Image Gallery
One		Two		Three		Four

Did you know North Dakota’s state flower is the wild prairie rose? Jay Elkin does. He’s seen them a time or two while operating his Challenger MT875B in Heart River country.

“That is what Challenger’s auto-steer did for me. It enabled me to stop and smell the roses,” he joked.

A descendant of Norwegian farmers, Elkin ventured out on his own in 1980, renting nearly 4,000 acres for crops and livestock. Today, he farms and ranches four times that amount.

“I still rent a lot of the same land,” he said.

In 1986, Elkin expanded his operation by 2,000 acres and hired two full-time employees to operate two four-wheel-drive tractors. Now, thanks to technological advances offered by Butler Machinery, he only operates a Challenger MT875B and a box drill.

“Today, we’re getting four times as many acres accomplished with half the equipment and personnel,” Elkin said.

Elkin noted auto-steer, GPS and variable rate seeding technology have had a huge impact on his business.

“Don’t forget comfort,” he said. “You still put in long days but you are more comfortable doing so. When it comes to power and comfort you can’t beat it. I could run until 1 a.m., and I have.”

But to truly experience the difference, Elkin said one has to jump into the tractor.

“It is so much more operator friendly,” he said. “I love the tractor, I really do.”

Planting winter and spring wheat, barley, flax, and occasionally corn and sunflowers, Elkin constantly goes from seeding to harvest to seeding.

“It is always crunch time,” he said. “I cannot afford down time. That is why I own the equipment I own. I rely on Butler Machinery to make sure my tractor keeps going.

Recalling past experiences with Butler’ mechanics, Elkin said he called Butler and told them what time he was going to shut down his equipment, and their mechanics arrived exactly at that time.

“That’s huge,” he said. “I come back the next morning and I am able to take off. Their service enables me to farm the acres that I do.”

Regarding Butler’s new Dickinson location, Elkin anticipates it will be immensely beneficial to local agricultural producers.

“No matter what type of equipment you run, you are going to have some little things pop up from time to time, but Butler’s service makes all the difference,” he said.

Elkin noted Butler Machinery has always come through with his part needs.

“They had it there within hours, not days, hours, he said. “That’s a fact.”

He has even had technicians come out on Sunday afternoons.

“You won’t find that with other equipment dealers,” he said. “That is what sold me on Butler Machinery.”

As a county commissioner, Elkin is excited about the benefits for the county’s Cat® Motor Graders and Wheel Loaders.

“Now, we’ll have a service facility right here in Dickinson,” he said.

In addition to benefiting agriculture, Elkin noted it would benefit the local coal and oil industries.

“It is a huge investment that will pay off,” he said. “It’s going to turn a lot of heads.”