Words of Wisdom Remembered From Interview with 97-Year-Old Farm Equipment Dealer 10 Years Ago

Machinery Pete Podcast

Machinery Pete shares his memories from, as well as the full interview he did 10 years ago this month (Feb. 2011) in Wyoming, IL with then 97-year-old Joe Colgan. Joe got into the farm equipment biz in 1933, went to work for John Deere in 1937 and became a John Deere dealer in 1947. Joe Colgan passed 4/28/15 at the age of 101, but his words of wisdom still hold true today.

• [:28] - Machinery Pete shares some notes on the used equipment market
• [3:20] - The passing of time, intro of today’s interview
• [8:53] - Interview with Tim and Joe Colgan begins
• [13:43] - The early years of Joe’s career and getting into the dealership business
• [15:02] - Joe’s book of tractor sales
• [18:30] - Tim’s career story and changes he and Joe saw in selling farm equipment over the years
• [25:17] - Stories of Joe’s customers
• [30:34] - Joe talks retirement and if he could be a dealer in the modern day
• [41:45] - Obsolete corn pickers, yearly auctions and trading horses
• [47:00] - On the road to Deere dealers
• [52:30] - How Joe and Majella Colgan raised a successful family
• [56:20] - Brothers Tim and Andy recall their upbringing and Joe’s wife Majella joins the conversation
• [59:58] - 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.

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