2023 Fall Farm Outlook Lincoln Daily News Oct 2023 Page 17 A multigenerational business Alvin Rohlfs’ sons Les and Mike and grandson Nathan have all been a part of Rohlfs Implement for many years. Les Rohlfs is the general manager Rohlfs Implement and also oversees larger ag equipment sales. Les has been working there for nearly fifty years since he was 22. Some of the biggest changes Les has seen over the years he has worked with the company are the increase in the size of the average farm and the size of equipment. He said technology has also changed significantly. Mike Rohlfs started working at Rohlfs Implement right out of high school in 1986. He went into the business to help his brother Les out and has continued to work there for over 35 years. Mike is in sales but is also the service manager. To Mike, the changes and advancements in the technology of the equipment over the past 30 years have been unreal. Though Mike thinks some of the advancements are beneficial, there are some advancements he does not find as positive. For instance, Mike says he does not think driverless tractors are a good idea because he feels they lose the farming touch. To him, driving a combine is a big part of farming. Something Mike feels has been beneficial is the use of fewer chemicals in farming. Nathan, who is Les Rohlfs’ son, had been an employee of Rohlfs Implement Company since 1997. He said as a young boy he would help around the business by sweeping the floors. Nathan’s main focus is the Kubota line up and larger Massey Ferguson tractors. He says Rohlfs Implement has sold Kubota equipment off and on for many years. The major change Nathan has seen over the years has been in the area of technology as a whole. For instance, self-steering in tractors is one of the major changes. Some of the equipment they sell has also changed. Rohlfs Implement used to sell Massey Ferguson and Gleaner combines. In addition, they sold Kaiser Frazier cars and jeeps. Nathan said the jeeps were then used as tractors. Now there is a third generation of the Rohlfs family working at Rohlfs Implement Company. Mike’s daughter Madison Rohlfs and son Max Rohlfs both help out there as needed. Like many businesses, Rohlfs Implement faced some challenges during the pandemic. Les said Covid created a supply chain issue for equipment and parts. It created a high demand for used equipment until new was finally available. Covid also created a challenge for Nathan when he spent three months in hospitals in 2020 fighting Covid-19. It was a struggle of his life that he nearly lost; but fortunately, after months in the hospital and a long recovery, Nathan was able to return to work. During that time, the family and community rallied around Nathan as small towns tend to do. Continued --
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