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.

• [1:24] – Machinery Pete’s Tractor of the Week
• [6:12] - Intro to interview
• [8:21] - Interview with Meredith Bernard begins
• [9:00] - Machinery Pete and This Farm Wife discuss their experiences at the Farmer2Farmer networking event 
• [10:38] - Bernard talks about her background
• [13:15] - Her transition out of work in sales and coming home
• [15:15] - How and why she got into vlogging
• [19:29] - Bernard expresses her love for sharing stories
• [28:30] - This Farm Wife is also a photographer, writer and speaker
• [31:05] - Relating with people through video whether stories are touching, difficult or silly
• [34:19] - Skillet cooking
• [37:20] - Why Bernard is an advocate for mental health
• [42:40] - The importance of her faith
• [48:01] - Final words from Machinery Pete

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

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.

• [1:20] – Machinery Pete’s Tractor of the Week
• [4:16] - Into to interview
• [6:06] - Interview with Andrew McCrea begins
• [8:05] - Discussion about “Total Town Makeover” and how it happened
• [9:35] - Identifying small town problems
• [10:28] - Vision to move forward
• [12:00] - How do you bring back a town’s former residents?
• [17:55] - Reasons to live rural
• [19:35] - Small towns work together to benefit each other
• [21:10] - “The Carousel City”
• [22:05] - Story about an outhouse in Illinois
• [28:15] - Retirement projects that benefit small towns
• [32:45] - Final words from Machinery Pete

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

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. Pete 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 recalled stories of the auction and farm equipment businesses in the 1950's and 1960's will make you smile.

• [00:50] – Machinery Pete’s Tractor of the Week
• [3:55] - Annual Thanksgiving advice from Machinery Pete
• [7:44] - Interview with Abner Jacobson begins
• [9:15] - How Abner got involved with the auction business
• [13:55] - A story about the sale of a shotgun
• [18:11] - A large crowd attends Abner’s 90th birthday
• [27:20] - What Abner loves most about auctions
• [34:52] - A funny story about an old dump truck for sale
• [35:43] - Secrets to a successful and happy life
• [37:50] - The power of addressing someone by name
• [40:00] - Machinery Pete’s final words

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

November 2019 marks the 30-year anniversary that Greg Peterson, better known as Machinery Pete, began collecting auction prices of farming equipment being sold all over North America. 

We look back on the history behind why some of these tractors were hardly used, how their value grew over time and what ended up happening to them after being sold at auction. 

• [03:15] – Stories of John Deere 4450 and 4455 tractors sold at auctions
• [16:35] - March 6, 2009 - How a trip to an auction inspired Machinery Pete to start using social media
• [28:15] - A potential buyer from Canada travels to New York with a briefcase of cash to try to swoop in on an already-sold tractor
• [30:00] - How Machinery Pete finds these stories on old low-hour tractors
• [45:45] - A thank you to auctioneers

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

In October of 2010, Machinery Pete caught up with 95-year-old Harold Brock to talk about his experiences working for Ford and John Deere. He apprenticed under Henry Ford and learned from inventors Thomas Edison and George Washington Carver. 

Brock helped design popular tractors such as the Ford 9N and John Deere 4020 and always involved himself with projects in a hands-on manner. His work for two iconic companies helped change the world, helping make the average farmer more productive by reducing the reliance on animal power. 

• [01:25] – Featured tractor of the week, Ford 9N
• [7:32] - Conversation with Harold Brock begins
• [8:31] - Henry Ford’s mission
• [13:40] - Harold talks about what it was like to apprentice under ford
• [17:00] - “Ford wasn’t profit-oriented.”
• [19:55] - Harold talks about what Thomas Edison was like
• [21:16] - the story behind the color scheme of the Ford 8N tractor
• [22:26] - Harold talks about working for John Deere starting in 1959
• [31:03] - Harold reflects on his accomplishments and great work his staff did
• [32:00] - Final words from Machinery Pete

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

Every time we post a barn find, we get a slew of people asking for the story behind the piece of equipment. On today’s episode of the Machinery Pete Podcast, we’ve got a special barn find: a 1990 John Deere 4955 with one original owner and only 958 hours.

Larry Holy of Brookings, South Dakota recently got in touch with us to tell us about his father’s special 4955 that has been sitting unused since the mid-1990s. Larry sat down with Machinery Pete to talk about his father’s legacy and the story behind the tractor.

Tune in to get the details on this 4955 and get in touch with Machinery Pete if you’d like to purchase this unique barn find.

