Geyserville tractor business a natural fit for Sonoma County family

Geyserville Tractor Supply father-and-son team Terry and Justin Fischer together have over 55 years’ business experience - and that’s before they opened their store one year ago.

Terry Fischer started working with tractors and equipment over 40 years ago. His grandfather owned a Case Tractor dealership in Lodi, where Terry started working in 1973. He grew up around his father’s dealership and has made farm equipment his life’s career. Son Justin walked in his father’s footsteps, growing up in his father’s tractor supply business. He now brings his own son, Alexander, to work in the family business.

Tractors and farm equipment are what the Fischers know and what they love.

After selling the partnership in a Santa Rosa tractor supply business a couple of years ago, the Fischers started looking for a gap in the tractor and supply business in Sonoma County. Why Geyserville?

“We thought Geyserville was a great central location,” Justin said. “The other tractor dealers are 45 minutes to the north in Ukiah and south in Santa Rosa, so this is a very convenient location for farmers to come get supplies. Also, Lampson Tractor was here for years, and after they closed we thought there was a void to be filled.”

Geyserville Tractor Supply’s focus has been Deutz Fahr tractors, Justin said. “We learned about the Deutz Fahr tractors and felt they would be a really great tractor for this area’s vineyards, orchards and farms. They are advanced tractors used all over Europe and are full of advanced features like four-wheel brakes and fully locking front and rear differentials. They also make crawler tractors and that’s a big deal. It’s ideally suited for our area’s specialized farming needs. We wanted to bring that to the farmers and growers in our area. Because of new emission laws and other factors, specialized tractors are becoming less and less common from manufacturers, and we thought it was great to find a company that is dedicated to still producing a narrow vineyard tractor and crawler tractor with no plans of changing that anytime soon.”

The whole family takes part in the business. Terry’s wife, Shelly, comes in on Saturdays to clean, landscape and help where needed. She also bakes cookies and other pastries for the whole week and sets them out on the counter. Justin’s fiancé, Erin, comes in once a week to do the books and accounts payable.

Grape growers, vineyard techs and tractor/equipment techs are their main customers right now, but homeowners and some of the local school districts also come in.

Geyserville Tractor Supply is at 21310B Geyserville Ave., Geyserville.