Deere & Company, also known as John Deere, is an American company that makes agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, and parts like axles, transmissions, and gearboxes used in heavy equipment and lawn care machines. It also offers financial services and other related activities.

Deere & Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DE. The company's slogan is "Nothing Runs Like a Deere," and its logo is a leaping deer with the words "John Deere." The company has used logos with a leaping deer for more than 155 years. It is based in Moline, Illinois.

In 2018, Deere & Company and 90 Fortune 500 companies paid an effective federal tax rate of 0% or less because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

In 2022, the company was ranked No. 84 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations. Its tractor models include the D series, E series, Specialty Tractors, Super Heavy Duty Tractors, and JDLink.

History

In 1836, Deere & Company began when John Deere, born on February 7, 1804, in Rutland, Vermont, United States, moved to Grand Detour, Illinois, to avoid bankruptcy in Vermont. Already a skilled blacksmith, Deere opened a shop that was 1,378 square feet (128 square meters) in size in 1837. This shop allowed him to repair tools and make items like pitchforks and shovels. A special tool he created was the self-scouring steel plow, which he made by shaping a Scottish steel saw blade into a plow in 1837.

Before Deere’s steel plow, most farmers used iron or wooden plows. These plows stuck to the rich Midwestern soil and needed frequent cleaning. Deere’s plow had a smooth steel surface that let soil slide off easily. This tool helped farmers till the soil in the Prairie State and made it easier for people to move to the American Great Plains in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

At that time, businesses usually made products only after customers ordered them. This method was slow. Deere realized this was not a good plan and started making plows before selling them. This allowed customers to see the plows first and buy them right away. News about his products spread quickly.

In early 1843, Deere partnered with Leonard Andrus and bought land to build a new factory along the Rock River in Illinois. The factory used water power to run machines. Named the "L. Andrus Plough Manufacturer," it made about 100 plows in 1842 and around 400 plows the next year. Deere’s partnership with Andrus ended in 1848, and he moved to Moline, Illinois, to be near the railroad and Mississippi River. There, he partnered with Robert Tate and built a factory that was 1,440 square feet (134 square meters) in size. John Gould later joined to manage the company’s accounts. Production increased, and by 1849, the Deere, Tate & Gould Company made over 200 plows each month. A second floor was added to the factory to help make more plows.

In 1853, Deere bought out Tate and Gould’s shares and brought his son, Charles Deere, into the business. The company made more than just plows, including wagons, corn planters, and cultivators. In 1857, the company produced nearly 1,120 tools each month. However, a financial recession in 1858 hurt the company. The company announced plans to make a steam engine to pull plows, but this never happened. To avoid going out of business, Deere gave his shares to his son-in-law, Christopher Webber, and his son, Charles Deere, who took over management. John Deere remained president until he retired in April 1886, but he died in May 1886 in Moline, Illinois. In 1868, the company was officially registered as Deere & Company. Charles Deere ran the company, and in 1869, he started using marketing centers and independent dealers to sell products nationwide. That same year, Deere & Company won a prize at the Illinois State Fair for the best display of plows.

The company focused on making farm tools, but in the 1890s, it also made a few bicycles.

In the early 1900s, competition from the International Harvester Company led Deere & Company to expand its product line. However, the production of gasoline tractors became the company’s main business in the 20th century.

In 1912, William Butterworth, Charles Deere’s son-in-law, became president after Charles Deere died in 1907. Butterworth started the company’s expansion into tractors. Deere & Company tried making its own tractors, like the Dain All-Wheel-Drive model, but eventually bought the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in 1918. This company made the popular Waterloo Boy tractor in Waterloo, Iowa. The company sold tractors under the Waterloo Boy name until 1923, when it introduced the John Deere Model D. Today, the company still makes many tractors in Waterloo, Iowa, including the 7R, 8R, and 9R series.

In 1927, Deere & Company made its first combine harvester, the John Deere No. 2. This machine had improvements like a more powerful engine. A year later, the company introduced the smaller John Deere No. 1, which became more popular. By 1929, these models were replaced by newer, lighter harvesters. In the 1930s, Deere and other companies developed technology to help harvest grain on hillsides with slopes up to 50%.

