Built on Iron, A Brilliant Harvest Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Technology is changing the way farms operate, but for Ryan Raguse, that change is not theoretical. He sees it from the tractor cab, the tech founder’s seat, and the family farm.

Remi sits down with Ryan, who sees things from both sides of farming: sitting in the tractor and building the new tech that powers agriculture. Ryan brings a unique perspective as both a farmer and an ag tech leader, with deep experience in software, data, equipment, and the day-to-day realities of running a farm.

Ryan shares what it was like to return to the family farm after the loss of his father, how he thinks about equipment decisions, and why dealership service and support are becoming more important than ever. He also talks about the value of “tribal knowledge” inside dealerships, the role AI can play in preserving and scaling that expertise, and why the best dealers may soon become true uptime advisors for their customers.

The conversation also dives into autonomous equipment, AI on the farm, preventative maintenance, farmer data, and Ryan’s new platform, Acre Almanac, which helps farmers build a private, long-term knowledge base from their own operational history.
For equipment dealers, this episode is a clear look at where farmer expectations are headed, and why the dealership-customer relationship is only going to become more strategic with new technology.

Grab your copy of The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience at BrilliantPowered.com or using the link below.

• The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience

About Ryan Raguse

Ryan Raguse is a sixth-generation farmer, entrepreneur, and ag tech innovator working at the intersection of agriculture, data, and emerging technology. He is the CEO of Acre Almanac, an AI-powered farm analytics platform designed to help farmers better understand operational performance, yield variance, and long-term decision-making through their own historical data.

Ryan is also the CEO of Gray Duck Acres, his family farm in west central Minnesota. Alongside farming, he serves as a Board Advisor to Brilliant Harvest and remains a Founder and Board Member at Bushel, one of North America’s leading ag tech platforms serving the grain industry. Previously, he served as Bushel’s President and later Chief Innovation Officer, helping shape one of the most influential technology platforms in modern agriculture.

Known for blending deep technical knowledge with real-world farming experience, Ryan brings a practical perspective to conversations around AI, autonomous equipment, precision agriculture, and the future of dealership support. Whether he’s building software, analyzing farm data, or repairing equipment in the field, Ryan is passionate about solving meaningful problems and helping move agriculture forward.

Ryan describes himself as someone dedicated to adding value to the people around him, living a “crazy entrepreneurial life,” and chasing unique experiences, a mindset that comes through clearly in both his work and his approach to farming.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Bushel
• Claude AI
• ChatGPT
• Autonomous Equipment Technology
• Precision Agriculture Technology

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Contact Remi Schmaltz | Brilliant Harvest: 

• BrilliantPowered.com 
• LinkedIn: Remi Schmaltz
• LinkedIn: Brilliant Harvest
• Youtube: Brilliant Harvest
• The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience
• Make Your Equipment Experience Brilliant — Schedule a Demo
  
  

Contact Ryan Raguse | Acre Almanac: 

• Website: Bushel
• Website: Acre Almanac
• LinkedIn: Ryan Raguse
• YouTube: Acre Almanac YouTube Channel
• About Ryan Raguse: Future Farmer Profile
• The Unexpected Acre Series

What does it take to lead a 112-year-old equipment dealership into the future without losing what made it successful in the first place?

In this episode, Remi sits down with William M. Hoeft, President of Ziegler Companies, one of North America’s largest Caterpillar and AGCO dealerships. With 30+ locations and over 2,000 employees, Ziegler is a third-generation family-led business navigating the realities of consolidation, rapid technological change, and rising customer expectations.

William shares what it means to carry forward a legacy while continuing to evolve. From his early days mowing lawns at a branch to leading a complex, multi-division organization, he reflects on the moments that shaped his leadership philosophy, and why culture, not just strategy, determines long-term success.

The conversation dives deep into Ziegler’s unwavering focus on uptime, how that mission aligns every role in the company, and why customer success remains the ultimate north star. William also offers a candid look at how AI, automation, and connected equipment are changing not just machines, but the expectations placed on dealerships and their people.

They also explore:

• How to lead in a family business while building your own path
• Why high-performing teams are essential
• The evolving role of technicians in an AI-enabled service model
• Why the future dealership will rely on modern systems and data openness
• How technology is compressing experience and accelerating expertise

Grab your copy of The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience at BrilliantPowered.com or using the link below.

• The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience

About William M. Hoeft

William M. Hoeft is the President of Ziegler Companies, a leading Caterpillar and AGCO dealership group serving customers across the Midwest. A third-generation leader, William has spent his career inside the business, gaining hands-on experience across operations before stepping into executive leadership.

