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Approaching 30 years of
HEAVY EQUIPMENT SALES

for the Anderson family

by Sharon Harrison

he Andersons, a well-respected farm equipment dealer that year, and in
family with deep local roots, have 1994 added the Kubota dealership.
Tbeen a farming fixture in Prince “We took on the Kubota construction
Edward County since the mid-1850s. line three years ago, expanding our line-up
John Anderson is proud to continue a of equipment quite a bit,” he explains. They
tradition his great-grandfather John Saylor started in 1992 at the current Picton
Anderson started in 1852 when he began location on County Road 34 and expanded
the first family farm in the County. While to a second location the same year in
John is mostly retired now and less Belleville on Wallbridge Loyalist Road. In
involved with the running of the business, 2002 they opened a store at the Belleville
the family tradition continues with his sons site which became their main location.
who, between them, run the family farm “That’s our busiest location for the
and operate the equipment sales business. equipment as its more central,” says John.
“I have two sons who are involved in Anderson’s have a large service area that
the business: the youngest son Jeff works extends to Napanee to the east and Port
out of the Belleville store and he manages Hope to the west.
that; my oldest son Chris works on the Anderson Equipment services the farm
equipment side and sales and he runs my construction sector, as well as the urban
grain elevator and looks after the farm.” market for smaller equipment. An exten-
John talks about how difficult it is to sive selection of impressive pieces of
keep young people employed in the equipment in terms of size and function for
County. “We are a retirement area. There’s use in the construction and farming indus-
not a lot of industry for the younger gener- tries can be found at both locations, but
ation to look forward to, which is a little especially at the larger Belleville site. While
sad,” he says. sales form a good portion of the business,
The farm equipment business, Ander- the rental side of things is also busy.
son Equipment Sales, was started in “I have always been in the rental
October 1992, in part to supplement farm- business, mainly construction stuff,”
ing operations. They became a Case IH explains John. “We rent excavators, skid

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