Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere[3], is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment and lawn care equipment. It also provides financial services and other related activities.
Deere & Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DE.[4] The company's slogan is "Nothing Runs Like a Deere", and its logo is a leaping deer with the words "John Deere". It has used logos incorporating a leaping deer for over 155 years. It is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.
In 2018, Deere and Company and 90 Fortune 500 companies "paid an effective federal tax rate of 0% or less" as a result of Donald Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[5]
It ranked in the 2022 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations.[6] Its tractor series include D series, E series, Specialty Tractors, Super Heavy Duty Tractors, and JDLink.
History
19th century
In 1836 Deere & Company began when John Deere, born in Rutland, Vermont, United States, on February 7, 1804, moved to Grand Detour, Illinois to escape bankruptcy in Vermont.[7] Already an established blacksmith, Deere opened a 1378 sqft shop in Grand Detour in 1837, which allowed him to serve as a general repairman in the village, and a manufacturer of tools such as pitchforks and shovels. An item that set him apart was the self-scouring steel plow, which was pioneered in 1837 when John Deere fashioned a Scottish steel saw blade into a plow.[8]
Prior to Deere's steel plow, most farmers used iron or wooden plows to which the rich Midwestern soil stuck, so they had to be cleaned frequently. Deere created a highly polished steel surface that allowed the soil to slide easily.[9] This tool addressed the difficulty of tilling the Prairie State's soil[10]
Non-serviceability by owners or third parties
Late model John Deere farm equipment has been criticized for being impossible to be serviced or repaired by owners or third parties. Only John Deere has access to computer code required for this and to accept non-John-Deere replacement parts. Remote locking by the manufacturer may also be possible. This effectively makes the equipment unusable without the continued involvement of John Deere.[68] It was reported that during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops stole Ukrainian farm equipment and took it back to Russia, but that the dealers who owned the equipment locked it remotely.[69]
John Deere's license covering the internal software on tractor control computers does not allow users or independent mechanics to modify the software.[70][71] This prevents repairs by farmers and creates a monopoly for John Deere dealerships.[72]
Products
John Deere manufactures a wide range of products, often with several models of each.[90]
Agricultural equipment
Agricultural products include, including tractors, combine harvesters, cotton harvesters, balers, planters/seeders, silage machines, sprayers, spreaders, dry machines, and grain carts.
Construction equipment
Construction equipment includes (but is not limited to):
Forestry equipment
John Deere manufactures a range of forestry machinery, among others, harvesters, forwarders, skidders, feller bunchers and log loaders. Timberjack was a subsidiary of John Deere from 2000 to 2006.
Other products
Factories
Major North American factories include:
Other important factories:
- Harvester Works (large combine harvesters), East Moline, Illinois
- Cylinder Internal Platform (hydraulic cylinders), Moline, Illinois
- Seeding Group (planting equipment), Moline, Illinois and Valley City, North Dakota
- Davenport Works (wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated dump trucks, wheeled forestry equipment), Davenport, Iowa
- Dubuque Works (backhoes, crawlers, skid-steer loaders, tracked forestry equipment), Dubuque, Iowa
- Des Moines Works (tillage equipment, cotton harvesters, sprayers, and fertilizer spreaders), Ankeny, Iowa
- Ottumwa Works (hay and forage equipment), Ottumwa, Iowa
- Thibodaux Works (cane-harvesting equipment, scrapers), Thibodaux, Louisiana
- Horicon Works (lawn and garden and turf care), Horicon, Wisconsin
Equipment divisions
Subsidiaries and affiliates
Current
- AGRIS Corporation (John Deere Agri Services)
- Bear Flag Robotics – Autonomous agricultural technology & equipment company[95]
- John Deere Ag Management Solutions (intelligent mobile equipment technologies), Urbandale, Iowa
- John Deere Capital Corporation
- John Deere Financial[96] (John Deere Credit and Finance), Johnston, Iowa
- Kemper (row tolerant headers for forage harvesters and combines), Stadtlohn, Germany
- Waratah Forestry Attachments (forestry harvesting heads), Tokoroa, New Zealand
Finances
Carbon footprint
John Deere reported total CO2e emissions (direct and indirect) for the twelve months ending 30 September 2020 at 766 Kt (−155/−16.8% y-o-y)[100] and plans to reduce emissions 15% by 2022 from a 2017 base year.[100]
Sponsorships
- The John Deere Classic is an American professional golf tournament sponsored by the company.
- John Deere sponsored the #23 and #97 cars for NASCAR driver Chad Little in the late 1990s.[101]
- John Deere sponsored the #17 car for NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in the late 2010s.
- John Deere previously sponsored the Carolina Hurricanes' ice resurfacers from early 2000s to mid 2010s.[102]
Green Magazine
Green Magazine is a publication devoted to John Deere enthusiasts.[103][104] It was begun in November 1984 by Richard and Carol Hain of Bee, Nebraska.
In early November 1984, the first issue was mailed to 135 paid subscribers. It had 10 black-and-white pages with features on tractors, letters from readers, and advertisements.[105] At the time, the magazine was published bimonthly. It was written in Lincoln, Nebraska, and mailed from the Bee post office.
The magazine grew rapidly, and in 1990, bowing to public demand, it became a monthly. Circulation continued to increase, and currently hovers around 30,000. The magazine now generally contains 88 full-color pages and is perfect bound. It is now printed in Michigan and mailed from several post offices throughout the country.
Leadership
President
- 1) John Deere, 1837-1886
- 2) Charles Henry Deere, 1886–1907
- 3) William Butterworth, 1907–1928
- 4) Charles Deere Wiman, 1928–1955
- 5) William Alexander Hewitt, 1955–1964
- 6) Robert A. Hanson, 1982–1990
- 7) Hans Becherer, 1990–2000
- 8) Robert Lane, 2000–2009
- 9) Samuel Allen, 2009–2019
- 10) John C. May, 2020–present
Chairman of the Board
See also
- John Deere Buck
- John Deere World Headquarters
- List of John Deere tractors
Sources and further reading
- Dahlstrom, Neil. Tractor Wars - John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester, and the Birth of Modern Agriculture (2022)
- Kendall, Edward C. "Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology pt. 2: John Deere's Steel Plow." Bulletin of the United States National Museum (1959). online
- Leffingwell, Randy. The John Deere Century (2018), well illustrated
External links
References
- Anne VanderMey. John Deere Plows Ahead Fortune, February 25, 2013^
- Deere & Co. FY 2025 Annual Report (Form 10-K) U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, December 18, 2025^
- John Deere US www.deere.com, retrieved 2025-09-21^