In agriculture, efficiency is everything, every single day. Downtime in the field affects the bottom line. For Brennan Whitby of Whitby Farms, staying connected to service not only helps his operation avoid costly downtime, but also keeps it running efficiently even when there’s a breakdown.
“Second-to-none” service is what Whitby says his family’s operation has come to depend on from John Deere. From preseason inspections to replacing bearings and sensors before downtime occurs, the company’s proactive approach means the Whitbys aren’t worried about unnecessary details.
“That fear has gone away because I know I have somebody that’s backing me,” Whitby says.
Timely Technology
With operations in three states, staying connected couldn’t be more important to the Basin City, Wash., farmer. As the farm’s production manager, Whitby knows firsthand what inefficiency can mean to the operation’s end goals.
Thanks to John Deere’s remote monitoring capabilities, Whitby works with his local dealer, RDO Equipment, to save costly idle time by troubleshooting issues long before a problem has been identified.
Whitby recalls a particular instance that saved the operation thousands of dollars.
“We’re not talking $20, $50,” he explains. “We’re talking over $100,000 worth of idle time.”
Operating farms 30 or 40 miles from home base, John Deere provides dealers with remote, and proactive, diagnostic tools to serve as the Whitby’s eyes on the ground without them being on-site.
“You have to be as efficient and lean as possible, and if you can’t do that, it’s going to be hard to stay in business,” Whitby says.
Service That Saves the Day
When timing is everything, knowing you can count on equipment and a dealer to keep you in the field is like money in the bank.
“Working with RDO Equipment and John Deere has, in a way, changed how we operate because we’re not worried about the little things,” Whitby says.
For him, 100% dealer support from John Deere is key.
“You can have the greatest tractor in the world, but if you don’t have a company that is going to take care of you, what does it matter?” he says. “John Deere and their dealer RDO checks all the boxes, and then they have people that listen.”
