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 Allan Brooks’ vegetable farm, located in Markesan, Wisconsin, stretches across both Green Lake and Fondulac counties. A second-generation farmer, Brooks received his first exposure to the business through his father, Gilbert Brooks.
“My dad started farming full-time when I was 7 or 8 years old,” he recalls. “Before that, he’d take me out to the Hancock research farm where he worked. I’d look out on the plots, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” he adds.
Today, Brooks manages the farm with ongoing help from his father and one additional associate. With just three men working the farm, Brooks relies heavily on quality equipment to stay productive. He owns two Challenger 35s, a 65, and in 2005 he added an MT525B to his fleet. Brooks also owns several other makes that perform a variety of functions and act as back-up if needed.
“We’re often planting sweet corn and drilling peas at the same time. We need enough equipment on hand so that if something goes down, we have machinery to spare,” he says.
An independent contractor, Brooks specializes in growing canning peas, sweet corn, and green beans, selling his crops to two food processors: Lakeside Foods and Seneca Foods. In this highly-specialized agribusiness, Brooks handles planting and the processors take care of harvesting.
“They only pay for what comes off the field,” Brooks says. “We have to produce as much as possible to turn a profit.”
Breaking Conventions to Boost Production
According to Brooks, there’s no room for arrogance in farming. He continuously seeks information to help improve productivity and profitability while conserving the quality of his land.
“In this business you have to be a jack-of-all-trades, and a master of none,” he says. “I try to expose myself to a lot different ideas, and I recognize I’ll never be the expert.”
One of the ideas Brooks puts into practice is double cropping, a method more commonly used in the south where warmer temperatures allow longer growing seasons. While unusual for Wisconsin, Brooks double crops canning peas and green beans, increasing the amount of time his land is used for crop production and crop yield.
| “We have had five hydrostat tractors doing the same jobs, and we know we’re using much less fuel with the CVT. The fact that we can get more work done with less fuel is a major advantage Challenger has over the competition.” |
“Double cropping extends the season for us, and when the weather cooperates and everything works well, that second crop adds profitability,” Brooks says.
Brooks also practices no-till farming, a method gaining popularity across the country as environmental awareness grows. In addition to helping conserve water, and protecting soil from erosion, farmers identify several benefits from no-till methods: optimized labor and equipment costs, reduced soil compaction, and decreased loss of valuable organic matter.
“No-tilling has many benefits,” Brooks says. “We’re adding efficiencies by saving labor time and costs, and I notice a much better soil quality which helps produce a stronger crop.”
Burning Rubber: Working Faster, Saving Fuel
Achieving the right balance between investment and profit generation is an ongoing challenge for Brooks. He combines common sense with experience to find a comfortable, profitable middle ground. And, experience has shown that he has to spend money to make money.
“With rising cost structures and regulations, I can’t turn down any cost-effective opportunity to make the operation more profitable. But at the same time, I can’t focus so much on cost savings that I sacrifice productivity,” Brooks says. “When I brought home the MT525B, my neighbor lady said, ‘Geez, that looks like an expensive tractor,’ and I replied, ‘Well, a stick and a hoe are cheap, but they won’t get you much crop either.’”
Brooks uses the MT525B as a dedicated spreader for dry fertilizer and cover crop seed, and marvels at the performance.
“I’ve been really pleased with this tractor,” he says, adding: “We’ve never spread seed or fertilizer for as low of a cost as we have with this tractor. I absolutely love it.”
The TechStar® continuously variable transmission (CVT) has a lot to do with Brooks’ noticeable productivity gains.
“We’re working much more quickly with the CVT,” he says. “With power-take-off transmissions, you’re RPM dependent. With hydrostat transmissions, you can independently vary ground speed, but hydrostat transmissions don’t deliver power as efficiently as the CVT. With the CVT, we aren’t forced to pick a gear. We can go any speed, allowing us to optimize both our field speed and road speed, and work much faster.”
Brooks’ father also likes the TechStar CVT technology, which he says allows him to accomplish more in a day than he ever thought possible.
 “Dad drives the MT525B – it’s his tractor,” Brooks says. “He really thinks it’s something. He’s getting older, and people are surprised by how much he can get done in a day. He started out on this farm using horses. Now he’s flying through the field and grinning all the time.”
TechStar CVT technology, according to Brooks, saves on fuel too, an attractive bonus considering rising fuel prices.
“We have had five hydrostat tractors doing the same jobs, and we notice we’re using much less fuel with the CVT. The fact that we can get more work done and spend less money on fuel is a major advantage Challenger has over the competition,” he adds.
The Complete Package: Dependable Equipment, Reliable Service
With advances in technology and more competitive, tightly regulated manufacturing practices, the gap between machine brands in terms of quality has narrowed. For customers like Brooks, after-sales service plays a stronger role than ever, helping finalize his purchase decisions.
“I’ve owned Challenger tractors since 1995, so when I bought the MT525B, I knew I liked the Challenger line from previous experience,” Brooks says. “I also knew what my other brand option was, and they also make a quality machine.
When we go after a new machine, we’re not concerned with names. We look at the whole picture – what we want the machine to achieve, what it will cost to buy and own, and what kind of service we’ll get from the dealer. You can find the best machine in the world, but if there’s no service behind it, you better pick a different machine,” he adds.
While Brooks and a farming associate friend take care of regular maintenance on his equipment, he turns to Ziegler for major repair issues. “We handle the mundane oil and grease service, following the published schedules. But I’m not a mechanical genius. For more specialized problems, I need Ziegler expertise,” he says.
Brooks purchased his Challenger 35s and 65 from another dealer prior to Ziegler assuming Challenger sales responsibilities in Wisconsin, but says the transition was seamless.
“I have three Challenger tractors I didn’t buy from Ziegler, but they took them right under their wing. I’ve always received cheerful, expedient service,” he says, adding: “We’re familiar with the service people, and they’re familiar with our operation. We don’t replace our tractors very often. When we know we’re going to have to live with it for a while, service really factors into the decision. We’re very satisfied Ziegler customers.”
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