On an episode of the Travel Channel series Made in America, host John Ratzenberger said the company never took back equipment from American farmers during the Great Depression.

During World War II, Charles Deere Wiman, John Deere’s great-grandson, was president but joined the U.S. Army as a colonel. Burton F. Peek became president during this time. Before returning to the company in 1944, Wiman worked for the War Production Board. In addition to farm tools, Deere made military tractors, parts for the M3 tank, aircraft parts, ammunition, and mobile laundry units for the war effort.

In 1947, Deere introduced its first self-propelled combine, the model 55. Soon after, it made smaller models like 40 and 45, and larger models like 95 and 105. In the mid-1950s, the company added a corn head to its combines to help harvest corn.

In 1958, Deere & Company opened a factory in Argentina. The factory made tractors, backhoes, motor graders, and combines. In 2012, the factory also started making combine harvesters in a special format. The factory also made some backhoe loaders and motor graders, including models like 570 A/B, 544 A/B, 507, 308, 200, and 62

Non-serviceability by owners or third parties

People have criticized newer John Deere farm equipment for being difficult to service or repair by owners or third parties. Only John Deere has access to the computer code needed for repairs and can approve non-John Deere replacement parts. The company may also be able to lock the equipment remotely. This makes the equipment unusable without John Deere’s ongoing involvement. Reports show that during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops stole Ukrainian farm equipment and took it back to Russia, but dealers who owned the equipment locked it remotely.

John Deere’s license for the internal software on tractor control computers does not allow users or independent mechanics to modify the software. This prevents farmers from repairing their own equipment and creates a monopoly for John Deere dealerships. John Deere claims that user repair is forbidden by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which involves bypassing digital rights management. Groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation have criticized this practice, saying it violates the right to repair. Some farmers use Ukrainian versions of John Deere software to get around repair restrictions. In February 2022, the U.S. Senate introduced a bill to allow farmers to perform their own repairs. By April 2022, right-to-repair bills had been introduced in 26 states.

In January 2023, John Deere signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), agreeing to let farmers and independent repair shops buy access to John Deere software, manuals, and other repair information. Walter Schweitzer, President of the Montana Farmers Union, expressed doubt about the agreement, noting that the private-sector MOU lacks a legal enforcement mechanism and allows John Deere to leave the agreement if right-to-repair laws are passed. The AFBF agreed to encourage state farm bureaus to avoid supporting laws that require more than the MOU’s commitments.

The issue remains a problem for users of John Deere equipment in other countries, such as Australia, where agricultural machinery is not covered by Australia’s first right-to-repair law, a federal rule requiring data sharing in the automotive sector. In Australia, agricultural groups are pushing for right-to-repair laws for farming equipment. In November 2024, Australia’s federal and state treasurers signed a 10-year agreement on competition policy, which the federal treasurer called an important step toward broader right-to-repair reforms, especially in agriculture.

In June 2022, 13 lawsuits from farms and farmers accused John Deere and its dealerships of illegally working together to control the repair and maintenance market for their equipment. These cases were combined in a federal court in Illinois. In February 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement supporting the case, opposing John Deere’s request to dismiss it. The government argued that repair restrictions harm consumers and the public.

In November 2023, U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston rejected John Deere’s request to dismiss the case, stating that the plaintiffs’ claims included many facts showing that John Deere controls the repair market for its equipment.

In January 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an antitrust lawsuit against John Deere over its repair policies. The FTC claimed that John Deere raised repair costs by blocking independent shops from fixing its equipment. The FTC was joined by five U.S. states, including Michigan and Wisconsin.

Products

John Deere makes many different products, with several models of each.

Agricultural products include tractors, combine harvesters, cotton harvesters, balers, planters/seeders, silage machines, sprayers, spreaders, dry machines, and grain carts.

