Tambellup grain farmer vouches for ‘fast and efficient’ customer service as 2024 harvest draws near

Fifth generation grain farmer Rhys Brown says “fast and efficient” customer service is key as he prepares for the 2024 harvest. Mr Brown and his wife, Khalia Brown, crop 4000ha per year including barley, wheat and canola at their farm 15km south-west of Tambellup. Mr Brown operates a CR10.90 combine, which he called a “reliable machine”. “My approach is prevention is better than the cure, we like to get inspections done right after harvest then get everything done that McIntosh & Son recommend,” Mr Brown said. “Their service is second to none. I’ve fortunately not had a lot of issues, but for the small problems that I have had, they will do their best to get out here. “The support McIntosh & Son and New Holland provide has always been the deciding factor for me. They provide the best support in our area; they carry a huge amount of stock and very rarely do you have to wait for parts.” McIntosh & Son general manager for Cunderdin, Geraldton, Merredin, Moora and Wongan Hills Anthony Ryan said most post-harvest inspections were completed with pre-season maintenance and servicing “well under way”. “Now is a great time to get maintenance booked as New Holland have got a zero per cent finance program for combine repairs,” he said. “This allows customers to have their repairs done early, with payment due post-harvest. “We want farmers to get their maintenance booked now, so we can spread repairs out to accommodate everyone, and the New Holland finance program essentially carries them through into next year.” Mr Ryan said McIntosh & Son offered a range of mobile technicians who could work both in the workshop and on-farm. “We’ve put a lot of investment into our facilities, that allows us to have multiple combines in workshops at our dealerships,” he said. “We also run the McIntosh Training Academy, which is a registered training organisation, with just over 100 apprentices that we train on New Holland products. “Later this year we expect to graduate 15-20 agricultural mechanical technology and automotive air-conditioning technology graduates.”