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.

Show Notes

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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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