By Allan Burke

Farmers are about to start their spring work, and things are hopping at Wolf’s Farm Equipment in unincorporated Kintyre in the northeast corner of Emmons County.

When the Emmons County Record visited the business in early March, its eight tractor repair bays were full, parts orders were being filled for customers around the world and deals were in the works for loaders, round balers, hay conditioners, mowers and New Holland tractors.

Wolf’s also serves as the community’s unofficial post office, with stamps being sold over the counter and one of those big blue mail boxes situated in front of the building for daily pick up and delivery service.

Brothers Leo and Marvin Wolf have owned the business since 1965, and their wives, Viola (Leo) and Adeline (Marvin) became key players after taking early retirement from their own careers. Viola had booked 30 years as a teacher when she retired in 1994, and Adeline worked in the Logan County Farm Service Agency Office in Napoleon for seven years.

Every business day for 43 years Viola and Adeline have taken turns preparing a hot, full meal at noon for their husbands, all of the employees and even customers who are in the business at noon.

Next to the parts counter in the front office is a complete, well-stocked kitchen.

Awards

Some might not think that a business in tiny Kintyre could be nationally and internationally known.

Wolf’s reputation is reflected in the awards it has received. In both 2006 and 2007, the company was honored as one of the Top 10 Rowse dealers for service excellence.

Rowse gave Wolf’s a special award in 2005 when the brothers celebrated their 40th year in business.

From 2001 through 2006 when the award was discontinued, Wolf’s received the President’s Prestige Award for being one of the country’s best New Holland dealerships.

The Wolf’s have won many award trips from their various suppliers over the years.

Their success has to do with reputation and a service area that now extends over a 170-mile radius from Kintyre.

Business history

Leo and Marvin were farming in the Kintyre-Napoleon area when the late Carl Svanes of Kintyre approached them in 1965 about buying the John Deere implement business from the Farmers Elevator Co., which also operated a lumberyard.

Svanes chaired the board of the cooperative, and the time had come to sell the dealership to protect the financial health of the elevator.

“The implement business wasn’t working for the elevator, so Carl talked us into buying it,” Leo recalled. “He thought we could make a go of it if we ran it as our own business.”

The brothers agreed to take on the challenge, first buying the parts inventory and later the building. They continued to handle John Deere parts and repair farm equipment. That was about the time that John Deere switched from two-cylinder tractors to the six-cylinder 40-10 model.

Leo and Marvin started out with no credit and had to build up the business with the money that came in from customers.

The brothers repaired many R and 820 John Deere tractors—starting engines, rear end bearings and complete engine overhauls.

“We did our own mechanic work when we started, and we worked until midnight in the busy seasons, seven days a week,” Leo said.

Marvin joked that none of today’s mechanics could fix the old John Deere tractors.In 1967, they added a Case franchise and sold Case IH tractors and other equipment until 1995. They added the New Holland line in 1976 and continue to be an authorized seller of Case IH parts.

Leo and Marvin continued to farm with their three brothers for many years, and now both rent out farm land they own in Kidder County.

To this day, they repair lots of John Deere and Case tractors, along with New Holland and other brands.

“Our customers switched to Case IH equipment, starting in the late 1960s, and now we serve many farmers who like New Holland equipment,” Marvin said.

As their business grew, the Wolf brothers added a 70' x 75' shop addition to their building, dedicating the former shop to parts and miscellaneous equipment such as a drill press and metal lathe.

In addition to the growth in their business, the Wolf brothers have seen the evolution from 100 h.p. tractors that sold for $12-14,000 to today’s $90,000 machines.

“Tractors now have auto steering and electronic engines,” Leo said. “They are more like Cadillacs.”

Marvin pointed out that manufacturers are talking about tractors that will run on the equivalent of nitrogen fertilizer by 2015 to lower emissions while maintaining power.

Employees

Current employees, in addition to the brothers and their wives, are Arleen Svalen of Braddock in the Parts Department and shop employees Kevin Wolf (son of Leo and Viola) of Napoleon, Michael Hochhalter of Linton and Toby Dewitt of Steele.

Kevin was hired full-time in 1982, and Arleen joined the staff in 1987.

Viola and Adeline, in addition to preparing delicious meals at the business, work full-time in the Parts Department, among other duties in the business.

The roles of Viola, Adeline and Arleen are exemplified by a sign that hangs on the cash register—“Do you want to speak to the man in charge or to the woman who knows what’s going on?”

While Leo and Marvin both have broad job descriptions, Leo primarily handles sales, and Marvin does the trucking.

“We drive to farms to pick up tractors and other equipment on our flat bed, and we also deliver repaired tractors throughout our service area,” Marvin explained. “We also deliver new and used equipment to farms.”

Leo said their business serves the region’s smaller farmers who rely on New Holland tractors with loader attachments. Balers and hay conditioners are a big part of the sales operation, as are Rowse Mowers.

Rowse is a popular brand, in part because it is a family-owned company. It is headquartered at Burwell, Neb., and the Wolf brothers have toured it several times over the years.

“Rowse started out on a farm, and their first product, which we sold, was a belly mower,” Marvin said.

The Wolf brothers attribute their success to top quality employees, including their mechanics who were all trained at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton.

Their first employee was Harry Eichenburger, who was the parts manager for the business when it was owned by the co-op.

Other employees over the years (not in order of service) include Willie Lachenmeier, Tony Schmidt, Tammy Svalen, Ryan Svalen, Charles Rau, Steve Schneider, Anton Wolf, Brian Wirt, Willie Bitz, Tim Wolf, Dan Pfeifle, David Hottman, Jason Wolf, Walter Retzlaff, Alvin Hottman, Galen Wolf, Ken Huber, Dwayne Weigel, Anton Moch, Marvin Schnabel, Connie Piatz, Dale Haas, Leonard Dickson, Joey Moch, Edward Piatz, Lorin Wolf, Jason Kuipers and Charles Hamel.

Families

Leo and Marvin grew up on a farm seven miles from Kintyre, sons of Chris and Katie Wolf.

The Wolf children included: Emma Sunde of Bismarck; Philip, deceased Otilia Mertz, deceased; William, deceased; Alice Kemmet, deceased; Anton, deceased; Leo, and Marvin.

Leo and Viola (Werre) were married July 13, 1958, and will celebrate their 50th Anniversary this summer.

They have three children. Julie (Tom) Schwan of Bismarck have two sons, Michael and Sidney. Tim (Joan) lives in Fargo, and they have a daughter, Stephanie, and a son, Jordan. Kevin (Cindy) have two daughters, Jenna and Brianna, and live in Napoleon.

Marvin and Adeline (Lachenmeier) were married June 30, 1963, and they have three sons. Lorin (LeAnn) lives in Bismarck, and they have two children, Brooklyn and Christopher. Galen (Becky) resides in Memphis, Tenn., and Jason lives in Chicago, Ill.

Both Leo and Marvin are graduates of the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton.

The future

Leo and Marvin are at the ages where they are thinking about retirement, but they want the business to continue in Kintyre.

“The trend is toward bigger dealerships in bigger towns,” Leo said, “but we want our business to keep serving the farmers.”

Marvin added, “Farmers need our type of business and don’t want to have to go the big towns for what we offer.”

Whatever the future of Wolf’s Farm Equipment, the business has been successful and continues to grow and earn national awards.

Their most important award, though, is the loyalty of customers from throughout the Dakotas.