“It’s a small percentage of our overall sales, but one of the fastest-growing areas,” Dollar says. The dealer admits that it neglected farm and ranch sales for a period of time but decided to get serious about it in 2003. Today, McCoy’s carries its own private-label products, known as Tuf-Mac, produced by and through partnerships with Priefert Ranch Equipment and Oklahoma Steel. “We’re being aggressive with our own brand,” Dollar says.
Dealers that ProSales spoke with agree that most of their customers are hobby or leisure ranchers, with a small portion actually being professional farmers. “Most of them have a 9 to 5 job, and go home to their ranches at the end of the day,” says Dollar, noting that professional builders and fence installers are part of the equation, too.
At Douglas Lumber, despite a housing market downturn, barn sales are remaining steady, accounting for 30% to 40% of total sales. “The good thing about the barn business is it seems to last through the winter,” Bragg says.
A typical barn package includes three-ply laminated columns, framing lumber, and all the metal and hardware to fasten it together. Like most sales at a pro dealer, the packages ordered at Douglas Lumber are sold to a contractor that is building a barn for pro and hobby ranchers.
