AKRS Equipment Sees Record Growth in 2024

Oct 03, 2024

AKRS Equipment, the largest John Deere dealer in Nebraska, projects record revenues for the 2024 fiscal year and is actively investing in facility upgrades despite challenges in the agricultural sector. The company is expanding its locations to meet the growing demand for agricultural equipment and new technologies.

CEO Kevin Clark emphasized the importance of upgrading facilities to enhance customer service and retain talent.

“In 2020, when AKRS was formed, we assessed our facilities and developed an aggressive plan to continually upgrade our facilities to ensure we are giving our customers the best service possible, to retain and grow our talented team, and to invest in the communities that support AKRS,” Clark said.

Recent improvements feature a much larger facility in David City, Nebraska, which opened in 2023, along with a 10,000-square-foot expansion in North Platte, Nebraska. In 2024, AKRS replaced its location in Oberlin, Kansas, with a new building that is four times the size of the previous one and began constructing a new facility in O’Neill, Nebraska.

Looking ahead, expansions are planned for Broken Bow and Albion in 2025. With a strong commitment to upgrading facilities and prioritizing customer service, AKRS aims to utilize these investments for ongoing growth and support within the community.

Source : Farm Equipment

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.