Daniel Barnes, a service apprentice at RDO Equipment, won John Deere's 2024 Service Apprentice of the Year award for Australia and New Zealand. He talks about his passion for the equipment, the training that got him there, and what he'd tell others starting out in the field.
When you see the John Deere symbol, it just represents quality. I like getting to know the customers and then being able to diagnose and help solve their problems. It's very rewarding to see the machines get going again and to help them win. I'm Daniel Barnes, service apprentice technician at RDO Equipment, Beau Desert Branch. I first started dairy farming in New Zealand. John Deere was always my favourite brand of tractor and that and when you saw it like driving down the street, you're like, man, that'd be awesome. And to have a go on that. But yeah, saw the apprenticeship going at RDO Equipment. Yeah, finally a chance with John Deere equipment. So I took it. The training and support system of John Deere is just awesome. It's easy to understand there's always lots of people to help and it's just such a great community to be able to work with. And the winner of the Service Apprentice of the Year awards for Australia New Zealand is Daniel Barnes, rdofric. I feel honored to be standing here for you all tonight. I feel that this award celebrates all the hard work that we do for our customers. It's a good tribute to the team I'm working with and they've helped me out so much and just feels good, you know what I mean? I'm looking forward to finishing my apprenticeship and becoming a technician and I'm going to make sure I continue to take the time to learn and get to know the customers and the product a lot better. My advice for someone thinking of becoming a John Deere tech is to hook in. If you go in with a can do attitude and an open mind mind, you'll go farther.
