John Deere facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Deere & Company

John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois
Type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: DE S&P 100 component S&P 500 component
Industry	Agricultural machinery Heavy equipment
Founded	1837; 188 years ago (1837), in Grand Detour, Illinois, U.S.
Founder	John Deere
Headquarters	Moline, Illinois , U.S.
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	John C. May (chairman, CEO & president)
Products	Tractors Combine harvesters Forage harvesters Sugarcane harvesters Seed drills Field sprayers FEL attachments Telescopic handlers Backhoes Excavators Loaders Graders Feller bunchers Forwarders Log loaders Skidders Diesel engines
Services	Financial services
Revenue	US$51.72 billion (2024)
Operating income	US$9.206 billion (2024)
Net income	US$7.088 billion (2024)
Total assets	US$107.3 billion (2024)
Total equity	US$22.84 billion (2024)
Number of employees	75,800 (2024)
Subsidiaries	Nortrax, Vapormatic, Hagie, Monosem, Blue River Technology, Harvest Profit, Navcom Technology, OnGolf, Lesco, Unimil, John Deere Financial, Bear Flag Robotics
Footnotes / references Financials as of October 27,  2024 (2024 -10-27)[update]

Deere & Company, also known as John Deere, is an American company that makes awesome machines. They build farm equipment, heavy construction machines, and forestry tools. They also make diesel engines and parts for these big machines. You might even see their equipment taking care of lawns! Besides making machines, John Deere also helps people with money services.

The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Their famous slogan is "Nothing Runs Like a Deere." Their logo shows a deer leaping, along with the words "John Deere." This deer logo has been around for over 155 years! John Deere's main office is in Moline, Illinois.

In 2022, John Deere was ranked among the top 100 largest companies in the United States. They make many kinds of tractors, like the D series and E series.

The Story of John Deere

Starting in the 1800s

The John Deere company began with a man named John Deere. He was born in Vermont in 1804. In 1836, he moved to Grand Detour, Illinois, to start fresh.

John Deere was a skilled blacksmith. In 1837, he opened a shop in Grand Detour. He fixed things and made tools like pitchforks and shovels.

His most important invention was the self-scouring steel plow in 1837. Before this, farmers used plows made of iron or wood. The rich soil in the Midwest would stick to these plows. Farmers had to stop often to clean them. John Deere made a plow with a super smooth steel surface. This allowed the soil to slide off easily! This invention made farming much easier in the American Great Plains. It helped many people move there.

John Deere plow from around 1845

Back then, products were made only when someone ordered them. John Deere realized this was too slow. He started making plows before they were sold. This way, customers could see the plows and buy them right away. News about his great products spread quickly!

In 1843, John Deere teamed up with Leonard Andrus. They built a new factory by the Rock River in Illinois. This factory used water power to run its machines. In 1842, they made about 100 plows, and the next year, about 400!

John Deere ended his partnership with Andrus in 1848. He moved to Moline, Illinois, because it had access to the railroad and the Mississippi River. There, he partnered with Robert Tate and built another factory. Production grew fast. By 1849, the company was making over 200 plows each month.

In 1853, John Deere bought out Tate and Gould. His son, Charles Deere, joined the business. The company now made many farm tools, like wagons and corn planters. By 1857, they made almost 1,120 tools every month!

In 1858, the company faced money problems. To avoid going out of business, John Deere gave control to his son-in-law, Christopher Webber, and his son, Charles Deere. John Deere stayed as president until he retired in 1886. He passed away a month later.

The company officially became "Deere & Company" in 1868. Charles Deere was in charge. In 1869, he started setting up sales centers and independent stores across the country. That same year, Deere & Company won an award for having the "Best and Greatest Display of Plows" at the Illinois State Fair.

While mainly focused on farm tools, John Deere even made some bicycles in the 1890s!

Growing in the 1900s

In the early 1900s, other companies like International Harvester Company started making more farm equipment. This made John Deere expand its products. Making gasoline tractors became a big part of John Deere's business in the 20th century.

Company logo used between 1912 and 1936

In 1912, William Butterworth, who was Charles Deere's son-in-law and the company president, decided to get into the tractor business. John Deere tried making its own tractors, but then decided to buy the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in 1918. This company made the popular Waterloo Boy tractor. John Deere kept selling tractors under the Waterloo Boy name until 1923. That's when they introduced the John Deere Model D. Today, many John Deere tractors are still made in Waterloo, Iowa.

