Location: El Dorado Springs, Mo.
Owners: Jack and Beverly Beaty
History: Bill Beaty opened Beaty Farm Equipment in 1974 in El Dorado Springs, Mo. After his death, the business remained in the family.
“We bought the business from Jack’s uncle’s (Bill’s) estate in 1997,” owner Beverly Beaty explained.
Jack and Beverly kept the long-established name Beaty Farm Equipment but added a “J” to become J. Beaty Farm Equipment. “Jack worked with his uncle right out of high school. One of the things Jack wanted to do was keep it in the family and he has always been interested in machinery and agriculture. He wanted to keep the business here in the community because we knew people would have to travel because there are no other dealerships close to us; people would have to go to Nevada, Clinton or Bolivar.”
Products and Services: J. Beaty Farm Equipment specializes in haying equipment.
“We are Vermeer and KUHN dealers,” Beverly said. “We service all of our equipment, go out and set up balers, and work on a lot of mowers when we need to; we have a great mechanic. We also carry after-market parts, including parts for John Deere, New Holland and Case IH.”
The business also carries some lawn and garden equipment services and is Dixie Chopper dealer.
J. Beaty Farm Equipment also takes consignments and has held a large consignment auction for 52 years.
“Bill started doing auctions a long time before other people started doing auctions,” Beverly said. “We take consignments all year long, and with our location on 54 Highway, we have a lot of people driving through on the way to the lakes, and they see the equipment. We’ve had people stop, buy something, and pick it up on their way home or send a truck later.”
The Beaty family has also expanded into livestock feed and supplies at J. Beaty Feed and Livestock, carrying Crescent feeds, Preferred Livestock mineral tubs and other livestock-related products.
“It started when my son came home from the military, but we took it over as my son and his wife have other commitments,” Beverly said. “That started about three years ago, and our daughter, Jaynee Purdom, has a master’s in animal nutrition from Murry State University, which helps a lot. She is a jack-of-all-trades for us.”
Business Philosophy: “I think the biggest thing is that we want to be people’s friend and help them any way we can,” Beverly said. “My husband is one of those people who hate to see someone spend thousands of dollars on something, so he tries to watch out for them and get something cheaper. We want to see farmers succeed, and it’s getting hard because of how the economy is.”
In the Future: “We’ve bloomed and blossomed, and we hope to be here a little while longer,” Beverly said with a laugh. “We hope our kids will be able to continue. We have always said we weren’t rich, but we made a good living.”
