Eastern Iowa Farmer Fall 2018

The harvest is nearly done...
Let’s Have Some Fun!
Looking for a
winter project?
We’ve got everything
you need to help you
make beautiful quilts.
From cotton fabric to
kits and everything
in between, we’re happy
to help you create
your special projects.
FABRIC • QUILTING • CLASSES
PATTERNS • NOTIONS • YARN
Pictured: Sherri Freyermuth, Owner
615 10th Street, DeWitt, IA 52742
(563) 659-6200
Email: heartlandcotton@gmtel.net
www.heartlandcottons.com
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm • Saturday 9am – 4pm
THE PARTS MAN
like he’s getting paid to have a social life, adding
that he has met many people through his career and
considers some of his customers his closest friends.
He recalled a young man who had come into the store
often as a kid with his father.
“‘How long have you been here?’ he asked me,”
Spies said. “He said, ‘I can’t remember not coming in
here when you weren’t here.’”
Terry Sieverding has been the parts manager at
Roeder Brothers Inc. in Bellevue for six-and-a-half
years. A veteran of the printing industry who grew up
in Bellevue helping out on his grandparents’ farm, he
enjoys the variety of things he gets to do with his job.
Sieverding said farmers always have the best personalities,
and he enjoys building relationships.
“What’s nice about this work is you get to know
the personal side of people instead of just interacting
with a customer who comes up to the counter,” he
said. “You talk. You learn about what’s going on in
their lives.”
The personal interaction builds trust, which is
helpful in the stressful times — a breakdown during
planting or harvest.
“We know the most important thing is to get them
up and running,” Sieverding said.
Even when farmers are having a bad day they will
make the best of the situation, he said.
Ned Paulsen, who farms in Jones County, said he
values the relationship he has with his parts man,
Zirkelbach.
“It’s nice to see a familiar face,” said Paulsen, who
also restores antique tractors as a hobby. One of those
is a Farmall 504.
“Adam has helped me a lot on that,” he said.
Zirkelbach enjoys that part of his job.
“We have a lot of customers who restore tractors,
and I like finding parts,” he said. “We actually cater
to those types of people. The people here at the parts
counter are interested, too, in the kind of things you
grew up using or your grandpa had one.”
It’s that kind of service a farmer values, Paulsen
said.
“Once you find a good parts man, you really depend
on him,” Paulsen said. “A good parts man who
knows what you want and knows what you’re talking
about is worth his weight in gold.” n
22 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2018 eifarmer.com