The company made its first combine harvester in 1927, called the John Deere No. 2. A year later, they made a smaller, more popular one, the John Deere No. 1. By 1929, even newer, lighter harvesters were available. In the 1930s, John Deere also helped develop combines that could harvest grain on hillsides.

During World War II, John Deere helped the war effort. They made military tractors, parts for tanks, aircraft parts, and even mobile laundry units.

In 1947, John Deere introduced its first self-propelled combine, the Model 55. This meant the combine could move itself, instead of being pulled.

In 1956, John Deere bought a German tractor company called Heinrich Lanz AG.

A John Deere-Lanz 700 tractor

In 1960, John Deere held a huge event called "Deere Day in Dallas." Dealers from all over the world came to see the "New Generation of Power." This was when John Deere introduced its first modern four-cylinder and six-cylinder tractors. These new tractors were much more powerful and easier to use than the older ones.

The 4010 tractor was very powerful for its time. It led to the 4020, which many people consider the most popular tractor John Deere ever made. These new tractors helped John Deere become the top farm equipment maker in the United States.

In 1972, John Deere introduced "Sound Idea Tractors." These had a special cab called the Sound Gard body. It was insulated and had heat, air conditioning, and even a radio! This made working in the tractor much more comfortable.

In the 1980s, John Deere continued to improve its tractors with new features like better transmissions and mechanical front-wheel drive for better grip.

By 1962, John Deere had 35,000 employees, with 9,000 in Illinois. Their main office was in Moline, Illinois, and they had several factories nearby.

In 1969, John Deere also launched a "New Generation of combines." These included the 3300, 4400, 6600, and 7700 models. They had new features that made them easier to use. In the 1980s, these combines were updated with more capacity and better cabs.

In 1989, John Deere introduced the 'Maximizer' combines. These had a new design with the cab in the middle and the engine in the back. In the same year, John Deere was honored in the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

In 1999, John Deere introduced the Single-Tine Separation (STS) system for its combines. This was a big step forward in how combines worked.

John Deere in the 2000s

In 2014, the Smithsonian Museum recognized John Deere's original plow design as one of the inventions that changed American history.

As of 2018^[update], John Deere had about 67,000 employees worldwide. They are the largest farm machinery company in the world! In 2014, they had to lay off some workers because fewer people were buying their products.

John Deere's logo with the leaping deer has been used for over 155 years. The company uses different colors for its products. Farm equipment is green with yellow borders. Construction equipment is black with yellow deer and borders.

In 2017, John Deere bought Blue River Technology. This company uses machine learning and computer vision to help farmers. Their technology can spray only where weeds are present, which means less herbicide is used.

In 2019, John May became the new CEO and president of John Deere.

In October 2021, about 10,000 John Deere employees went on strike because of disagreements over their work contracts.

In January 2022, John Deere showed off a self-driving tractor at a big technology show. This tractor is designed for very large farms. It's part of a plan to make farming faster and more efficient using "smart machines" and software.

Repairing John Deere Equipment

Newer John Deere farm equipment has special computer code. This code is needed for repairs. Only John Deere has access to it. This means that owners or other repair shops sometimes can't fix the machines without John Deere's help. Some people have criticized this, saying it makes it hard for farmers to repair their own equipment.

John Deere says that changing the software in their tractors is not allowed because of copyright laws. Groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation disagree. They believe farmers should have the "right to repair" their own machines. Some farmers have even used special software from other countries to get around these rules.

In 2022, a bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate to help farmers do their own repairs. Many states also introduced similar "right to repair" bills.

In January 2023, John Deere signed an agreement with the American Farm Bureau Federation. John Deere agreed to let farmers and independent repair shops buy access to their software and manuals. However, some people are still unsure if this agreement will fully solve the problem.

What John Deere Makes

John Deere makes many different types of machines.

Farm Equipment

Their farm products include:

• Tractors
• Combine harvesters
• Cotton harvesters
• Balers (for hay)
• Planters and seeders (for planting crops)
• Sprayers (for fields)
• And many more!

