Machinery Pete Podcast

Machinery Pete talks with Thad Shively, Dir. of Pre-Owned Inventory for C&B Operations, a 37-store John Deere dealership with stores in MN, IA, SD, WY, MT and ID. Shively is retiring in April '21 after a lifetime in the farm equipment dealer biz. Thad and Pete talk about the current farm equipment market, trends and cycles over the decades, where the farm equipment has been and where it’s headed. Shively also shares his key takeaways/truths from 30+ years in the farm equipment biz and shares his advice to young folks hoping to work someday for a farm equipment dealership.

Show Notes

Machinery Pete talks with Thad Shively, Dir. of Pre-Owned Inventory for C&B Operations, a 37-store John Deere dealership with stores in MN, IA, SD, WY, MT and ID. Shively is retiring in April '21 after a lifetime in the farm equipment dealer biz. Thad and Pete talk about the current farm equipment market, trends and cycles over the decades, where the farm equipment has been and where it’s headed. Shively also shares his key takeaways/truths from 30+ years in the farm equipment biz and shares his advice to young folks hoping to work someday for a farm equipment dealership.
  • [:28] - Machinery Pete teases the episode’s interview with Thad Shively
  • [2:15] - Used equipment market update - strong prices from the latest auctions
  • [7:59] - Interview with Thad begins
  • [9:36] - The history of C&B Operations and Thad’s start in the business
  • [16:20] - Evolving technology and selling equipment
  • [21:30] - What the farm equipment business was like during the ethanol push 
  • [28:50] - Working through the pandemic
  • [34:15] - Thad’s family and farm equipment
  • [40:21] - Advice for those getting into the farm equipment business
  • [49:43] - Parting words from Thad as he heads into retirement
  • [52:34] - Closing thoughts 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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What is Machinery Pete Podcast?

Welcome to the Machinery Pete Podcast hosted by Greg Peterson, known to the industry as Machinery Pete. For over 30 years, Greg has been a trusted source of knowledge in the farming equipment industry. Starting with a gut feeling, Greg set off to bring more and better data to the agriculture space. He’s been a voice you can trust, no matter where you’re listening or reading.

In this podcast, Greg will be sharing stories and conversations from around the industry. The kinds of conversations that are longer and more meaningful than just a few soundbites. He’ll be adding context and color to stories from good people that make up the agriculture space. He’ll also be sharing the types of insights, trends, farming news and used farm equipment values from around the country that you’ve come to expect from him.

Founded in 1989 by Greg Peterson, Machinery Pete has come a long way since its beginnings in Greg Peterson’s home office in Rochester, Minnesota where he passionately researched, tracked and reported on auction prices. In 2014 Farm Journal and Machinery Pete partnered to provide a more efficient marketplace for buying and selling used ag equipment.


In July of 2015, MachineryPete.com launched its marketplace with leading-edge marketing solutions for dealers, informed and built with the online equipment shopper in mind and creates meaningful connections between buyers and sellers. The company is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

You can find out more at https://www.machinerypete.com/podcasts