How Wright Implement helps farmers adopt new technologies

Precision ag advancements have boomed in recent years as the agriculture machinery industry races to put out the latest and greatest. The rapid changes in technology aren't greeted with enthusiasm by all farmers, and that creates a role for precision ag consultants such as Kelly Klosterman of Wright Implement.

"We need to educate farmers why they need [precision technology]. If we can't do that as a dealership, we're failing our customers," says Bruce Westerfield, the vice president of large ag and technology at Wright Implement, a John Deere dealership with 15 locations in Kentucky and Indiana. "You get somebody set in their way saying they don't need it because they've done it that way for 20 years. It's hard to change that attitude."

One way Wright Implement combats this mind-set is by running the precision ag department through its service department, rather than the sales department.

"The reason we do that is we want the technicians and our precision ag specialists on the same playing field," says Westerfield. "We want them to be talking, training, communicating — it works for our benefit. If you don't have that communication with the customer, and they can't understand how the technology on the machine works, are we really treating the customer right?"

Wright Implement has hired precision consultants since 2021. The consultants work closely with Wright's salespeople, precision ag specialists, and service technicians to address the issues farmers are facing.

Klosterman joined the Wright Implement team as a precision ag consultant in 2022. She works with farmers to educate them on John Deere's Operations Center farm management system and the JDLink telematics system. Some of those she encounters are not aware of the tools available to assist them in their operations or they are overwhelmed by the technology.

"I completely get it," Klosterman says. Her job is to overcome that mind-set and get them "to a level that they will use the technology and understand it."

In her role, Klosterman visits with farmers to teach them about how the Operations Center could help improve their yields or to clean up their account to streamline use. She is there from the very beginning to help farmers become comfortable with the software, discovering their general ability to work with technology and guiding them through the initial steps to demonstrate the technology's value.

Klosterman was raised on a farm and has been around agriculture her entire life; she was a teacher before joining Wright. Those teaching skills have served Klosterman well in her current role.

"The people I work with want to learn, and they want to use technology," says Klosterman. "To be able
to help them and see them succeed — that's rewarding. I'm teaching these farmers about technology, and how it can help their farming operations."

For those interested in a career in precision ag technology, Westerfield says to learn as much about technology as possible and how to communicate that information effectively.

"Learn communication skills along with the technology, and it will benefit you wherever you want to go," he says. "Everyone has a different set of goals in life, but one thing is for sure: If you can communicate about technology, your career can go in a variety of directions."