Claas Farmpoint, a division of global farm machinery manufacturer Claas, has signed a lease agreement on a temporary site in Barnum and has hired three technicians to support Webster County area farmers.

Claas Farmpoint, a mobile-first, technology-driven dealership, provides hands-on support and parts delivery for customers along with remote diagnostic and maintenance capabilities so farmers never have to leave the field.

“In August we held a town hall meeting with the Claas customers in central Iowa,” said Eric Raby, senior vice president of Claas Americas Region. “The feedback we received was clear: ‘Come and come quickly.’ This temporary location allows us to set up shop now while we work on a permanent location targeting the I-35 corridor.”

Raby said Claas will complete the Barnum location this winter while stocking it with parts and preparing service trucks and parts delivery vehicles for farmers before the spring planting season begins.

The Barnum location is the second new one Claas is opening in Iowa — having added a dealership in LeMars in July.

“These two dealerships, along with the expansion of Porter’s Ag Solutions in Earlham, an existing Claas dealer now certified to service Claas combines, will help bridge the gap as Claas works to ensure that their customers have the support they need,” said Raby.

In addition to hands-on service in the field, the Barnum location will also offer the full Claas tractor range, Jaguar forage harvesters, and a wide selection of Claas balers and hay tools. According to Claas, in the past, the only products available in the north central Iowa region were Claas Lexion and Trion combines.

“Our service trucks and parts vans make it easy to perform maintenance, make most repairs and otherwise engage with farmers on a personal level where they live,” said Raby. “Farmers are more than welcome to come visit our dealership, but with our remote service capabilities our technicians can often detect service needs before the farmer — making on-farm repairs and parts delivery quick and seamless.

“We are committed to providing world-class service to our customers in Iowa and this is just the first step,” he added. “More locations will be added in the near future.”