With 24,600 farms and ranches in Idaho, accessing remote fields and moving commodities to market place a big demand on the roadways. Never is that so obvious as when harvest is in full swing and motorists find themselves sharing the roads with trucks, combines and other large equipment.

The true cost of equipment breakdowns is often far higher than the dollars spent on parts to get up and running again. And regardless of why equipment breaks down, downtime adds additional costs to your operation.

A 50-plus-year-old Idaho equipment dealership has a new location for its sales and repair shop in Jerome, Idaho. Mountain View Equipment moved into a brand-new $10 million facility just off I-84 Exit 165 in Jerome in April.

Are you mechanically inclined? Most farmers know how to fix their equipment, but do you know how to diagnose why things break down? Everyone at the coffee shop will offer you an opinion. But who is right?