A lot has changed in the last 50 years at Rankin Equipment Co.

One thing hasn’t. During the past 50 years, every January, the Yakima, Wash.-based sales and distribution company has packed up equipment, transported it to Oregon and displayed it at the Northwest Ag Show.

“It is a great place to show your products and to feature a product,” said Dave Rankin, president of the company. “Historically, whenever we had a new product that fit the Northwest region, we felt it was a good idea to bring it to the Northwest Ag Show so farmers could see it. And we would invite our dealers to come by and see the product, as well.”

Rankin Equipment, started by Dave’s great uncle, Charlie Rankin, in 1935, sells implements and attachments to retail equipment dealers in the Northwest for the farm, turf, landscape and light-construction industries.

“Our primary customers are farm-equipment dealers,” Rankin said. “We try to help them achieve their goals in the attachment and equipment segment of their business by offering products that will help augment what they are doing with their major product lines.”

Rankin said one of the keys to his company’s success is a knowledgeable sales staff that offers product demonstrations and other training to assist dealers. And, he said, the company stocks a large inventory of products and replacement parts to support its wholesale products and provide dealers a high level of service.

Rankin also manufactures equipment through its subsidiary, Northstar Attachments, which the company started in 1999. Northstar designs products for hay production, dairies, orchards, vineyards, nurseries, the equine industry, the landscape industry, the general farm and hobby farm industries and the light construction industry.

“Our largest product line is our Twinstar basket rakes,” Rankin said. The rakes are designed for commercial farming, dairy operations, hay production and bio feedstocks.

Northstar sells through its parent company, Rankin Equipment, and to other sales and distribution companies in North American, Australia and Asia.

Rankin noted that because of the wide diversity of agriculture in the Northwest, Rankin Equipment Co. sells a wide variety of products. Also, he said, the company’s product line has evolved as farming has evolved.

“We’ve seen a lot of changes in equipment over the years,” Rankin said. “The tractors have gotten larger with higher horsepower. We have seen many changes in tillage equipment and we have seen tremendous advances in technology.

“As I look at the products our company sold ten to twenty years ago, versus the products we sell today, we see a tremendous amount of change,” he said.

One thing hasn’t changed. Walk down the aisles at the 2020 Northwest Ag Show and you’ll see Rankin Equipment.