There’s no offseason for Double M Ag & Irrigation.
Just as growers must adapt to the ever-changing agricultural landscape, so do suppliers. Double M, based in American Falls, Idaho, is one of the largest stocking dealers of potato and sugarbeet equipment parts in the Northwest. Double M ships products to 14 states and three countries.
“We try to be the one-stop shop so growers can get what they need and get back to the field,” said Travis Mills, Double M vice president. “We have a lot of customers both in Idaho and out of state. Obviously we have your staple potato products and full line of tools and welding supplies.”
Being a one-stop shop means Double M meets customer demands in irrigation design, equipment and maintenance to tillage, planting, spraying, chemigation and fertigation through harvest and into the cellar.
“We’re so diversified now I don’t feel like we have a slow season,” Mills said. “If we’re not getting ready to plant, we’re planting. Then we’re irrigating—then harvesting. Then we’ll start building pivots again and working on our purchasing for next year. All the ag shows and everything else we’re a part of happens in the winter months. We go to as many ag shows as we can.”
Filling a niche Double M was founded in 1981 by Mark Mills, who worked out of a room in his barn while working full time at Power County Implement in American Falls. He started to work full time for Double M out of his pickup when the implement store closed in 1986.
In time Mark bought a small building and land in
American Falls for the namesake store and continued to sell on the road in southeastern Idaho. He branched into Aberdeen, Idaho, in 1997.
Business has continued to grow. Travis, who graduated from American Falls High School in 1998, joined his father fulltime in 2001, helping build a larger store front and warehouse. Travis, 32, resides in American Falls with his wife, Alissa, and their two sons, Logan, 10, and Tanner, 6.
Mark is president of a company that currently employs 18 full-time workers.
“Today’s grower is so much more progressive than I ever imagined,” Travis said. “It used to be when I got into the business out of high school, growers were guys who played with dirt. Now they’re playing with iPhones, iPads and laptops.”
That requires Double M officials to anticipate tomorrow’s needs.
“Now we’re trying to gather as much technology as we can, because we can see how much it has helped growers to continue to make their lives easier,” Travis said.
Meeting Demand
“As part of our vision moving forward we want to stay on top of innovative products,” Travis said. “We put a large amount of effort into researching new vendors and working with current vendors so we can continue offering the newest and hottest items.
“I have an excellent team,” Travis said. Everyone stays current with new technologies and products while remembering what still work.
“Growers can only upgrade so much equipment every year,” Travis said. “People know they can call and ask for something and we’ll deliver.”
Several new irrigation products are available at Double M this year. Among the items are the Starr Track high flotation wheel assembly for standard pivot towers and swing arm corners and the Pivotal Advantage variable rate chemigation panel.
Double M also installed two Lindsay Variable Rate Irrigation packages for the BYU-Idaho research farm in Rexburg.
On the ag side, Double M added the More Built 24-row sugarbeet tool bar, the Northside 6 bottom roll over hydraulic reset plow and Greentonics inline conveyor scales and yield monitor.
Double M launched a new sister company called Farm Fab at its American Falls site in 2012.
“Farm Fab gives us the ability to fabricate custom and/or obsolete repair parts as well as create a whole new product line of our own equipDouble ment,” Travis said. Products include potato markout tool bars, 1,400-gallon cone bottom tank trailers, 500-gallon chemigation trailers, box scrapers, conveyor trailers, electric driven wheelline movers and more.
“Farm Fab also gives us the ability to sell a piece of used equipment and tailor it the way a customer wants it,” he said.
“From an out-of-state perspective, if we can couple some parts for a Spudnik harvester along with some shop supplies, that reduces their freight costs per item,” Travis added. Double M offers UPS, FedEx and common carrier daily.
“We travel from Boise Valley to Idaho Falls and to Soda Springs every week with a route truck making deliveries,” he said.
Helping growers
Double M carries the newest irrigation tools.
FieldNET by Lindsay is the industry’s first wireless network that gives growers the power to manage and control pivots, laterals and pumps at their convenience. With FieldNET, growers can keep track of their entire system, pivot by pivot, on any device. They can also check the status and position of each pivot, and receive water usage reports.
“Lindsay continues to advance in the product line,” Travis said. “It’s a great management tool for any brand of pivot growers have. Most people who buy one are generally investing in it the next year.” Double M also carries Zimmatic by Lindsay center pivot irrigation systems that are designed for both small and large fields. Their modular design allows Lindsay to custom configure longer systems to save system cost and special heights for taller crops. Each pivot is designed for specific climatic, topographical and cropping conditions. Zimmatic systems operate in deserts, on flood plains, on flat land and rolling hills, and on a variety of crops.
Double M has already begun irrigation work for next season.
“We were able to get an early jump this year,” Travis said. “We have pivots on the ground and crews out building them now. The installation of center pivot irrigation equipment is our specialty. We are committed to keeping your system up and running, regardless of the make or model.”
As always, customer satisfaction is what drives Double M.
“We’ll continue to work closely with growers to determine where we can provide solutions for greater yields and higher efficiencies,” Travis said.
To learn more about Double M and items and brands for potato and beet growers, visit www.doublemsupply.com.