Independent dealer Linco-Precision, based in El Paso, Illinois,  has purchased the Precision Farming assets of Dairy One Cooperative, based in Ithaca, New York. Linco-Precision works in 12 Northeastern states and partner with growers and retailers across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio and now New York.

We caught up with Linco-Precision owner Skip Klinefelter for the inside scoop on how the deal came together.

He tells me it started with AMVAC’s SIMPAS and Smart Box precision application technology, which we covered in the previous edition of Technology Corner. Linco was granted one of the first licenses to handle those SIMPAS products, and they sold three-times as many as the second highest selling dealer in the kickoff year.

In recent years, Linco-Precision developed a strong relationship with Dairy One Cooperative. Dairy One’s people became interested in SIMPAS products. Linco ended up getting a license from AMVAC’s distribution partner Trimble, to sell SIMPAS in Dairy One’s neck of the woods. So naturally, Linco and Dairy One got together, and after multiple conversations, Linco ended up purchasing their precision farming assets.

“They are a digital company. They handle a lot of data with milk testing, and soil testing and things. Once we got through with all the discussions on what we thought the synergies were, we ended up purchasing their precision farming arm.

As we sell products that develop and generate data, the plan is for Dairy One to be able to crunch that data for their customers and for us to handle the hardware and support for those products.”

We also asked Klinefelter, “What kind of challenges come with managing and servicing from afar?” Thanks to Zoom, Facetime, and everything else we can do with our phones and computers, it’s easier than you’d think.

“Also a lot of the screens today, on the technology side, we can grab those digitally, and walk people through issues and problems. And some customers really are not comfortable with pushing buttons while they’re zooming you on the phone, and other customers hope you do it that way partially because it gets you to them hours sooner sometimes. And if they understand their technology and what buttons to push when you ask them to, they get back up and going a tremendous amount quicker than somebody having to drive there and somebody having to drive back, and it’s less expensive for them too.”

Learn more about Linco-Precision’s expansion during our full conversation with Skip Klinefelter, later this month on the Precision Farming Dealer Podcast.