Providing Three Generations of Quality Service and High-End Farm Equipment
Shantz Farm Equipment, is a 70-year-old family business that is a full service, Ontario-based farm equipment dealership. Started in 1955 by Ralph Shantz, the company continues to carry on Ralph’s legacy of honesty, respect for and dedication to their customers. We spoke with Ralph’s grandson, Clayton, who wears a few hats; including marketing manager and recently, he spoke about Shantz Farm Equipment, its history and of course some of the many products you will find at their Alma, Ontario location.
Living Spaces: Well Clayton, thanks for doing this. Let’s start with the fact that Shantz Farm Equipment has been in business since 1955, two questions for you, first, why the farming equipment business and secondly, have there been major changes in your industry in the 70+ years?
Clayton: Starting with the ‘why’ part of the question, it would have been my grandfather Ralph’s decision to work in the farm equipment industry when he originally started the business. He came from a farming background, like many people back then did and I believe for Ralph, he just saw an opportunity to supply products that were quite necessary at the time. He was very handy working with machines and he would buy equipment from the U.S., fix it up and then sell it. This eventually led him to salvaging used combines and harvesters for used parts; this was kind of the niche that he was known for near the tail end of his career. Later, he signed on with Allis-Chalmers and AGCO which eventually led to the Massey Ferguson contract, which is the main product line that we continue to carry today. As for the second part of the question, there are certainly lots of changes over the years, the biggest, I believe, would be technology. It’s incredible how far the industry has come into the last 100 years. We now have tractors that can drive themselves entirely with GPS and these machines can do things that were impossible ‘back in the day’!
Living Spaces: As Shantz Farm Equipment is a family run business, obviously there had to be a shared lifelong passion to keep it in the family for so long, would you agree?
Clayton: For sure, this business is pretty much all we know! It began with my grandfather, and now my father Ron, aunt Carol and cousin T.J. are also involved. Plus, some great employees that we’re extremely thankful to work alongside. As for myself, I went off to university and worked at a couple of other things afterwards, but I always ended up back here. (laughs) The company is the glue that has helped keep the family together. And the connection to the farmers and community that we have been dealing with over the years; that means a lot to us.
Living Spaces: You mentioned earlier the changes you have witnessed within the industry, what about the customers, who’s buying your farming equipment now?
Clayton: I would say that our customer base is split between production AG farmers and maybe what you would refer to as a ‘Rural Lifestyle’ buyer, who is someone with a small piece of land and is looking for a smaller tractor or lawn mower to help maintain their property. We noticed during Covid that there was a ‘wave’ of people who were buying rural properties, as people began working remotely and perhaps wanting to get out of the city. This was definitely a time that the smaller compact tractors were being bought in a big way. Our farming customer-base is pretty consistent. We deal with customers across the province whether it is customers with Massey Ferguson tractors or Gleaner combines. A current trend is the aging farmer demographic and we’re seeing some customers come to the end of their farming careers. There has definitely been some significant consolidation in the industry in the past few decades.
Living Spaces: Clayton, you are located in Alma, Ontario, how do our readers find you and what would you consider to be your ‘business circle’?
Clayton: Alma is close to Elora, 10 minutes northwest on Elora Road and we are within 30 minutes of Kitchener/Waterloo and about 30 minutes from Guelph. With our business reach, we mainly focus on Wellington County, Waterloo Region and Dufferin County, so I am going to say primarily a 30-mile circle around Alma.
Living Spaces: According to your website, you are constantly introducing new products, correct?
Clayton: The last couple of years Massey Ferguson has introduced some high horsepower tractors that are very exciting as they have been redesigned from the ground up using a proven drive train that they have developed over the years. They have also added new cabs and technology that is aimed at improving efficiency, operation and comfort. Massey has also really refined their compact line of tractors and have reached a really good spot within the industry, as the reliability is excellent, the cabs have a great comfort level and when it comes to power and efficiency, they are definitely a top choice. Massey Ferguson is a brand that has really come a long way the last few decades and their sales growth has been a testament to that. As a company, we are very excited for what the future holds with them.
Living Spaces: What about trade shows, do you participate in any to help build the brand?
Clayton: We do, the main one is the local Drayton Farm Show coming up in March and then there is Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, which is held in Woodstock every year in September.
Living Spaces: Finally, Clayton, any new products on the horizon that our readers may be interested in?
Clayton: There are several actually on the consumer side, Ferris is a commercial lawn mower company based in New York State and they have been in the mower business since the 1980’s. They are solely focused on lawn care and are the only manufacturer with patented suspension technology with their zero turns and standoff mowers. They provide a very comfortable ride and we actually have customers who come from riding a regular mower and are either tired of going too slow or tired of having a sore back when they are cutting the grass. When you get them on a Ferris mower, you can’t get them off! It is just such a smooth and enjoyable ride! We signed up with them in 2019 and Ferris has been a very good addition to our product line and is really helping to grow the business in the rural lifestyle segment.
As for Massey Ferguson, there’s always something new in the pipeline, most recently the addition of the 1M and 2M series of compact tractors. We encourage anyone looking for a tractor of any size to visit us. We truly enjoy getting to know our customers and helping them find the right equipment for their needs.
Contact: Shantz Farm Equipment, 7452 Wellington Rd. 7, Alma, Ontario N0B 1A0
Phone- 519-638-3317 | Email: clay@shantzfarmequip.com
WRITTEN BY: LARRY SIMPSON | RESOURCES/PHOTOS: SHANTZ FARM EQUIPMENT