• Tractor
• Tracked tractor (9630T)
• FEL attachment
• Combine harvester
• Forage harvester
• Cotton picker
• Sugarcane harvester
• Seed drill
• Field sprayer
• Telescopic handler

Construction equipment includes (but is not limited to):

• Excavator
• Loader
• Tracked loader
• Backhoe
• Grader

John Deere makes a range of forestry machinery, including harvesters, forwarders, skidders, feller bunchers, and log loaders. Timberjack was a subsidiary of John Deere from 2000 to 2006.

• Harvester
• Forwarder
• Skidder

Other products the company makes include consumer and commercial equipment such as lawn mowers, compact utility tractors, snow throwers, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and StarFire (a wide-area differential GPS). It is also a supplier of diesel engines and powertrains (axles, transmissions, etc.) used especially in heavy equipment.

John Deere leasing has expanded to non-equipment loans. As of 2017, this is the leading division of John Deere. With a loan portfolio of $2 billion, it accounts for a third of John Deere's income.

• Lawn mower
• UTV (Gator)
• Diesel engine
• Compact utility tractor

Factories

Major North American factories include:

• Harvester Works (large machines that harvest crops), East Moline, Illinois
• Cylinder Internal Platform (machines that use hydraulic systems), Moline, Illinois
• Seeding Group (machines that plant seeds), Moline, Illinois and Valley City, North Dakota
• Davenport Works (machines that load heavy materials, smooth roads, carry heavy loads, and work in forests), Davenport, Iowa
• Dubuque Works (machines that dig, move over rough ground, lift heavy objects, and work in forests), Dubuque, Iowa
• Des Moines Works (machines that prepare soil, harvest cotton, spray liquids, and spread fertilizer), Ankeny, Iowa
• Ottumwa Works (machines that cut and collect hay and other plant materials), Ottumwa, Iowa
• Thibodaux Works (machines that harvest sugarcane and move dirt), Thibodaux, Louisiana
• Horicon Works (machines for lawns, gardens, and grass care), Horicon, Wisconsin
• Augusta Works (small machines that help with farming and business), Grovetown, Georgia
• Turf Care (machines for golf courses and cutting grass), Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
• Industrias John Deere (machines for farming and construction), Monterrey, Mexico
• Motores John Deere (machines that provide power, engines, and parts for heavy vehicles), Torreon, Mexico
• Coffeyville Works (parts that help machines change gears and move liquids), Coffeyville, Kansas
• Waterloo Works (machines that build tractors, parts for vehicles, and metal parts), Waterloo, Iowa
• Power Systems and Engine Works (machines that provide power and engines), Waterloo, Iowa
• Greeneville Works (simple machines for lawn care), Greeneville, Tennessee
• John Deere Kernersville (machines that dig and move dirt), Kernersville, North Carolina

Other important factories:

• John Deere Usine Saran (machines that provide power), Fleury-les-Aubrais, France
• John Deere Argentina (engines, tractors, and machines that harvest crops), Granadero Baigorria, Santa Fe, Argentina
• John Deere Equipment Pvt Ltd (machines that help with farming), Pune, India
• John Deere Equipment Pvt Ltd (machines that help with farming), Dewas, India
• John Deere Electronic Solutions (machines that control electronic systems), Fargo, ND and Pune, India
• John Deere Harvester Works (machines that harvest crops), Sirhind-Fategarh, India
• John Deere Werke Mannheim (machines that help with farming), Mannheim, Germany
• John Deere Brasil: Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul (tractors), Horizontina – RS (machines that harvest crops and plant seeds), Catalão – GO (machines that harvest sugarcane)
• John Deere Brasil Construction & Forestry (tractors and machines that dig), Indaiatuba, Brazil
• John Deere Werke Zweibrücken (machines that harvest crops), Zweibrücken, Germany
• John Deere Fabriek Horst (machines that spray liquids on farms), Horst, The Netherlands
• John Deere Forestry Oy (machines that move logs and work in forests), Joensuu, Finland
• John Deere Reman

