DEERE AND COMPANY

Deere & Company

• American blacksmith John Deere developed the steel plowshare in the 1830s, an

improvement over the cast-iron shares then in use. He subsequently founded a

company that produced various farm implements

• One of the five oldest companies in the United States, Deere & Company is the

world's largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment and a major U.S. producer of

construction, forestry, and lawn and grounds care equipment.

• Born in 1804 in Vermont, John Deere was a blacksmith renowned for his craftsmanship and inventiveness.

• Deere has been an industry innovator since John Deere introduced the first successful self-cleaning steel

plow which scoured itself after lifting the soil, in 1837. Known to say, "I will never put my name on a plow

that does not have in it the best that is in me," Deere continued to improve his plows and to tailor them for

different soil conditions.

• In 1868 the business was incorporated as Deere & Company.

• Deere's Waterloo Boy tractors became famous in 1918

• In 1923 Deere introduced its own tractor, called the Model D.

• In 1972 Deere introduced the John Deere bicycle.

• In 1988 Deere formed a joint venture with Hitachi called Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery for earth

excavators.