• 

  Tractor

• 

  Tracked tractor (9630T)

• 

  Front-end loader

• 

  Combine harvester

• 

  Forage harvester

• 

  Cotton picker

• 

  Sugarcane harvester

• 

  Seed drill

• 

  Field sprayer

• 

  Telescopic handler

Construction Equipment

John Deere also makes big machines for building things:

• 

  Excavator

• 

  Loader

• 

  Tracked loader

• 

  Backhoe

• 

  Grader

Forestry Equipment

They make machines for working in forests:

• 

  Harvester

• 

  Forwarder

• 

  Skidder

Other Cool Products

John Deere also makes things for homes and businesses, like:

• Lawn mowers
• Small tractors for yards
• Snow throwers
• All-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
• And special GPS systems called StarFire.

They are also a big supplier of diesel engines and parts like axles and transmissions for heavy machines.

• 

  Lawn mower

• 

  UTV (Gator)

• 

  Diesel engine

• 

  Compact utility tractor

Where John Deere Machines Are Made

John Deere has many factories around the world.

The John Deere Pavilion in Moline, Illinois

Horicon Works in Horicon, Wisconsin

John Deere factory in Mannheim, Germany

Some major factories in North America include:

• Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois (makes large combines)
• Davenport Works in Davenport, Iowa (makes loaders and graders)
• Dubuque Works in Dubuque, Iowa (makes backhoes and tracked forestry equipment)
• Waterloo Works in Waterloo, Iowa (makes tractors and engines)
• Horicon Works in Horicon, Wisconsin (makes lawn and garden equipment)

Other important factories are in places like:

• Argentina (makes engines, tractors, and combines)
• India (makes tractors)
• Germany (makes tractors and harvesting equipment)
• Brazil (makes tractors and harvesters)
• Finland (makes forestry equipment)

John Deere's Family of Companies

John Deere has many companies that are part of its family.

Current Companies

• Bear Flag Robotics: Works on self-driving farm technology.
• John Deere Financial: Helps customers with loans and financing.
• Kemper: Makes special parts for harvesters.
• Waratah Forestry Attachments: Makes tools for harvesting trees.
• Blue River Technology: Uses computer vision and robots for farming.

Past Companies

• John Deere Renewables, LLC: This company used to build wind energy plants. It was sold in 2010.

John Deere's Money Story

John Deere is a very large company, and its financial numbers show how big it is.

John Deere's Environmental Efforts

John Deere tracks its CO2e emissions (gases that cause climate change). For the year ending September 2020, their emissions were 766 kilotonnes. They plan to reduce their emissions by 15% by 2022, compared to 2017 levels.

John Deere Sponsorships

John Deere sponsorship on Chad Little's NASCAR car

• The John Deere Classic is a professional golf tournament that the company sponsors.
• John Deere has sponsored race cars in NASCAR for drivers like Chad Little and Ricky Stenhouse Jr..
• They also used to sponsor the ice resurfacers for the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team.

Green Magazine

Green Magazine is a magazine for people who love John Deere. It started in 1984. The first issue had 10 black-and-white pages and was sent to 135 people. It came out every two months.

The magazine became very popular and started coming out every month in 1990. Now, it has about 30,000 readers. It usually has 88 colorful pages. The magazine includes articles about restoring old tractors, new models, and stories from readers.

John Deere's Leaders

Presidents

1. John Deere, 1869–1886
2. Charles Henry Deere, 1886–1907
3. William Butterworth, 1907–1928
4. Charles Deere Wiman, 1928–1942
5. Burton F. Peek, 1942–1944
6. Charles Deere Wiman, 1944–1955
7. William Alexander Hewitt, 1955–1964
8. Ellwood F. Curtis, 1964–1978
9. Robert A. Hanson, 1978–1985
10. Boyd C. Bartlett, 1985–

Chairmen of the Board

1. William Alexander Hewitt, 1964–1982
2. Robert A. Hanson, 1982–

Images for kids

• 

  Horse-drawn manure spreader

• 

  Company logo used between 1876 and 1912

• 

  John Deere Plow & Cultivators Co.'s New Orleans House, 1903

• 

  John Deere 7920 used by a track construction company

• 

  The John Deere 8530

• 

  John Deere representatives at the Encuentro Empresarial Coparmex in Chihuahua, Mexico.

• 

  New John Deere tractors on a barge, Mannheim Harbour

• 

  John Deere Combine harvesters being transported by railway on goods wagons in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, in the United States

• 

  John Deere 8530 tractor with Kinze 3700 planter

See also

In Spanish: Deere & Company para niños

• John Deere World Headquarters
• List of John Deere tractors
• John Deere Buck