• [00:14] – Welcome to the podcast our sponsor Case IH
• [01:20] – Featured tractor of the week, John Deere 4955
• [01:40] – For tractor specs head to machinerypete.com and click on Tractor Specs
• [04:40] – Machinery Pete Price Slasher Event starts October 17 and runs through the end of the month, October 31. Go to machinerypete.com/sale
• [05:26] – A message from our sponsor, Case IH
• [05:55] – Welcome guest Larry Holy
• [06:32] – Larry talks about how his father Joe came to buy a Deere 4955 in 1990
• [08:53] – Larry discusses how his dad Joe put this tractor to work
• [13:02] – Through research Larry found out the tractor was originally a dealer to dealer transfer
• [14:15] – The tractor was made special for rice and cane fields and still features the original tires and toolbox
• [17:59] – Larry recounts how he drove down to make the video for the tractor in a 1985 Chevy Silverado C30 that had belonged to his dad
• [21:30] – Fixing up the truck has been part of Larry’s grieving process since his dad passed but he hopes to share it in the future so that others can get enjoyment out of it as he and his dad did
• [23:06] – If you’re interested in purchasing Larry’s family tractor, reach out to Machinery Pete
• [26:08] – Larry tells the story of his father Joe’s Model T
• [29:55] – Why Joe turned down offers from Mohawk Plow to be a field engineer
• [31:17] – Larry tells the story of how his father harvested the first bale of cotton in McLennan County, TX
• [35:20] – If you’d like to purchase either the tractor or the Silverado, contact [email protected]

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder, and host has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

Your tractor is your livelihood and when it breaks down that can cost you time and money. Rachel Gingell wants to change that. On this week’s episode of the Machinery Pete Podcast, we’re talking to Rachel about her series of videos that empower tractor owners to fix mechanical issues without taking their vehicle to the shop. Rachel has spent her whole life around tractors and is passionate about helping people care for their equipment as well as teaching farmers what to look for when purchasing their next tractor.

Listen in to learn Rachel’s negotiation tips, how she makes quality video tutorials, and her advice on starting your own business in the ag industry.

Show Index

• [02:38] – Featured tractor Magnum 71-10
• [06:12] – Introducing Rachel Gingell
• [06:45] – Rachel discusses her new book, Farmall Cub Encyclopedia
• [10:16] – You can buy Rachel’s book at farmtractorrepair.com
• [11:18] – Rachel talks about the process of writing the book
• [15:14] – Rachel’s tips for buying tractors
• [16:47] – Rachel shares her negotiation tips
• [19:09] – Rachel discusses her background and what it was like growing up with tractors
• [23:26] – How Rachel got a pink tractor
• [25:18] – What goes into producing a high-quality video
• [30:16] – farmtractorrepair.com also allows you to get expert troubleshooting advice from Rachel and her dad Dan for $14.50.
• [36:15] – Rachel talks about the hardest repair she’s had to complete on video
• [37:40] – Rachel shares her favorite tractor
• [39:41] – Why Rachel left the auction business
• [41:45] – Rachel give advice on starting your own business in the ag industry
• [43:18] – Why Rachel loves fishing
• [44:36] – Rachel talks about her love for motorcycles
• [46:48] – What videos are in the pipeline for Rachel

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

Rachel Gingell is author of the book Farmall Cub Encyclopedia and runs farmtractorrepair.com with her father Dan Gingell. Rachel and Dan produce a popular YouTube channel featuring videos teaching DIY tractor repair.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

As the old saying goes, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Similarly, when it comes to agriculture, finding new uses for crops is a great way for farmers to protect themselves when seasons or prices are rough. On today’s Machinery Pete Podcast, we’re talking to the creators of Gray Duck Vodka and the Minnesota Millennial Farmer to talk new uses for heritage crops.

Chad Greenway, former player for the Minnesota Vikings, and Jamie Quesnel, one of the owners of Gray Duck Spirits, join Greg to discuss how they created their Minnesota sourced vodka. We close out the show with Zach Johnson, the Minnesota Millennial Farmer, whose corn is used to produce Gray Duck Vodka. Zach talks to Machinery Pete about the opportunities he’s created for himself through his savvy use of social media.

Show Index

• [0:40] – Welcome to the Machinery Pete Podcast
• [01:45] – Guests today include former Vikings player and partner at Gray Duck Spirits Chad Greenway, owner of Gray Duck Spirits Jamie Quesnel, and Minnesota Millennial Farmer Zach Johnson.
• [04:21] – How Chad got involved in Gray Duck Spirits.
• [07:04] – Chad talks about his time as a high school football player.
• [10:31] – How Gray Duck Spirits got its name.
• [10:22] – Chad talks about the feedback Gray Duck is getting from rural farmers.
• [12:51} – Where you can find Gray Duck Spirits.
• [14:18] – Chris discusses his predictions for the Minnesota Vikings upcoming season as well as Iowa State Hawkeyes.
• [16:53] – Machinery Pete introduces his next guest, Jamie Quesnel, one of the owners of Gray Duck Spirits.
• [21:29] – Jamie talks about Gray Duck’s distillation process.
• [22:49] – Gray Duck has only been around for a year but consistently wins gold medals for its taste.
• [23:55] – Jamie explains why Chad has been an integral part of Gray Duck’s success.
• [25:47] – Jamie explains how the brand started out and continues to grow.
• [29:39] – Machinery Pete introduces Minnesota Millennial Farmer Zach Johnson.
• [32:12] – Zach discusses the current farming conditions in West Central Minnesota.
• [33:15] – How Gray Duck is helping the ag community diversify.
• [34:19] – Zach talks about meeting Chad Greenway.
• [35:01] – Zack tells Machinery Pete about his new podcast project.
• [36:24] – Connect with Gray Duck at grayduckspirits.com and Machinery Pete at machinerypete.com

Chad Greenway is a former NFL player who played for the Minnesota Vikings for 11 years. Chad came on board and is a spokesperson for Gray Duck Spirits.

