Deere and Company

Deere & Company is a world leader in the production and sale of agricultural and construction equipment, as well as a major provider of financial services. It is one of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. Founded in 1837 by John Deere, the company has grown from a single blacksmith shop to a global corporation with over $50 billion in annual sales and over 60,000 employees in more than 30 countries. 

The company is best known for its iconic green and yellow tractors, but its portfolio includes a wide range of products and services, including specialised equipment for construction, forestry, turf care, and other niche markets. Deere is also a major player in the financial services industry, offering a full range of leasing, financing, and insurance services. 

The company is committed to the sustainability of its operations, pursuing environmental initiatives such as reducing energy consumption, increasing renewable energy sources, and investing in clean energy projects. Deere & Company is dedicated to its customers and employees and strives to be an example of corporate responsibility and integrity.

In 1837, when 33 years old, he headed west and eventually settled in Grand Detour, Illinois, where he set up a blacksmith’s shop, and sent for his wife and children the following year. John Deere was a blacksmith who developed the first commercially successful, self-scouring steel plough and founded the company that still bears his name. The following year Deere established a business to manufacture and market his invention, and by 1838 he and his partner had sold three of the newly fashioned ploughs.

Deciding that Grand Detour was not well situated in regard to transportation and resources, Deere sold his interest in the shop to Andrus in 1847 and moved to Moline, Illinois. As demand for these ploughs rose, Deere moved the business from Grand Detour to Moline, IL in 1848 due to the power and transportation benefits this new location offered. On the east bank of the Mississippi River. With the help of research, customer feedback, and time-tested hard work, John Deere the business was booming by 1849, producing 2,000 plows a year.

John Deere didn’t receive his first patent until 1864. In 1869 Charles Deere and entrepreneur Alvah Mansur established the first branch house in Kansas City, Missouri. The legendary leaping deer trademark was finally patented in 1876, and to this day it is the longest-used American trademark among Fortune 500 companies. As the company started to produce more equipment, it required a trademark to defend against copying and deception. In 1878, the Gilpin Sulky Plow won first place at the Paris Universal Exposition leading to sales increasing each year.

In 1887 The Deere & Mansur Company, formed by Charles Deere and Alvah Mansur, a business partner of the Deere family, is a top manufacturer of planters.

These branch houses “provided valuable information from the field that influenced new product development”. By the time of his death in 1907, Charles Deere played a central role in John Deere's history by helping the company become one of the top implement makers in the country. Just 15 years after joining Deere & Company as an assistant buyer, William Butterworth, son-in-law of Charles Deere, became president of John Deere. The export of equipment worldwide was made popular in 1908 as the John Deere Export Department was formed in New York City.

By 1910, sales grew to 30.7 million dollars due to the company manufacturing planters, wagons, buggies, and harvesting equipment. In 1912 Deere starts to produce planters, buggies, wagons, grain drills, and hay and harvesting equipment. 1912: Deere & Company introduces planters, buggies, wagons, grain drills, and hay and harvesting equipment to its product lineup. John Deere actually entered the tractor business in 1918, 81 years after the start of the company. In the midst of building a tractor that could be sold for under $700, John Deere purchases the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company.

In 1927, John Deere manufactured its first combine. As the great-grandson of John Deere, Charles Deere Wiman started at the company as a line employee and eventually advanced to become president in 1928 with the retirement of his uncle, William Butterworth. John Deere’s first-row crop tractor, the Model A, is introduced and followed one year later by the Model B.

In 1936 an effort to standardize processes while manufacturing equipment, this new logo removed some of the details from the previous logo – this made stencilling onto products easier. The next year Deere’s sales continue to increase, and a new, simpler logo is introduced.

Due to Charles Deere Wiman being in the military, John Deere started making military tractors, cargo units, and ammunition for World War II. In 1947, the Model “MC” became a bulldozer that started John Deere’s construction and forestry business. The John Deere Dubuque Works factory opened its doors and begins to produce a large percentage of the company’s construction and forestry equipment.

The company was established as one of the nation’s largest manufacturing businesses by 1955. From this point forward, the company began to establish itself as a multinational company, purchasing a share of a tractor company in Mannheim, Germany and acquiring land in Monterrey, Mexico in 1956. The next year Haying becomes a one-man operation for the first time when the 14T baler is introduced.

