THE opening of the new AFGRI Equipment premises at South Guildford recently was a significant milestone for the Western Australian farming community, said John Lagemann, the senior vice president marketing agricultural for John Deere's Ag and Turf Division.
Mr Lagemann made the journey from the United States last week and congratulated AFGRI Equipment for being a long-term John Deere partner.
"John Deere has been in business for 182 years," Mr Lagemann said.
"We have been through a lot of cycles in agriculture and construction but we have persevered because we have partners like AFGRI.
"We have been partnering with AFGRI since 1962 and if you do the maths, that means we have been a partner with AFGRI for a third of the history of John Deere - so we go back a long way."
Mr Lagemann said AFGRI Equipment had been in Australia for 15 years and it was a partner they had a lot of faith in.
He said John Deere had never spent more money on research and development on a daily basis as it was today and this investment was geared up to be more efficient and more productive.
Mr Lagemann said machinery dealers such as AFGRI Equipment were the face of John Deere and he thanked the company for its support.
"When it comes to investment, you look at the number of investments they have made in Western Australia - the facilities, in their employees and technicians and in technology and they are also betting on the future," he said.
"They are investing for the future."