Under his leadership, Ziegler continues to expand its capabilities across construction, agriculture, power systems, and more, while staying grounded in its core mission: maximizing uptime for customers and the communities they serve.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Microsoft D365
• CONEXPO-CON/AGG
• The Knowledge Project podcast

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Contact Remi Schmaltz | Brilliant Harvest: 

• BrilliantPowered.com 
• LinkedIn: Remi Schmaltz
• LinkedIn: Brilliant Harvest
• Youtube: Brilliant Harvest
• The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience
• Make Your Equipment Experience Brilliant — Schedule a Demo

Contact William M. Hoeft | Ziegler AG Equipment: 

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• YouTube
  
  

Shawn Skaggs didn't set out to run one of the largest Agco dealerships in the southern Plains. He stumbled into the equipment business 25 years ago after a phone call from a friend and never left. Today, as CEO of Parallel Ag, he leads a 255-person organization spanning 17 locations across seven states, formed through the merger of Livingston Machinery and AG Solutions Group. What kept him wasn't the iron; it was the people.

In this conversation, Remi and Shawn dig into what it actually takes to blend two dealership cultures into one. Shawn talks about the two-day facilitated meeting that brought both leadership teams into the same room, the moment they stopped sitting on opposite sides, and what happened when they realized they all wanted the same thing. He also shares his thinking on how to keep the small-town trust of a local dealership alive inside a multi-state organization: it comes down to who shows up to the Christmas parade.

The conversation touches on technology, staffing, and the challenges that keep dealership leaders up at night, like what happens when your most experienced technicians retire and take 30 years of institutional knowledge with them. Shawn is candid about where Parallel Ag is on the AI journey, what tools he's personally building with, and why he draws a clear line between what he'll build himself and what demands a mission-critical partner. His answer to what separates the dealerships that will thrive? It's not the color of the iron; it's the customer experience.

Grab your copy of The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience at BrilliantPowered.com or using the link below.

• The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience

About Shawn Skaggs

Shawn Skaggs is the CEO of Parallel Ag, one of the leading Agco dealerships in North America. Formed through the merger of Livingston Machinery and AG Solutions Group — with AC McCartney added shortly after — Parallel Ag now operates 17 locations across seven states in the southern Plains and Midwest, with approximately 255 employees. The dealership carries Agco brands alongside a broad portfolio of short-line equipment.

Shawn has spent 25 years in the equipment industry, beginning as a walk-in sales associate at Livingston Machinery and working his way to CEO. A self-described farm kid with an animal science degree, he brings a people-first leadership philosophy to a business navigating dealership consolidation, a tightening equipment market, and rapid technology change. He is also a hands-on AI adopter, building internal tools for Parallel Ag while partnering with Brilliant Harvest on mission-critical customer experience technology.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• ChatGPT
• Perplexity
• Manus
• NotebookLM
• Claude / Claude Code
• Acquired podcast
• Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick

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Contact Remi Schmaltz | Brilliant Harvest: 

• BrilliantPowered.com 
• LinkedIn: Remi Schmaltz
• LinkedIn: Brilliant Harvest
• Youtube: Brilliant Harvest
• The Equipment Dealer's Guide to Creating an AI-Powered Customer Experience
• Make Your Equipment Experience Brilliant — Schedule a Demo
  
  

Contact Shawn Skaggs | Parallel Ag:

• Website: Parallel Ag
• Facebook 
• Instagram 
• YouTube
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Built on Iron is a podcast hosted by Remi Schmaltz, CEO and Founder of Brilliant Harvest, diving into what it takes to lead and grow today’s heavy equipment dealerships. Through candid conversations with dealership executives and leaders, each episode explores what it really takes to run a modern equipment business, from dealership operations and technology to customer experience and the real stories that define the industry. Remi also explores how AI, automation, and emerging tech are reshaping the industry from the service bay to the boardroom. This is the perfect place to find engaging, practical insight for anyone who leads, supports, or sells heavy equipment.

About Host Remi Schmaltz:

Farm-born and raised, Remi Schmaltz is a serial Agtech entrepreneur who has successfully built and grown two previous agriculture companies (DynAgra & Decisive Farming). Honesty, integrity, and his focused can-do attitude are what he is known for.

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Contact Remi Schmaltz | Brilliant Harvest: 

• BrilliantPowered.com 
• LinkedIn: Remi Schmaltz
• LinkedIn: Brilliant Harvest
• Youtube: Brilliant Harvest
• Make Your Equipment Experience Brilliant — Schedule a Demo