Forged in Industry, Grounded in Nature: A Transition from Pipe to Farming

Purple Wave Auction Facilitates Sale for M3 Hilltop Ranch

MANHATTAN, Kan., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim Massengale's background goes deeper than just farming and ranching, his roots run deep in manufacturing. As one of the founders of United Poly Systems, LLC, Jim says that surrounding himself and his company with good people is what made United Poly Systems, LLC so successful.

Founded in 2011 by Jim and his partner, Bert Bridges, United Poly Systems, LLC became a supplier of polyethylene pipe used for telecommunications cabling and also with pipe for the oil and gas industry. Across the country, United Poly Systems supplied installers with reel trailers housing thousands of miles of orange pipe helping to build the infrastructure for communication and energy transfer in everything we use today.   

"We had all the confidence in the world we could do it, I had experience in manufacturing plants and Bert could sell a Dr. Pepper guy a Coke, so we knew we had the right team and just needed the right people to start the business," said Jim.

According to United Poly Systems' About Us Page | History of United Poly Systems, Jim and Bert showcased more than 40 years of combined industry experience and during the first decade United Poly Systems, LLC produced over 120,000 miles of pipe. In 2017, Jim decided to turn to farming and ranching, purchasing 30 cows and 187 acres of land.

"With this growth, we decided to start crop farming and silage and with that had to purchase hay equipment along with a variety of other pieces," said Jim. "We had a lot of stuff we began purchasing in 2017 and 2018, we looked all over the country for the best, low-hour machinery."

Initially the thought was that farming would become his retirement, but it evolved into much more. Within a year of fully retiring from the pipe business he had amassed over 3,000 acres and 450 cows. What was meant to be a slower pace quickly turned into a full-time operation, demanding more time and energy than expected. Realizing the workload was more than expected, Jim decided it was time to end his run of farming and ranching and contacted Richard Spacek, territory sales manager with Purple Wave Auction, to set up a no-reserve online retirement auction for his equipment.

Most of the Massengale's equipment was purchased at Heritage Tractor in Rogersville, Mo. and has been well-maintained by the family.

"Our large square baler was the only one left in the country that was brand new," said Massengale. "We baled between 730 and 740 bales – 80 percent have been wheat straw with last year baling 150-250 bales of alfalfa."

Jim's favorite piece of equipment is the self-propelled John Deere 235 cutter, he ran it 99 percent of the time. "I like to cut hay, it's autosteer and it's a learning experience for me, I'll miss that piece the most," said Jim. "We're proud of what we got and know if we go out and get in any piece it will perform."

Each well-maintained piece of the Massengale's equipment sold to the highest bidder(s) on May 15 in the M3 Hilltop Ranch Retirement Auction. Other equipment featured included a one-owner 2021 Brillion seeder that helped plant 235 acres of alfalfa and the auction also featured a 2021 Haybuster tub grinder that has seen production of 100 bales.

"My son Trey is the one who studied and learned how to run all the equipment," said Jim. "I call him constantly with questions because I'm kind of old school, he's up on all the technology. Without him we wouldn't have had all the autosteer equipment or the extra bells and whistles."

The M3 Hilltop Ranch Retirement Auction showcased several assets, three of which stood out in their auction performance. Item DP6305, a 2022 Massey Ferguson 2270 Class 5 large square baler, had a contract price of $124,300. Two tractors also performed well during this event, a 2012 John Deere 8285R contracted for $211,200 and a 2014 John Deere 6190R for $143,000. 

Thank you Jim for partnering with Purple Wave and helping us be a part of your ongoing legacy.

If you are interested in creating an account visit our registration page. Reach out to Richard Spacek for more information on how to sell with Purple Wave!

SOURCE Purple Wave Inc