In the world of precision agriculture, farmers demand two things: technology that works perfectly and a great price. While established brands have long dominated this space, a new name, FJDynamics, is rapidly gaining ground, thanks to strong dealer partnerships. In Canada, one of FJD's most important partners is ChDp Ventures.
Chris Herrnbock, the owner of the ChDp Ventures company, has been promoting FJD's autosteering systems and other solutions across the Canadian market for seven years. Recently, we talked with Chris to discuss the journey of building FJD's brand from an unknown player to a trusted name, how they serve their local Saskatchewan customers, and what makes FJD technology stand out in a mature market.
A Seven-Year Partnership Built on Potential
Based in Muenster, Saskatchewan, ChDp Ventures has a long history with FJDynamics, dating back to the very beginning. "We've been in business for about seven years now," Chris recalls. "Many years ago, when FJD first started with an ad on Facebook, I replied to it. Someone reached out and sent me one of the very first AT1 systems, and we've been partnered ever since."What initially drew Chris to the product was a gap in the market. He was looking for a solution that balanced prices and features—a sweet spot that wasn't being served locally in Canada. "FJD intrigued me because they had an interface that was easy to use and the feature set we were looking for, all at an attractive price point," Chris says.
He notes that in their market, almost every machine already uses autosteer; it's no longer optional. This means most farmers have experience with different systems. "FJD is a much more accurate product—more seamless, easier to use—than a lot of what's on the market, and it’s priced in a way that makes it attractive for users to upgrade their first- and second-generation systems to something current."
Competitive Edge: Accuracy and Simplicity
In a market saturated with established brands, FJD needs a clear advantage, and Chris points to two standout features that help them compete."The single biggest competitive advantage for FJD is that it supports Galileo's high-accuracy service," Chris explains. "This makes the system far more accurate, allowing for straighter lines without requiring expensive subscriptions to do it."
The second key advantage is simplicity. While competitors' systems are becoming more and more complex, FJD has focused on a very simple user interface that anyone can learn in minutes. This ease of use is a major selling point for time-strapped farmers.
Overcoming the Brand Barrier
Despite having a superior product, the biggest challenge for ChDp Ventures has been one of identity: brand recognition. "Everybody knows who the major brands are in precision agriculture," Chris admits."So when you bring a new brand in and you're trying to tell a customer, 'Look, this is a better product, priced better, with better features than the name brands,' they're receptive to that. But the lack of brand awareness still creates a barrier that can be a challenge to overcome."
The solution, Chris believes, is clear: visibility and word-of-mouth. "The only way to overcome that is to build brand awareness," he states. "Dealers have to be out there talking about the product and showing that customers are happy. The best publicity is free publicity; just have people talking about the brand."
ChDp Ventures promotes FJD products through several channels: direct sales by showing the product to existing repair and consulting clients, sharing lots of photos and videos on social media, using local advertising like radio and newspapers, and attending every major trade show in Saskatchewan.
Success Stories and Future Trends
The effort is clearly paying off. For every system sold, ChDp Ventures handles the personal installation and training, which results in extremely high customer satisfaction."Our customers are extremely happy with the FJD product once it's installed," Chris says. "They are extremely happy with the accuracy and the ease of use, and we very rarely have issues once they're out in the field."
One memorable piece of feedback came from an institutional customer who had been trying to find a reliable autosteer solution for their plot seeding equipment for 15 years without success. Their challenge was a machine that needed to continually start and stop.
"When we introduced them to the FJD product and showed them how it works, they were extremely impressed," Chris recalls. "Being able to support a product that none of the mainstream competitors could really shows the innovation behind the FJD system."
When asked about the future, Chris is optimistic. "I think the future trend for FJD is nothing but up. They have a solid product and a solid development team behind them," he says. The rapid pace of improvement is a major factor. "The software improvements every six months are incredible. It's something we don't see from any of the other brands we deal with. They are going places. FJD is a product that's going to be as mainstream as all the other brands are."
FJD Brand Going Mainstream
Through the hard work of dedicated dealers like ChDp Ventures, FJDynamics is rapidly moving past its "newcomer" status. This partnership has proven to be a major factor in establishing FJD as a top-tier, yet affordable, choice for precision agriculture, not just in Canada, but on a global scale.By combining FJD's innovative, accurate, and easy-to-use farming technology with ChDp Ventures' strong local presence, installation expertise, and reputation for excellent customer support, this win-win relationship is poised to significantly increase FJD's market presence and brand trust throughout Canada in the coming years.