LDI Hosts Farm Team Rally - KS and IA Ag Equipment Dealer

^{Thursday, October 27, 2022}

LDI proudly served as a host venue for a stop on the Farm Team Rally this week. The meeting was hosted by the Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Grain and Feed Association, and Kansas Agribusiness Retailer’s Association and provided an opportunity to have a conversation with Senator Jerry Moran, Congressmen Jake LaTurner & Tracey Mann, and gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt.

The LDI-Topeka store was the final stop on a tour of Kansas agriculture focused on the successes and challenges facing agriculture and a discussion of public policy and agribusiness.

LDI-Topeka Store and Technology Division Manager, Dan Byers, welcomed the crowd gathered in front of a backdrop of Fendt equipment.

“LDI was formed in 1988 in Hays, Kansas when Brian Lang started working on equipment and putting machinery together with the tools in the back of his truck. Since that time, LDI has evolved into an 11-store dealership across Kansas with one store in southwest Iowa,” said Byers.

Byers and the LDI team shared some additional facts about LDI at the event.

· LDI has approximately 10,000 customers in all 105 Kansas Counties in addition to service territory in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri.

· LDI is active in Kansas communities contributing approximately $35,000 to FFA and 4-H Scholarships, 4-H and club donations, and charities.

· LDI employees travel more than 1.1 miles on Kansas roads meeting Kansas farmers where they are in the fields with equipment, parts, and service.

· LDI products and services span the entire growing cycle from planting to application to harvest and support farmers in all industry segments.

· LDI shares in AGCO’s commitment to precision agriculture innovations that address sustainability with the most fuel-efficient equipment on the market.

· LDI is dedicated, like AGCO, to farmer-first strategies. We aim to increase net farm income by improving yield and reducing waste through award-winning
AGCO brand products and an exceptional customer experience that delivers value from purchase to replacement.

Following Byers, LaTurner, Mann, Schmidt, and Moran each spoke about their passion for agriculture, rural life, Kansas, and their stance on public policy and agribusiness, with the election just a couple of weeks away. The political leaders and candidates also had an opportunity to mingle with the crowd and hear their success stories, concerns, and hopes for Kansas agriculture and public policy.

“I believe strongly we should never forget that Kansas is the very center; we're the heartbeat of the United States that it's back in Smith County, north-central Kansas. And the basic values that make America, America. I would contend with family, hard work, and caring for your neighbors. Those values are alive and well in Kansas. And we've got to ensure that we have a strong agriculture sector because it really props up and supports rural communities that keep those values,” said Congressman Tracy Mann.

Congressman Jake LaTurner remarked on the challenges, including widespread drought and rising input costs faced by farmers today.

“We need to get to work on behalf of farmers and ranchers doing their part. Every single day they have to combat the elements. We know that we've had a lot of dry weather here, that many folks are dealing with that, and they expect us to get to work. That's what I intend to do after we've got an election here in two weeks,” said Congressman LaTurner.

Gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt spoke with the gathering sharing his vision for Kansas agriculture and the work needed to be done in Topeka in related public policy. “So bottom line role Kansas is as special as ever today was just a reminder that the challenges everybody is confronting are just as real for folks in our rural communities, our producer communities in Kansas, agriculture as they are for everybody at every location around this state. And we're going to remain dedicated to doing our part after what we heard today, try to make sure we do what we can,” said gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt.

Jerry Moran, a native of the Hays area, shared his pride for agricultural and rural-life and the importance of supporting Kansas agriculture through the economic ups and downs we are currently facing.

“We start with the basic food for ourselves, for our nation. It's a noble calling for farmers and ranchers to be in the professions that they're in. It means feeding hungry people around the world, which is a great opportunity for us in Kansas to make the world a better place,” said Senator Jerry Moran. “There is no question success depends upon lots of things, but there's no success in Kansas, in almost every community across our state, unless our farmers and ranchers and the businesses they support are having a profitable time.”