DENMARK, Wis. — Working on top of the cab of a chopper, Matt Zellner sums up his job.
“It’s all about keeping everything rolling,” he said.
Zellner is a mechanic at Riesterer & Schnell in Denmark.
While farm equipment technicians don’t often get the limelight, they play an important role in keeping the state’s and nation’s farmers moving through spring planting and fall harvest.
The job takes Zellner out to the farm fields of northeast Wisconsin to the front line of farm operations.
“When it does break, you’re front and center in front of all the truck drivers and sometimes the farmer waiting for a piece of equipment to get fixed,” he said about those calls to the field. “It is a high-demand piece of the puzzle when it comes to chopping corn silage.”
Farmers want to keep moving. Zellner and other technicians are there to help make that happen.
Jesse Vanne, service manager at Riesterer & Schnell in Denmark, said there’s a sense of satisfaction that comes with wrapping up a job.
“It’s a great feeling to see somebody roll down the driveway with their piece of equipment, but to be honest, it is a little bit short lived because you move right on to the next project,” he said. “We don’t know what that’s going to be on a daily basis. When one guy is rolling out, it seems like there’s always somebody rolling back in. But it is definitely a gratifying feeling to get that taken care of.”
The skills and knowledge of the mechanics aren’t lost on Dan Natzke, a farmer from Wayside in Brown County.
“They’re kind of the unsung heroes and they’re an integral part of the business here at Riesterer & Schnell and part of our business,” he said.
Hours can be long and odd, especially during busy seasons like spring planting and fall harvest.
But Zellner and others are glad to lend a helping hand when needed.
“It’s always nice to have your head hit the pillow, but it’s good knowing you got someone up and running and did the best you can to get them going for the day or the night,” he said.