Dustin White is dedicated to serving the region, stepping up to the plate to meet people’s irrigation needs through his business, Dustin White Irrigaiton.
White started his career in irrigation work through his employment by Vern Rasmussen in 2001. White remained with the company after Rasmussen sold the company to Scott Moser in 2014.
“I worked for Scott for a year, then Scott let everybody go,” said White. “I didn’t know what to do, so I talked to Scott and bought some equipment from him. Then I started my own business in September of 2015.”
White and his team of four full-time employees works to bring water from underground to be used for center pivots. Each member of the team has a country background.
“The cowboy lifestyle is still in my blood,” said White. “I actually think that’s what helps my employees. Most of them have worked on ranges. They know how windmills work. An irrigation well is more or less like a windmill, but there are a lot more bigger parts when you go to pull the water up. I never have any doubt in my crews.”
To accomplish the task, Dustin White Irrigation works with Sargent Irrigation, of Broken Bow to drill deep into the earth.
“Most wells right around the Alliance area are 160 to 240 feet deep,” White said. “Hemingford is around 300 feet deep. We drill them to 400 feet around here, but the pumps aren’t usually that deep.”
White said before he and his family moved to Alliance in 2001 he was working as a ranch hand. Since that time, White has learned a lot about the industry.
“After all that, I didn’t know anything different,” said White. “I just stuck with it.”
Dustin White Irrigation has provided services in Box Butte, Sheridan, Morrill and Garden Counties, though he has traveled to other locations in Wyoming, Colorado and at the South Dakota state line.
White noted that they stay busy throughout the year, though they see an increase in service during the summer.
“If someone has a breakdown, we try to have them up and running in five days,” said White. “I’m one of those guys where that’s kind of the average, so I like to push myself a little bit harder and try to beat that goal. It all depends on what it needs.”
White said two policies guide his business: honesty and fairness. He believes those qualities have helped his business to continue to grow.
“If you’re honest and fair with the customers, they’ll support you,” White said.