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FARGO, N.D. — After taking a brief hiatus, Titan Machinery will be attending the Big Iron Farm Show this fall. Like many equipment dealerships and ag businesses, Titan Machinery opted out of last year’s Big Iron due to safety concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of that stuff went on hold because of the pandemic, so we did step back from Big Iron. Also our manufacturers had the same problem, they did not want to send people out to potentially in a harmful situation. So we stepped back from Big Iron, along with Case IH,” said Mike Hall, director of marketing for Titan Machinery.
Titan Machinery is known for their farm equipment as well as their construction equipment across the Midwest. Case IH, Case Construction and New Holland equipment line their local dealerships. Their absence from the 2021 Big Iron was noted by Cody Cashman, CEO of Red River Valley Fair and Big Iron Farm show, during the show. He was disappointed that Case IH, which is sold through Titan Machinery, was not present.
“John Deere and Case didn’t want to join us this year, and it’s a shame because they missed out on pretty much obviously the biggest Big Iron we’ve ever had. So, shame on them. Hopefully they will want to come back next year,” Cashman said to Agweek at the 2021 Big Iron Farm Show. “I think a lot of those farmers that support this area are going to notice that the green and red tractors weren’t here to support them, and I think that’s gonna hurt them in the long run.”
A couple of buildings have been taken down on the Red River Valley Fairgrounds and Titan Machinery will have its booth in one of the open areas. At the booth, attendees can ask Titan questions and talk about new technology, and they hopefully will get to see new equipment.
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“As for equipment, that really is the challenging part. In a year like this where demand for equipment is very high, commodity prices are high, we still have supply chain issues just like everybody else is dealing with. Our competitors have the same problem,” Hall said. “So, the challenging part will be to have the equipment on hand.”
However, Hall is confident that Titan Machinery will be able to have an assortment of equipment present due to Titan having many dealerships that they can pull equipment from.
Titan Machinery does have ties to Ukraine, including having many dealerships in the country itself. But, Hall stated that the war has not impacted Titan’s U.S. market and that it has only had an effect on the local Ukrainian market.
“We don’t have a lot of information, since it's such a fluid environment. But, we have told our people to do what you can to protect yourself and your family. I know we have some stores that are open over there as the situation allows,” he said.
