Featured Story   October 15, 2025

How We Support our Customers When Times Get Tough

John Deere customers with forestry equipment

For nearly a century, John Deere has stood shoulder to shoulder with our customers, through prosperity and hardship, through droughts and downturns, through pandemics and progress.

My family wouldn’t be in farming if John Deere Financial hadn’t stuck with us through the tough times. For that, we’ll never buy anything but green.

Building Customers for Generations

“When times get tough, we don’t walk away. We lean in,” explained John Grosso, our senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the U.S. and Canada.

“In our collections team, there’s a phrase that’s more than a motto,” John shared. “It’s a mission: Build customers for generations. It means that when a customer is struggling, we don’t rush to repossess equipment. We listen. We work with them. We work hard to preserve the relationship not just for John Deere Financial, but for John Deere.”

John explained how if a customer is communicating with Deere and being transparent, we want to do everything we can to keep that person in their equipment.

A customer once shared: My family wouldn’t be in farming if John Deere Financial hadn’t stuck with us through the tough times. For that, we’ll never buy anything but green.

John Deere customer working on the farm

Restructuring with Compassion

Over the past two years, JDF has restructured thousands of accounts. Each one is a story of resilience. Whether due to financial distress or natural disasters, we’ve adapted payment terms to give customers breathing room. When hurricanes or tornadoes hit, we don’t wait for a call. We reach out first, asking, “Do you need a couple weeks? We can move your payment.” As Steve Owenson, senior vice president finance director and chief credit officer, put it, “We’re not just solving for today. We’re setting our customers up for success years down the road.”

A Legacy of Loyalty

This philosophy isn’t new. It’s woven into our history. During the Great Depression, we extended repayment terms and absorbed over $12 million in farmer notes. In the 1980s farm crisis, we restructured debt instead of foreclosing. During COVID-19, we processed 200 times our normal account change volume in just six months.

“We’ve always believed that our success is tied to the success of those who feed, build, and shape the world,” Steve explained.

John Deere customer with combine in field

Our Purpose, Our People

Our employees feel this deeply. They know that working at JDF means making a difference. It’s not just about numbers. It’s about impact. It’s about helping a farmer keep their land, a rancher keep their herd, a family keep their legacy. “We really focus on building relationships and solving problems,” Brandi Kanten, asset specialist shared. “Because we want what they want — to keep their business going.”

One of our construction customers from Chicago, IL recently shared how a JDF employee helped them navigate a cash flow crisis with dignity and respect. “She was very patient,” the customer said about the JDF customer support representative. “Not once did I detect any condescension or impatience. She was deliberate in helping me. We’re a John Deere customer and she made me feel proud to be one.”

Looking Ahead

“We know the ag economy is facing headwinds today,” John explained. “But we’ve weathered similar storms. And we’ll do it again, with empathy, innovation, and unwavering commitment.”