last long. Contact Machinery Pete for more details.

Rachel Gingell has spent her life working with and repairing tractors. Now she’s sharing her tips with farmers on her popular YouTube channel and in her new book, Farmall Cub Encyclopedia. On this week’s episode of the Machinery Pete Podcast, we’re talking to Rachel about all things tractor.

On this week’s episode of Machinery Pete, several guests join us to talk new uses for old crops. Chad Greenway and Jamie Quesnel join us from Gray Duck Spirits, a Minnesota based spirits company using all locally sourced corn to produce their new, high-end vodka. Then we’ll talk to Zach Johnson, the Minnesota Millennial Farmer who has more than 300,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel and grows the corn used in Gray Duck Vodka.

This week on the Machinery Pete Podcast we’re talking to Ben Bair of Papé Machinery. Ben moved from a potato farm in Idaho to Oregon and was surprised by how different the ag industry is on the West Coast. Listen in to hear Ben talk about all the specialty crops being grown out west that have launched an agricultural gold rush.

Machinery Pete is back with an all new episode interviewing inventor and entrepreneur, Ralph Lagergren. Ralph, and his cousin Mark, had a big success with their revolutionary bi-rotor combine which they sold to John Deere in the 1990s. Ralph took time to discuss the journey of getting new ideas and products out to the world and offers tips and advice for aspiring inventors.

In the inaugural episode of the Machinery Pete Podcast, Greg Peterson talks to John Sullivan, the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The two discuss some big changes John plans to bring to the farming community in Illinois: industrial hemp and high-speed internet.

Welcome to the Machinery Pete podcast. A fun visit with a variety of guests from across a wide swath of the ag spectrum. I think there's a hunger for longer, meaningful conversations that provide more context. So come along with me and let's see where this gravel road takes us.