Burchfield &
Associates
ASU-Beebe: John Deere Tech
Educating for Excellence
The John Deere Tech program at ASU-Beebe is one of sixteen sites throughout the nation that prepares new John Deere technicians for the rapidly changing field of agriculture equipment technology. Farm equipment is not just about horsepower, transmissions, and hydraulics anymore. It is about on-board computers, GPS auto-steer and related systems, remote systems monitoring, and dozens of other high-tech integrated systems. Today’s ag equipment service is more about information management not just nuts and bolts.
In the John Deere tech program, students spend time in the lab learning basic theory behind the systems, and they spend a lot of time in the shop for actual hands on learning with actual John Deere equipment. John Deere provides $1 million of new equipment each year to ASU-Beebe for the students to work on. Department head Shawn Taillon, and instructor Stephen Yokley provide intense and focused classroom and shop training to insure that upon graduation, the students have the experience and insight to take their skills to the next level.
John Deere Tech program is a two-year, 60-hour curriculum. Upon graduation the graduates receive an Associate Degree in Applied Science for Agricultural Equipment. Students are sponsored by John Deere dealerships and enter the program as interns, attending classes four days a week, Monday through Thursday, and working in their sponsor’s dealership Friday and Saturday. Nine of the sixteen semester hours are paid intern hours with the pay depending on the dealership. After graduation, students return to their dealership for full time employment.
“When they graduate, these students are prepared for full time work in a very competitive industry,” said instructor Stephen Yokley. “They have a job waiting for them, and if they apply themselves, within three to five years, with hard work, they can be making upper five figures. And in the right situation (with over-time, dealership location, etc), some can be making six figure income. “
Acceptance to the John Deere Ag Tech Program requires: *A high school diploma
* Passing score on the Mechanical Reasoning Test
*Acceptable Score on the ACT Test
* A sponsoring John Deere dealer
*Maintaining a "C" grade, or 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
Currently, students from across five states in the mid-south take advantage of John Deere Tech at ASU-Beebe. The program boasts a 95% graduation rate and a 100% employment rate at the end of the two years.
“We tend to lose that 5% in the first semester,” Yokley said. “Most of the time it is just being home sick. Some of these kids are far from home and by themselves, and it doesn’t click. In most classes, we have several students from the same dealership, which helps them adjust socially. If we can get them past the first semester, they are likely here for the whole program”
Lodging for students is provided by on-campus dorms which makes it convenient for the students. In addition to the intern compensation element, some dealerships pay for room and board (or a percentage) during school, or provide some type of reimbursement pay scale upon completion of the program when the technician starts his/her full time employment. All students in the John Deere Tech program receive in-state tuition.
For more information on John Deere Tech Program at ASU-Beebe, call them at 501-882-8907, or visit their website at
John Deere provides $1 milliion in new equipment to ASU-Beebe Tech Program each year.