![]() That farmer was far from the only one in the region to experience a combine fire this season. They handle duties including disassembly, reassembly, organizing and customer service, among others. Not terribly long after that, it was here on site, being attended to by one of the location’s 26 staffers. The next thing you know, it’s on fire,” Reif said. He was just going along and saw some smoke so he bailed out. ![]() “This combine here comes from a local farmer. The burned combine is not an uncommon sight at the yard. Parts like tires and rims, if not destroyed by fire, are often the first to be saved and sold. An employee was dismantling portions of a burned combine, and nearby Reif pointed out a stack of combine heads that were on hand to disassemble if needed, and from which the company harvests items like gear boxes. Rain had slowed activity on the lot earlier this week, but salvage work was still underway. “They’re like kids in a candy store.” Equipment fires “People pass by this place every day, and if they finally need a part, they come in and they’re just amazed by how much stuff we have crammed in here,” Reif said. Once they do, they’re usually stunned by the variety of the inventory. Rod Reif, assistant manager at the All States Ag Parts in Salem, said while the business has been in town for over two decades, even some locals have never stopped there unless they find themselves in need of a part. Rims and tires are some of the first parts to be salvaged from equipment at the yard. Nearly everything from the latest John Deere and CaseIH equipment is mixed with long-defunct brands like Oliver, drawing in customers who use farm equipment on every level, as well as collectors.Ī row of rims at All States Ag Parts in Salem. And there aren’t many brands that can’t be found on their lot. What can’t be saved is sold for scrap, but there’s not much they can’t save if it hasn’t been severely damaged by fire or completely worn. We pull the oils and burned batteries and the environmental stuff, take out all the good parts, rebuild and refurbish and then get that into our inventory,” Starner said. We pick up the equipment, bring it in here and we process it. “Insurance people reach out to our corporate buyer, and it’s put out for bids. They then strip them down and stock the parts in inventory. The company purchases damaged equipment, like combines that have suffered a fire or equipment that has aged out of its usefulness on the farm. ![]() That puts farmers at a disadvantage because they don’t know what they will need until it breaks.īut there’s a good chance a place like All States Ag Parts may have what they need. In some cases, new replacement parts must be ordered months in advance. Put a squeeze on new and used parts inventory around the country Recent orders have been placed from as near as Salem itself to as far away as Ukraine and everywhere in between. The Salem location sells parts to buyers across the United States and beyond. They are the largest supplier of used, new and remanufactured tractor and combine parts in North America, according to the company website. The company, which has locations around the United States, specializes in harvesting parts from old or damaged equipment and resells them to producers. ![]() The parts lot at All States Ag Parts in Salem is full of used farm equipment of all types, including combines. The company has 11 salvage yards, two rebuild facilities, a corporate office and a centralized distribution center. The company, which has 15 locations in Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri, California, Washington, Texas and a handful of outlets in Canada, specializes in purchasing damaged or unwanted farm equipment and salvaging the valuable parts that are so in demand at the moment. “That’s our primary business,” John Starner, manager of the location in Salem, told the Mitchell Republic. Spurred by the COVID-19 outbreak that has hindered farmers’ efforts to repair their machinery, that makes this apocalyptic-looking location an oasis for those trying to get their crops in and out of the field. Chaotic at first glance, the landscape features tractors, combines, balers and other equipment organized by type as employees move about, removing vital parts for resale to producers around the world. In Salem is a maze of farm machinery of every conceivable make, model, vintage and state of repair. Rising out of the prairie like a small mountain range, the parts lot at SALEM, South Dakota - The equipment seems to stretch for 1,000 yards in every direction. ![]()
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