Rooke Farms – How a passion for Merlo transformed an owner into a dealer

Coming to Canada

When Daniel Rooke and his family immigrated from the UK to Manitoba in 2013, two things were coming along with them; a tractor and a Merlo.  The tractor came along since Daniel, his wife Penny and their children George and Alice, tenant farmers in England, had just sold their businesses to come to Canada to operate their very own family farm.  The Merlo came along for the same reason but also because the machine, the brand and the passion for both have been with Daniel for over 30 years. Along with their family cattle operation, they also created a custom farming business, bringing their expertise and four Merlo telehandlers to farms across Manitoba. 

Custom farming

Through their custom farming business, Daniel has visited and worked on countless Canadian farms. These experiences, coupled with his decades-long farming experience across two continents have given him a better grasp of how they operate and especially how a Merlo telehandler, a mainstay on European farming, can absolutely help his clients save money and be more productive in their daily operations. This is in part what motivates him in being a Merlo dealer; the ability to improve the operations and therefore the lives of his fellow farmers. 

“We love them, we respect them because of the power and the money and the efficiency it brings to our operation everyday.”

Opening the dealership 

Ever since coming to Canada, Daniel has been thinking about opening a Merlo dealership catering to his new agricultural community and thereby merging his passions. He relishes the challenge but being himself the owner and operator of multiple units of machinery, he was not going to make the move before he felt he had all the infrastructure set-up to properly service the units the way he wishes his own be serviced. 

“I don’t want to sell anybody anything that I can’t support how I expect to be supported with my own equipment and that was missing in Manitoba”

Ready to take on the challenge

Once the shop was built and staffed with quality mechanics, he was able to have them trained by the expert telehandler specialists at Manulift to perfect their training. They are now able to provide the best service available whether it be in the shop or on the farm with his mobile servicing unit. Daniel and his team are now ready to take on the challenge driven by their work ethics, expertise and passion. After all this is a passion project for Daniel as he would tell you himself: he does not need to be a Merlo dealer, he wants to be a Merlo dealer.