Subsidiaries and affiliates

• AGRIS Corporation (John Deere Agri Services)
• Bear Flag Robotics – A company that creates automatic agricultural technology and equipment
• John Deere Ag Management Solutions (intelligent mobile equipment technologies), Urbandale, Iowa
• John Deere Capital Corporation
• John Deere Financial (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
• Agreentech
• NavCom Technology, Inc. (precision positioning systems, see also StarFire), Torrance, California
• John Deere Electronic Solutions (Strong and durable electronics), Fargo, North Dakota
• Ningbo Benye Tractor & Automobile Manufacture Co. Ltd. (low power tractors), Ningbo, China
• Machinefinder (used equipment division and marketplace)
• John Deere Technology Innovation Center, Research Park, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• QCFS and Consolidating (attachment distribution center), Davenport, Iowa
• Hagie Sprayers (Upfront Sprayers)
• KingAgro (Sprayers), Argentina
• PLA (sprayers), Argentina
• Wirtgen Group
• Blue River Technology – A company that uses computer vision and robotics to help farmers protect crops with machines that observe and treat plants precisely in the field.

• John Deere Renewables, LLC, a wind energy plant manufacturing arm that showed John Deere’s expansion into renewable energy – under which it completed 36 projects in eight states across the United States – was sold to Exelon Energy in August 2010.

Carbon footprint

John Deere reported total CO2e emissions (both direct and indirect) for the twelve months ending 30 September 2020 at 766 kilotons, which is a decrease of 155 kilotons, or 16.8%, compared to the same time last year. The company plans to reduce its emissions by 15% by 2022 compared to the 2017 base year.

Sponsorships

• The John Deere Classic is a professional golf tournament in the United States. The company sponsors this event.
• In the late 1990s, John Deere sponsored the #23 and #97 cars driven by NASCAR driver Chad Little.
• In the late 2010s, John Deere sponsored the #17 car driven by NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
• From the early 2000s to the mid-2010s, John Deere sponsored the ice resurfacers used by the Carolina Hurricanes. These machines smooth the ice on hockey rinks.

Green Magazine

Green Magazine is a publication focused on John Deere enthusiasts. It was started in November 1984 by Richard and Carol Hain of Bee, Nebraska.

In early November 1984, the first issue was sent to 135 paid subscribers. It had 10 black-and-white pages, including features about tractors, letters from readers, and advertisements. At that time, the magazine was published every two months. It was written in Lincoln, Nebraska, and mailed from the Bee post office.

The magazine grew quickly, and in 1990, because of reader requests, it became a monthly publication. The number of readers continued to increase, and today it is around 30,000. The magazine now usually has 88 full-color pages and is perfect bound. It is printed in Michigan and mailed from several post offices across the country.

Leadership

• John Deere, 1967–2000
• Charles Henry Deere, 1886–1907
• William Butterworth, 1907–1928
• Charles Deere Wiman, 1928–1955
• William Alexander Hewitt, 1955–1964
• Robert A. Hanson, 1982–1990
• Hans Becherer, 1990–2000
• Robert Lane, 2000–2009
• Samuel Allen, 2009–2019
• John C. May, 2020–present

• William Butterworth, 1928–1936
• William Hewitt, 1964–1982
• Robert A. Hanson, 1982–1990
• Hans Becherer, 1990–2000
• Robert Lane, 2000–2009
• Samuel Allen, 2010–2020
• John C. May, 2020–present

Sources and further reading

• Broehl, Wayne G. Jr. (1984). John Deere's Company: A History of Deere & Company and Its Times. New York City: Doubleday. ISBN 9780385196642. OCLC 10606276.
• Dahlstrom, Jeremy and Neil (2005). The John Deere Story: A Biography of Plowmakers John & Charles Deere. Dekalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press. ISBN 9780875803364. OCLC 56753352.
• Dahlstrom, Neil. Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester, and the Birth of Modern Agriculture (2022).
• Kendall, Edward C. (1959). John Deere's Steel Plow. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. OCLC 3302873.
• Kendall, Edward C. "Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, Part 2: John Deere's Steel Plow." Bulletin of the United States National Museum (1959). Online.
• Leffingwell, Randy. The John Deere Century (2018), well illustrated.