Date & city that United Ag & Turf purchased first dealer location in Texas?

[Tx Jim]

Anyone know first location & date of JD dealership that United Ag & Turf purchased in Texas? I've heard on a radio advertisement that United Ag became a dealer 40 yrs ago in Texas but I think that is incorrect to my aging memory. Google search lists Waco as headquarters of United AG & Turf & purchased in 1974 but I know Brazos Valley was Waco/Hillsboro dealer name long after 1974.
Thanks for any replies, Jim

 

[miner09]

They bought Paris-Mt Pleasant-Hugo maybe 7-8 years ago. That’s the first I heard of them. The Ag Power main office in McKinney is not at that location now. United must have office in other location.

 

[NY 986]

Anyone know first location & date of JD dealership that United Ag & Turf purchased in Texas? I've heard on a radio advertisement that United Ag became a dealer 40 yrs ago in Texas but I think that is incorrect to my aging memory. Google search lists Waco as headquarters of United AG & Turf & purchased in 1974 but I know Brazos Valley was Waco/Hillsboro dealer name long after 1974.
Thanks for any replies, Jim

Can't help you there but maybe one key partner there carried over from organization to organization. I know that here there was a key partner that carried over from the Zahm and Matson dealership to the latter named Z & M Ag & Turf to the current Land Pro. Land Pro encompasses the one time Zahm and Matson, Gallup & Ten Haken, Goodridge Farm Supply, and Lakeland Equipment dealerships here in NY along with a couple of organizations in OH and PA.

 

[Texasmark]

They bought Paris-Mt Pleasant-Hugo maybe 7-8 years ago. That’s the first I heard of them. The Ag Power main office in McKinney is not at that location now. United must have office in other location.

Ag Power used to have their main office in McKinney, on US 75 North of town. I haven't been over there in years so I don't know if they moved and if so where? There is (may still be) another dealership in Sulphur Springs, some 60ish miles East of Dallas on I 30. I think there were more but I don't run green any more and haven't stayed up with it.

 

[shaun wallace]

Never heard of them till they bought Quality out. Quality had 9 stores in including Abilene Farm Supply in Abilene TX. Of course Deere/ Company had to have new store, They claim 49 locations.

 

[moresmoke]

It’s not uncommon for a dealership to keep operating under the same name even though the ownership group has changed. Don’t think it’s still the case, but Deere used to have a policy that any stores operating under the same name had to have contiguous territories. The dealership I worked at only changed name after the purchase of an adjacent store even though the ownership group had been slowly acquiring stores in the area for years.

 

[Tx Jim]

On another forum someone stated first United Ag locations were began in 1972. I would like to see proof of that date as I don't remember the name United Ag when I was employed at a JD dealership in 1972. I was advised Coufal-prater stores in Bryan, Navasota, Temple and Cameron was United's first stores bought.

 

[Tx Jim]

Never heard of them till they bought Quality out. Quality had 9 stores in including Abilene Farm Supply in Abilene TX. Of course Deere/ Company had to have new store, They claim 49 locations.

There also some United AG & Turf locations in the N Eastern USA

 

[NY 986]

There also some United AG & Turf locations in the N Eastern USA

Looks like the old Hudson Tractor Company stores in very eastern NY are a part of that group. The rumor has been for a while that all of NY will be under one JD dealer organization at some point. For all the beefing about mother Deere NY was late to the multi-location game. Even into the late 1990's there were a fair number of one store dealers, a few two store dealers, and one three store dealer (in northern hill country). Contrast this with IH who had a bunch of two store dealers and several three store dealers as well as a number of single store dealers. JI Case was the winner of this contest with several stores by the early 1980's. There was even a three store Ford dealer in the Syracuse area.

 

[Jim.ME]

There also some United AG & Turf locations in the N Eastern USA

I think it was in 2019/2020 that United arrived up here. I only know of one independent JD dealer left around here (one of the old farm families who set up a dealership). Unfortunately I expect any day to hear they are gone, good people to deal with and their prices are often less than United. There is one independent green dealer still in NH I have heard of recently.

United has also within the last couple years been gobbling up the construction and forestry dealers in this same area.

They are moving some things between branches, including some between the green and yellow branches. When I was looking for a part a couple months ago the fellow I was dealing with at the green dealer got it on a shuttle from one of the yellow dealers.

Beyond the lack of the personal interaction and help with problems (advice, took loans, etc.) at the old dealerships, the biggest thing I see is a lack of experience with a lot of their help. About every place is experiencing that. I am not sure their pay scales are helping them retain the experienced help.

I was looking for a rim (36/38 conversion, Mannheim rim, not plentiful to find) recently and asked for a quote, thinking they might have aftermarket sources. When the parts but got back to me he only had the JD rim. He said corporate has started restricting where they get things more. He suggested a used one he saw on the web at PartsASAP for a lot less. I called them but they didn't have one at this time.

 

[1948CaseVAI]

On another forum someone stated first United Ag locations were began in 1972. I would like to see proof of that date as I don't remember the name United Ag when I was employed at a JD dealership in 1972. I was advised Coufal-prater stores in Bryan, Navasota, Temple and Cameron was United's first stores bought.

It would be unusual for a large corporation to advertise a blatant lie about something as silly as the time they have been in any state. The 70s, as mentioned by some others, is more than 40 years ago. It is also highly possible, if not probable that the name of the first dealer they purchased was left the same for some years. I guess mostly I wonder who cares? What difference does it make?

 

[Tx Jim]

It would be unusual for a large corporation to advertise a blatant lie about something as silly as the time they have been in any state. The 70s, as mentioned by some others, is more than 40 years ago. It is also highly possible, if not probable that the name of the first dealer they purchased was left the same for some years. I guess mostly I wonder who cares? What difference does it make?

I agree large companies always tell the truth & nothing but the truth!!!

I was employed by a JD dealer from '65-'87 that was later purchased 2 different times by different people before dealership eventually got consumed by United Ag & Turf. I didn't remember that United Ag & Turf being in business in my area in 1987. The reason I asked is to check my memory.

 

[scootergmc]

Anyone know first location & date of JD dealership that United Ag & Turf purchased in Texas? I've heard on a radio advertisement that United Ag became a dealer 40 yrs ago in Texas but I think that is incorrect to my aging memory. Google search lists Waco as headquarters of United AG & Turf & purchased in 1974 but I know Brazos Valley was Waco/Hillsboro dealer name long after 1974.
Thanks for any replies, Jim

From here: https://www.farm-equipment.com/arti...nd-pettit-machinery-merge-with-united-ag-turf

Two more Texas John Deere dealerships have merged with United Ag & Turf, which was formed in October 2017 through the merger of Coufal-Prater and Brazos Valley. Effective May 3, 2018, Pettit Machinery and Ag-Power Texas have merged with United Ag & Turf. The dealership group now has 29 locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, with it’s corporate headquarters located in Waco, Texas.

And Fernandez Holdings' (ownership of UA&T) statement re: United Ag & Turf: https://www.fernandezholdings.com/united-ag-turf

United Ag & Turf was formed by bringing together four well-run dealership groups in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas: Coufal-Prater Equipment, Brazos Valley Equipment, Pettit Machinery, and Ag-Power’s Texas locations. The additions of Mustang Equipment, Fish & Still Equipment, Austin Turf & Tractor and Quality Implement Co. have further strengthened United’s presence and broadened the company’s offerings in the region.

​

The original dealer probably was in Waco back in 1974, but incorporation, acquisitions, and mergers can fuzz things up.