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Ownership Changes at Farm Aid Equipment
Lance Onan (right) passes the keys of Farm Aid to Eric MacPherson (left)
Since November of 2011 Lance Onan has been making biweekly trips from his home in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee, to Corsica as the owner/manager/engineer of Farm Aid Equipment. His wife, Jackie, who he calls “Boss”, dealt with the administration and bookkeeping.
But now they feel it's time to transition out of it.
He says “After considerable soul-searching Jackie and I have decided to drive motorcycles more and the pickup less in 2025.”
They found a family in Nebraska with much more experience in cattle than the two of them combined. That family is Eric and Sharon MacPherson, with their sons Nathan (26) and Caleb (20) of Gothenburg NE. The 4 of them took ownership of Farm Aid on July 1st. Eric and Sharon also have a married daughter living in Texas.
Onan says “This family offers great strength in marketing in the agricultural environment.”
The family has been in the agricultural tire and wheel business for 26 years. Eric was the founder and CEO of Dawson Tire and Wheel until they sold it at the end of 2023. Before that he grew up raising cattle and farming with his uncle north of Gothenburg.
Don't expect big changes quickly. MacPherson says “No changes are planned for Farm Aid’s personnel, manufacturing, or dealer structure. The goal is to remain the same.” But they do mention a plan to grow it down the road with some new products that ranchers are asking for.
So what happens to Lance? He says, “I will continue to be at Farm Aid about every other week for the remainder of the year. I will continue to be a consultant to them for the foreseeable future.” For the next few weeks he is planning to be traveling with Nathan to meet dealers.
When asked for comment Eric replied: “It was important for us in looking for our next venture to get the next generation (Nathan and Caleb) involved. Finding a business that was built by a family and has kept the “family” spirit alive is important to us. More importantly, It was our faith in God that gave us the start in the tire business 26 years ago, and kept us going through all the ups and downs of that business. We believe it was our faith in God that led us to this business and we will continue to rely on Him for what is ahead.”
Will any of the family be moving to Corsica? "Not Yet."