Serving Rural Wyoming’s Needs: 21st Century Equipment holds extensive offering for Goshen County resident’s unique agricultural needs
Owen Palm started 21st Century Equipment in 1996, meaning 2025 marks the business’s 29th year in operation.
Owen grew up in Minnesota and obtained a degree in geological engineering before getting his first job with the global technology company Schlumberger in Casper.
“This is how I came to Wyoming,” shares Owen. “The equipment business is actually my third career. I was in the oil field for about 10 years with Schlumberger and then moved to Scottsbluff, Neb. where I live today. “
“I worked for Western Sugar for about 10 years, and during this time, I made a small investment in our single John Deere store in Scottsbluff, Neb.,” he continues. “Then, 40 years later, I went to work for the dealership full time.”
The Torrington location
Owen notes 21st Century is a John Deere agricultural equipment dealership boasting 26 locations and nearly 700 employees across the U.S.
The Torrington location, located on Highway 26 near the eastern edge of town, was purchased in 2015.
It has a large outdoor lot and most of the various types of equipment are kept in stock. If there is a specific piece of machinery that isn’t available, it can soon be brought in.
“All of the equipment we have across the entire company is available,” Owen explains. “It might be at another location, but it all gets shared. We have our own trucking fleet and can move equipment around.”
Owen reiterates 21st Century is able to serve the diverse agriculture population of Goshen County.
“We have producers here who have nothing but livestock. We have row crop producers, dryland wheat producers and custom applicators who work out of Torrington, so all of the segments of our business are represented in this location,” says Owen.
Serving the ag community
Across all of their locations, 21st Century Equipment has the capacity to serve four different segments of customers.
“One segment is the farmers who are focused on row crop production and/or large acreage wheat farms and small grains,” Owen explains. “We have customers who do irrigated or dryland crops and need the appropriate farm equipment.”
Another segment is livestock producers.
“They often put up hay as their primary crop for their livestock, so we have all types of haying equipment,” Owen says.
“Our third segment is the custom operators,” he adds. “They may be harvesting wheat or corn for other farmers or chopping various crops for silage as a forage crop. This group includes the big ag input suppliers like Nutrien, the Canadian-based fertilizer company, or Simplot. We provide sprayers for them for their custom spraying operations as well.”
Owen notes the fourth and final segment 21st Century serves is the consumer market – including compact tractors and turf – especially along the Front Range of Colorado.
“Those are the four primary types of customers we serve,” he concludes. “We basically serve all segments of the agriculture industry except for the orchards in places like Florida or California.”
He continues, “We operate in southeastern Wyoming, the eastern half of Colorado, the western part of Nebraska and a small portion of both South Dakota and Kansas. We cover about 110,000 square miles.”
Helping the community thrive
Running such an extensive business takes a full crew, and Owen believes the workforce at 21st Century Equipment is one of the best.
He states, “This is probably the greatest strength of our organization – our people. We like to think we offer excellent customer service.”
Like most ag organizations, however, certain times of the year prove to be busier than others.
“Like many ag businesses, ours is cyclic. It also depends on cattle prices, crop prices, interest rates and the general economy. There is a lot of variability in this business,” he says.
Some years, customers can afford new machinery or have the luxury of upgrading to something bigger and better. Other years, this might not be an option at all. Occasionally, during the busy season, something unexpected might be needed.
There are times these dealerships can be the farmer or rancher’s best ally, carrying parts for and/or servicing machinery and tractors.
“At 21st Century Equipment, we’re more than a John Deere dealership – we’re partners in our customers’ farming success,” he adds. “Our mission is to support farmers through expert guidance, workshops and hands-on demos with John Deere technology.”
“From soil health to equipment selection, we tailor solutions to meet every farm’s unique needs, and this helps ensure both the farm and community thrive,” he continues.
If the farmers and ranchers thrive, the community thrives, and 21st Century equipment also strives to support others in rural communities through their offering of compact tractors and other equipment designed for small-scale farms and ranches.
“With everything from front-end loaders to mowers, we offer the right tools for efficient, manageable farming,” Owen says. “Through workshops and local events, we connect with farmers and provide personalized advice on equipment selection, maintenance and safety – helping people achieve their agricultural goals, whether they are growing crops or raising livestock.”
For more information on 21st Century Equipment’s Torrington location, visit 21stcenturyequipment.com/locations/torrington-wy.
Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
