Smart Apply is fortunate to be represented by savvy ag equipment dealers across North America and increasingly around the world. One of our early adopters was LandPro Equipment led by CEO and President Tom Sutter. A graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne with 20-plus years of experience in the ag equipment industry, including stints with John Deere and Hutson, Inc., he recognized the immediate and long-term value of Smart Apply to LandPro’s customers. We recently chatted with Tom on their dealership, their customers and why they added the Smart Apply System to their new High Value Crops Division.
SA: LandPro is an authorized John Deere dealer across three states. To what do you owe your success to date?
TS: LandPro is the authorized John Deere dealer for Western New York, Eastern Ohio, and Northwest and Central Pennsylvania, including the Buffalo, Rochester, Jamestown and Erie metro areas. We have 20 locations which is big enough to enjoy the benefits of scale, but small enough to know our customers by their first names.
The secret to our success is our phenomenal team and family atmosphere. We live and die by the notion that if you take great care of your employees, they will take great care of your customers. Great service wins every time. That’s proven to be the case here at LandPro. What’s really exciting is our culture of good service, respect for one another, and being professionals helps us attract great people.
SA: LandPro recently created a High Value Crops Division. Tell us about that.
TS: Yes, we did this in 2021 for several reasons. First, our region has a tremendous amount of high-value crop growers who were going out of market for equipment they needed. We want to be the local dealer they can count on for top equipment, technology and service. So we created a division dedicated to high value crops and brought on Erik Quanbeck as our High Value Crops Division Manager. Erik has more than 20 years of experience in ag equipment and has a passion for the specialty crops business. It’s great to have a dedicated professional to support these growers.
That was just a start. We were already representing Turbo-Mist Sprayers but made some strategic additions to our line-up, including the Smart Apply Intelligent Spray Control System for precision spraying and data collection and Pellenc, a maker of grape harvesters as well as over-the-row sprayers.
Finally, John Deere is also placing emphasis on high value crops. Last November, Deere introduced the 5EN and 5MLN Series of specialty tractors specifically for the narrow rows found in orchards and vineyards. These tractors have been a great addition to our line-up.
SA: What types of specialty crops are your customers growing?
TS: We have a lot of different specialty crops in our region, but the primary crops are apples and grapes. We take great pride in catering to these growers. In fact, we started our High Value Crop Division specifically to elevate the products, services and support these growers need. John Deere has supported us in this area with the introduction of their new low-profile tractor that is ideally suited for apple orchards and other tree fruits.
In terms of apples, you might not know this, but New York is the second largest apple producer in the nation behind Washington State. One of the key areas for apples is along Lake Ontario. There are solid apple orchards for 25-30 miles—really beautiful in the spring when everything’s blooming. With grapes, we have two categories: juice grapes and wine grapes. Have you heard of Welch’s? We have concord grape growers used in Welch’s juices, jellies and jams around Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania, and south of Buffalo, New York. In the Finger Lakes region of New York, there’s an incredible micro climate that is perfect for white grapes used in Riesling, chardonnay, pinot grigio, and Gewürztraminer wine. There are about 250 wineries in that area.
SA: The U.S. ag industry is experiencing a lot of challenges. What’s on the minds of your specialty crop growers?
TS: That’s easy: chemical costs, lack of quality labor and more environmental regulations. All of these issues impact their operations and they’re looking for solutions.
SA: What specifically are you seeing with environmental regulations?
TS: In New York State, we are likely heading to having to document chemical use; what’s been sprayed and where. Some retailers, like Wegman’s, also want information on chemical use on the produce they purchase. We also anticipate increased regulations in water runoff and potential chemical exposure to that excess water. Those are two examples of the layers of regulations growers have to address and manage.
SA: You were one of the original dealers of the Smart Apply System in the US. What was behind your decision to add this tech-driven precision spray and data solution?
TS: As I mentioned earlier, adding Smart Apply was a key part of our new High Value Crops Division as it provided the precision ag piece that we didn’t have up until this point for high value crops. We really want to grow this part of our business and Smart Apply’s precision spraying, automation of spraying and data collection addressed growers’ concerns around chemical costs, labor and documenting their spraying.
SA: What excites you most about the Smart Apply System, the precision spraying or the data collection and analysis?
TS: Both. The savings from precision spraying is a quick and easy return on investment. But when growers see that the data collection includes documenting spray volumes, tree counts, foliage density and more, they’re like “Wow! We see the long-term benefits.”
SA: Air blast sprayers have gotten very costly. Do your customers appreciate that Smart Apply is sold as a kit and they don’t have to buy another air blast sprayer?
TS: Yes, they most definitely appreciate that. However, we’re adding as many Smart Apply Systems to new Turbo-Mist air blast sprayers as we are retrofitting to existing sprayers.
SA: What kind of feedback are you getting from your high value crop growers on Smart Apply?
TS: When we first added the Smart Apply System, there was definitely skepticism whether it would work. What turned the corner for us was when one of our apple growers bought three systems last year and used them all season long. He kept really good records that showed he’d reduced his chemical costs by 50%. At the same time, he had a good quality crop. Other growers were concerned Smart Apply wouldn’t spray enough to get the protection they needed. When this guy—someone who is known and respected—had a good experience, the response was, “Ahhhh, this really does work.”
SA: Smart Apply’s spray data solution was recently integrated with the Deere Precision Ag Operations Center. Is this a value to your customers?
TS: Absolutely. It’s a benefit for us and our growers. Having that wireless, automated data transfer from orchards and vineyards to the Deere Operations Center is awesome. But then having that data and the insights it provides available on a smart phone when you want it is very helpful.
The Smart Apply Intelligent Spray Control System is helping growers of specialty crops transform their operations and the world for the better. To learn more about our precision sprayer and spray data reporting and analytics, visit our website. To find an authorized dealer around the world, check our dealer directory.