In 1958, John Deere released its Industrial equipment division. The present firm was incorporated as John Deere–Delaware Company; it assumed the current company name later that year after merging with the older Deere & Company and its subsidiaries. John Deere introduced a new line of tractors during a product introduction that took place in Dallas in the summer of 1960.

 John Deere created this 1962 film to highlight its growing Industrial Equipment division. In 1964, the Deere & Company grew so much that they needed a headquarters. Introduced in 1966, this row-crop tractor was considered the most powerful standard or diesel tractor on the market.

 In 1979, they introduced their first cotton picker that allowed farmers to pick four rows at a time. Under this system, Deere 1981 built a factory in Iowa costing over $1.5 billion that made extensive use of computers and robots and thus enabled the company to run numerous small assembly lines simultaneously for different products and turn a profit even at low levels of output.

1987 brought more hard times for farmers which led to Deere losing 99 million dollars. Once elected as chairman of Deere & Company in 1990 upon Robert Hanson’s retirement, Hans Becherer stressed values that have played key roles in John Deere's history since the creation of the first steel plow.

In 1994, the 8000 Series tractor was released and showcased a new transmission, industry-leading turn radius, and new standards in visibility and power. John Deere makes history when it introduces the 7760 Cotton Picker, the first of its kind to build round cotton modules on the go.

 Additionally, Deere & Company entered a long-term relationship with the PGA and opened the John Deere Pavilion in 1997 under his leadership. The creation of this current logo saw the addition of colour and a change in the way the Deere is leaping – it is now leaping forwards instead of landing.

Upon his retirement as Chairman of Deere & Company’s Board of Directors in 2009, Lane was succeeded by Deere’s current Chairman and CEO, Samuel R. Allen. John Deere celebrated their 175th anniversary in 2012.

In 2016, Deere & Company reported a net income of $2.3 billion, up 2 percent from the previous year. This increase was primarily driven by strong sales of agricultural and construction and forestry equipment, as well as higher prices for these products. Revenues increased by 5 percent over the previous year.

In 2017, Deere & Company reported a net income of $2.4 billion, up 10 percent from the previous year. This increase was primarily driven by strong sales of agricultural equipment and construction and forestry equipment, as well as higher prices for these products. Revenues increased by 11 percent over the previous year.

March 14, 2018, marks the 100th anniversary of the day Deere & Company purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, in Waterloo, Iowa.  In 2018, Deere & Company reported a net income of $2.4 billion, up 8 percent from the previous year. This increase was primarily driven by strong sales of agricultural and construction and forestry equipment, as well as higher prices for these products. Revenues increased by 8 percent over the previous year.

In 2019, Deere & Company reported net income of $2.7 billion, up 14 percent from the previous year. This increase was primarily driven by strong sales of agricultural and construction and forestry equipment, as well as higher prices for these products. Revenues increased by 10 percent over the previous year.

“The mission of Deere & Company is "to provide innovative solutions to help customers improve their efficiency and profitability in agriculture, construction, and forestry. ”

"We rely on more than 180-years of experience and terabytes of precision data to know them and their businesses better than anyone else. Our easy-to-use technology helps deliver results they see in the field, on the job site, and on the balance sheet. We ensure seamless access to parts, services, and performance upgrades from take home to trade-in by providing world-class support throughout the lifecycle of their equipment, with productivity and sustainability always in mind."

“Deere & Company's vision is to be the world's leading provider of advanced products and services for agriculture and forestry”

“We run to create solutions that sustain the livelihoods of our customers and communities around the world for generations to come.”

• Agriculture equipment: Tractors, harvesters, sprayers, and planters.
• Construction equipment: backhoes, excavators, and loaders.
• Lawn and garden equipment: Riding mowers, walk-behind mowers, and snowblowers.
• Forestry equipment: Skidders, harvesters, and forwarders.
• Golf and sports equipment: Turf mowers and utility vehicles.
• Engines and drivetrains: Including agriculture, construction, and marine.
• Financial services: Financing and leasing options for its products, as well as insurance and other financial services.
• Technology solutions: GPS and data management tools