Jamie Quesnel is one of the owners of Gray Duck Spirits. Prior to his ownership stake, Jamie worked in sales for Auto Glass.

Zach Johnson is the Minnesota Millennial Farmer. Zach is a 5th generation family farmer from West Central Minnesota. Zach actively promotes agriculture by sharing his day-to-day experiences on the family farm. The Minnesota Millennial Farmer reaches more than 300,000 subscribers on YouTube alone.

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

The Midwest is known for its strong ag community, but have you ever wondered what’s going on with farmers on the West Coast? This week on the Machinery Pete podcast, we’re taking a trip out west to find out what’s happening with our farming friends in Oregon.

Ben Bair of Papé Machinery stops by to talk to Machinery Pete about the wild west of specialty crops as well as his experience moving from a potato farm in Idaho to the hemp and wine fields of Oregon. Listen in to learn about the freedom and risks involved with banking on specialty crops.

Show Index

• [2:17] - Machinery Pete and Ben Bair reminisce on how they first connected.
• [5:05] - Born and raised on a farm in Idaho, Ben’s new home in Oregon is like a foreign country when it comes to agriculture.
• [6:45] - Ben talks about the most profitable west coast crops and how hemp is the agricultural gold rush.
• [7:49] - In addition to hemp, the wine industry is also rapidly growing in Oregon.
• [9:40] - The top crops in Oregon are so fundamentally different than the Midwest that Ben doesn’t know much about current pricing for legacy crops like soybeans and wheat.
• [10:47] - Ben discusses the freedom and risks involved with growing specialty crops
• [12:06] - Local processing is the bottleneck in the current Oregon hemp industry. Farmers are getting creative to harvest.
• [14:51] - Ben talks about growing up on an Idaho potato farm and how that led him to go into the machinery business.
•  [15:50] - Machinery Pete and Ben reminisce on Ben’s grandfather Ron Bair and his mechanical abilities.
• [19:07] - Ben discusses what led him to quit college to focus on machinery.
• [20:41] - Ben talks about how he got started selling machinery and forging relationships.

Ben Bair is the Regional Sales Manager for Papé Machinery in the Willamette Valley. Formerly the Remarketing Manager at 21st Century Equipment, Ben lives and breathes farming machinery equipment.

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

Machinery Pete is back with an all new episode interviewing Ralph Lagergren, inventor and entrepreneur. Back in the 1990s, Ralph and his cousin struck gold when they invented the bi-rotor combine and sold the patents to John Deere. Their work inspired countless inventors and a bestselling book, Dream Reaper.

Ralph has decades of experience bringing new products to market and shares his tips and advice for any aspiring inventors who want to get their ideas out into the world. Listen in as Ralph discusses the process that made the Dream Reaper a success and the biggest obstacles that inventors and entrepreneurs face.

Show Index:

• [2:41] - Ralph discusses how he got working on the Bi-rotor combine.
• [9:15] - How Ralphe came into contact with Craig Canine, who wrote the book Dream Reaper about the bi-rotor combine.
• [10:38] - The first time Ralph was recognized by a stranger for his combine.
• [12:54] - Why Ralph has no hard feelings toward John Deere and what’s next for the bi-rotor combine.
• [15:29] - Working with Ethan Eck, a young inventor from Kansas, and how the two got started.
• [19:25] - Ethan Eck is a talented young inventor with great ideas and engineering skill. Ralph talks about what Ethan is up to.
• [21:21] - The role of luck in inventing & Ralphs new venture.
• [24:49] - Focusing inventions on cutting down production time.
• [28:42] - Ralph’s talent for seeing the big picture and getting the right people for each new invention.
• [32:42] - How inventors can be successful.
• [36:38] - Why it’s important for inventors to discuss their work and collaborate.
• [39:20] - The biggest obstacles to making it as an inventor.
• [42:40] - Ralph’s passion project is a game that he’s been working on taking to market.
• [47:24] - Even though his inventions span different industries, Ralph talks about the common threads.
• [49:42] - Ralph is a world traveler and talks about his favorite places in the US.
• [54:57] - How the Dream Reaper book is still inspiring inventors.

Ralph Lagergren is an entrepreneur and new product developer who has worked on projects across various industries. With his cousin Mark Underwood, Ralph developed the revolutionary bi-rotor combine which was sold to John Deere and inspired the bestselling book, Dream Reaper: The Story of an Old-Fashioned Inventor in the High-Tech, High-Stakes World of Modern Agriculture. Ralph is currently involved with Chem Blade and is developing a brand new game called Rage Ball 5.

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.