John Deere

HistoryEveryone has most likely seen the unmistakable logo and colors of a John Deere tractor, but few understand anything beyond the trademark green and yellow colors. The John Deereactually got its start when a man named John Deere built a plow that made farming easier andless of a task for farmers in 1837. After the plow, the company started to grow and has continuedto do so ever since. In order to fully understand the success of the John Deere Company oneneeds to know more about the company founder, the products of the company, and it business practices that allow it to thrive in the face of many competitors. There might be many reasons for the success of John Deere, but in order to truly understand one has to look at the company beginnings.According to John Deere’s website, John was born in Rutland, Vermont, on February 7,1804, and raised in the nearby town of Middlebury. At the age of four Johns father was lost at seawhich left John’s mother, Sarah Deere, to raise John and his five brothers and sisters by herself.John didn’t have much growing up and he received the simplest education available. Inhis early teens, John took a job with a tanner where he ground bark for a very small amount of money, a pair of shoes, and clothes.

In 1847 John Deere promised, "I will never put my name on a product that does not have in it the best that I have in me." For more that 157 years John Deere has remained true to that commitment -- building their reputation by building value into every machine that bears their name. So you can count on equipment that's as productive as possible. Up and ready to work
2
when you are. And designed to minimize your daily operating costs. Nothing Runs Like a Deere™

General Industry Information:
Company Information:
One of the five oldest companies in the United States, Deere and Company is the world's largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment and a major U.S. producer of construction, forestry, and lawn equipment. The company has factories throughout the world and distributes its products in more than 160 countries through independent retail dealers-nearly 5000 worldwide. It is also active in financial services. Deere has been an industry innovator since John Deere introduced the first successful self-cleaning steel plow in 1837. At that time most Americans lived on farms; now many of Deere's customers belong to the upper 5 percent of the nations farmers, who take in 80 percent of the net farm income; these farmers run huge farms and require sophisticated equipment.
Close behind apple pie and the Fourth of July in recognizable symbols of Americana runs a golden deer. In the 167 years since it was founded, John Deere & Company has worked its way to becoming one of the most recognized, respected and trusted of American brands.
The American inventor and manufacturer John Deere (1804-1886) was one of the first to design agricultural tools and machines to meet the specific needs of midwestern farmers.
John Deere was born in 1804 in modest circumstances in Rutland, Vt., the third son of William Rinold and Sarah Yates Deere. After receiving the limited education available to a country boy, Deere was apprenticed at 17 to a blacksmith in
3
Middleburn, Vt. He completed his apprenticeship in 4 years and became a master craftsman.
In 1836 Deere left Vermont for Grand Detour, Ill., where he found ready employment in his trade. He prospered, for the farmers kept him fully occupied supplying their customary needs. They also presented him with an unusual problem posed by the local soil. The soil of Illinois and other prairie areas was not only difficult to plow because of its thick sod covering but also tended to clog the moldboards of plows. Deere tried covering the moldboard and cutting a plowshare from salvaged steel. Steel surfaces tended to shed the thick soil and were burnished by the abrasive action of the soil. Deere's new plows, introduced in 1839, sold readily, and within a decade the production of plows by Deere and his new associate, Leonard Andrus, exceeded 1,000 per year. Deere parted company with his partners to move to Moline, Ill., which was better situated for a market, transportation, and raw materials.
Repeated experiments produced an excellent moldboard and demonstrated that further improvements in the plow were dependent on using better-quality steel. Deere imported such steel from an English firm until a Pittsburgh firm cast the first plow steel in the United States for him. Deere's production of plows soared to 10,000 by 1857 as agriculture in the Midwest grew to meet the unprecedented demands of the growing home and export market.
The business was incorporated in 1868 with Deere and his son, Charles, in the
4
executive positions. During the Civil War the company prospered as it diversified its output to include wagons, carriages, and a full line of agricultural equipment. It also adopted modern administrative practices and built an efficient sales, distribution, and service organization which reached into all parts of America. Deere remained active in the management of the company until his fatal illness in 1886. He was succeeded by his son.
John Deere married twice. His first wife, Demarius Lamb, died in 1865. Two years later he married her younger sister, Lucinda Lamb.