Legacy Farm and Lawn
Owner: Jack A. Purinton
Locations: Lamar, Lockwood, Joplin and Nevada, Mo.
History: “My father started out with Barton County Implement in Lamar in 1956 when he bought the business. We are still associated with Deere.” Family members still play a big role with son-in-law Jim Banks serving as corporate CEO, wife Betty as office manager in Lamar, son Mark managing the Lockwood store and daughter Lisa Banks as head of human resources/buyer for John Deere clothing and collectibles.
Size Matters: “We’ve got 140 employees in four stores. All of them are called Legacy. John Deere told me you can’t have Barton County Implement in Lamar, Purinton in Lockwood and Joplin Farm and Lawn. When we went to Legacy Farm and Lawn, people thought we changed hands, got new owners. The tractor line and combines are our mainstays. Compact tractors have been a very good market the last few years. A lot of competition on that, but our market share is very good.”
Unusual job at Legacy: The Agronomist. “He can look at a report and tell a farmer he spent $800 more than he should have. His job is to work with farmers on improving their ability to raise a better crop for less money. To get the correct ingredients in the right place.”
More than just Tractors: “When they started this 10 years ago, crop management, implement guidance and all that, I thought, ‘That’s going to be a fad,’ I thought it would never happen in Barton County. Now, it’s a multi-million dollar deal.” Technology plays a big role and makes this possible. “We can take your cropland and track the yield, the low spots in a field. We put that on a graph then put it on a machine, then we can adjust your application on different spots. It can show a farmer where he is making money. If it don’t make any money, ain’t no point in having it.”
Fatherly Advice: “One thing, my dad always said, ‘Do what you say you’ll do, if you tell somebody you’ll do it, do your best to do exactly what you tell.’ You got to be truthful right up front. As long as you got your conscience cleared and do the right thing, you’ll make it.”
Home to a Museum: “Across the street was a plumbing business and Mr. Potter (the owner) passed away. I was able to buy that building. Now I’ve got tractors, memorabilia, lawnmowers, bicycles, metal tractors, big tractors. I built a 50-foot by 100-foot extension and I have a lot of big restored tractors in there. The oldest is a Waterloo Boy, from 1934 or something like that. A guy had an accident on the highway. I fixed his tractor up and we got the Waterloo Boy from him. My father was a collector and I’ve kind of followed in his footsteps.”
