First-time exhibitors have positive experience at farm show

PEORIA, Ill. — Anderson Enterprises & Equipment LLC set up a booth at the Greater Peoria Farm Show for the first time this year to talk with existing customers, as well as meet new customers.

“This has been a great experience for us and we’ve got some great leads,” said Mark Seyller, salesperson for the company.

“The experience of moving in here went really well and everybody was helpful,” he said. “The people couldn’t be nicer and it is a well-organized operation.”

Anderson Enterprises is located in Annawan, Illinois, and is owned by Andy and Denelle Anderson. The company is a dealer for Versatile, Deutz-Fahr and TYM tractors.

“We have tractors ranging from 22 horsepower to 620 horsepower,” Seyller said. “TYM is a South Korean tractor, Deutz is German and Versatile is Canadian, so we’re diverse.”

TYM tractors are often purchased by customers with farmettes.

“They are used to do property maintenance of farmettes and some farmers buy them to do utility work around the farm,” Seyller said.

The Deutz-Fahr tractors are available up to 340 horsepower.

“These larger loader tractors are used by livestock farmers and farmers for doing generally farming maintenance such as mowing ditches,” Seyller said. “I just sold that Deutz 5120 Premium model tractor about 10 minutes ago along with a grapple.”

Farmers with larger operations will be interested in Versatile tractors that include models up to 620 horsepower.

In addition to the tractor and equipment sales and repair work, Anderson Enterprises also hosts a farm equipment auction each year in March and August.

“That auction has been held for about 40 years and we normally have around 4,000 items in the consignment sale,” Seyller said.

“We have three auctioneer trucks that run for two days to get through all the equipment,” he said. “We have both in-person and online bidding and people come from all over to buy things at our auction.”

Sometimes the auction includes retirement sales for farmers.

“A farmer will bring his whole line of equipment and we give him a row so he can talk to people and let them know it is his equipment,” Seyller said.

Sales of farm equipment have been strong during 2023.

“Farming operations in general are always going to need to upgrade something,” Seyller said. “This year was a good year and that will lead into 2024.”