Beard Implement Co. began as a one man operation in 1937 by Robert Beard of Arenzville. The current Arenzville facility is located in the same place as the original shop. Robert sold Allis Chalmers and New Idea among other equipment lines.
In 1965 Gerald E Beard and Myron Beard, Robert’s sons, purchased the business from their father.
By 1977, Gerald and Myron Beard expanded Beard Implement Co. into the Ashland/Prentice area selling not only Allis Chalmers equipment but also equipment made by Versatile.
In 1984 the 3rd generation of ownership took over as Gerald L. Beard and Darryl Beard joined Duane Hess to purchase the business from Gerald E. And Myron Beard. And in the late 1980’s Beard Implement purchased a location in Pittsfield selling Ford Equipment which would later become Ford New Holland and eventually stand alone as it is today as New Holland.
In 1990 Beard Implement accepted a contract for Case IH Equipment.
In July of 2010, Duane Hess sold his shares of the business to Kyle Schumacher and Jeremy M. Beard (4th generation) becoming partners with Gerry L. and Darryl Beard.
In August of 2010 Beard Implement purchased Rennecker Equipment, a Case IH Dealership in Barry, IL.
In July of 2014, Darryl Beard retired from ownership and took on a part time role with Beard Implement. Darryl’s ownership of the business was sold to Jeremy Beard & Kyle Schumacher.
In late January of 2015, having operated in Ashland since 1977, Beard Implement Co. proudly opened its doors to its brand new 50,000 sq. ft facility.
In 2017, Beard Implement Co. was recognized by Case IH for achieving Pinnacle Excellence recognition in all areas of business. In all, 613 dealer locations participated in the Case IH Pinnacle Program Assessment and only 27 dealerships across North America earned Pinnacle Excellence Status, with Beard being one of them. The Pinnacle Program represents the highest level of excellence in the Case IH dealer network in six key areas: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Parts, Service, and AFS. In the summer of 2017, the Barry location was closed and Beard Implement divided it’s Barry dealership’s personnel and operations between a new Pittsfield location and a Hannibal, Missouri location.
In expanding their business into Missouri, Beard Implement bought 11 acres on the west side of Hannibal at the former location of a recreational vehicle dealership. The Hannibal site is 2 miles north of U.S. 36 on U.S. 24.
In moving into a new location in Pittsfield, Beard Implement constructed and remodeled a building a mile west of its former location. The Pittsfield move expanded the company’s facilities from a 5,000-square-foot building to a 31,000-square-foot structure.
Currently selling the Case IH & New Holland lines as well as various short lines, Beard Implement Co. employs over 50 full time employees in four locations.
