John Deere Essay
Some of my earliest memories of living on a farm involve me riding in a tractor with my dad. The days were always hot, dusty, and seemingly endless. We would ride in that tractor for hours while my dad cut, raked, and baled hay. It was a bad day when the equipment broke down. My dad would climb out of the tractor, and try to fix whatever was going wrong. It was on those days that my dad probably wished for newer, better equipment. This was the same problem that John Deere addressed when he started his company. From the humble beginnings in 1837, to the multi-million dollar company today, John Deere has become a household name, and a trusted manufacturer of agricultural equipment. John Deere was a blacksmith in Grand Detour, Illinois in 1837 when he created the steel
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plow that provided pioneer farmers with the tool they needed to work in the sticky Midwest soil. The plows that were available to use were made for the sandy soil of the Northeast. They just could not get the job done in the rest of the country. Those cast iron plows had to be cleaned frequently to get the soil off so the farmers could make clean furrows. John Deere had the answer to all of their problems. Deere created a plow using an old steel blade that he had polished. Steel was hard to come by at this time, so he used a broken sawmill blade. This plow was also unique because the moldboard was shaped like a concave parallelogram. The moldboard determines how well the soil turns over so that was important to the plow’s success.
Production was slow at first, but business was good and steadily increased. By the year 1841, John Deere was able to build one hundred plows in one year. The business moved from Grand Detour to Moline, Illinois. Moline offered two major benefits of water power and transportation advantages. After going to Moline, Deere continued testing his products and improving his products based on customer suggestions. One hundred plows in one year was impressive, but just eight years later in 1849, John Deere made two thousand plows. His business was thriving. Like any good businessman, John Deere expanded his product line. An ad from 1857 referenced nine models, although the main differences between those were the sizes and materials. All of those plows had to be pulled by animals. The first time Deere really began to change his initial design was in 1875 when he created the Gilpin sulky plow. That was the first riding plow for the John Deere company, and it quickly became the best selling riding plow on the market. The Gilpin sulky plow had two wheels so the next step was to create the three-wheeled plow. This plow was called the New Deal gang plow. People liked it, and by the 1890s John Deere was selling both walking and riding plows. There were versions that had up to six bottoms. A plow with two bottoms had to be pulled by at least four horses, so a six bottom plow could only be utilized if the owner had a steam tractor. Steam plowing was hard, but it increased the amount of land that could be plowed to an impressive 1.75 acres per hour. By 1890 John Deere was producing plows, cultivators, drills, planters, wagons, and buggies. The company was expanding beyond the small plow business, and in the 1899-1900 fiscal year the business earnings exceeded two million dollars for the first time. The John Deere company continued to succeed for many years. A large number of businesses just did not last like John Deere, especially through the Great Depression. Sales plummeted to just under nine million dollars in 1933, but John Deere continued to carry debtor farmers. This strengthened the loyalty between farmers and the company. John Deere also secured employee loyalty through lowered rent cost in company housing and “make work” projects. Ingenuity did not come to a halt during the Great Depression, and the John Deere company created the Model A and Model B tractors. These became the most popular tractors in company history. World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, pulled America out of the Great Depression through a boost in production demands. John Deere would make military tractors, ammunition, aircrafts, aircraft parts, and cargo units during the war. Around forty-five hundred employees served in the military. John Deere was always expanding, and in 1947 they introduced the crawler. This marked the beginning of the Worldwide Construction Equipment Division. They added a blade to the front of the crawler, and a bulldozer was born. Another innovative product was John Deere’s first diesel powered tractor. John Deere equipment was not only ground-breaking, but beneficial to farmers because it boosted efficiency, just like it does today. For young, aspiring farmers and John Deere enthusiasts alike, there are plenty of ways to showcase their love for all things John Deere outside of buying the actual equipment.
Kids can play with smaller versions of the equipment that John Deere manufactures. There are battery operated mini tractors, and there are also toys that are big enough for kids to ride on and drive around. A little boy or girl can put on their John Deere tool belt or set up their very own farm. People both young and old can get John Deere shirts, hoodies, pajamas, and hats. In my own house, we have an array of John Deere merchandise that I grew up with. I still have my tractors that I used to play with almost ten years ago.
John Deere has many products spanning the divisions of forestry, construction, landscaping, military, sports turf, engines and merchandise. All of these products are very easy to identify as John Deere. The John Deere logo is the image of a leaping, yellow deer in a field of green. According to John Deere, the logo shows the company’s “...determination to stay focused on being the premier company in its industries worldwide…” and exemplifies how the company is staying true to its
values. John Deere may have started in Illinois, but today there are locations around the world. They have offices in America, Germany, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and Canada, just to name a few. If you go to the World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois, you can explore an extensive display floor, or you can go to the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum in Iowa. As of May 2016, John Deere was worth twenty-six billion dollars. The company employs a little over fifty-seven thousand people, and offers many career opportunities. There are jobs in finance, engineering, information technology, marketing, and supply management. John Deere offers internships for college students, and the company is very willing to work with students’ schedules. John Deere was listed at number thirty-five out of the top fifty companies to work for on an American business employee survey. John Deere has had to constantly maintain its reputation in order to beat top competitors. Some companies fighting to take customers from John Deere include Caterpillar, CNH, International Harvester, and Husqvarna. The key to winning on the market today is using more advanced technology, like hybrid electrification and the JDLink app. The app allows the operator to track the machine and collect data on performance and efficiency. John Deere must keep costs reasonable on these cutting edge products to keep up with the modern farmer.
John Deere has been an American classic for one hundred seventy-nine years. Consumers can trust John Deere to put their logo on high-quality products. Remember, nothing runs like a Deere.
plow that provided pioneer farmers with the tool they needed to work in the sticky Midwest soil. The plows that were available to use were made for the sandy soil of the Northeast. They just could not get the job done in the rest of the country. Those cast iron plows had to be cleaned frequently to get the soil off so the farmers could make clean furrows. John Deere had the answer to all of their problems. Deere created a plow using an old steel blade that he had polished. Steel was hard to come by at this time, so he used a broken sawmill blade. This plow was also unique because the moldboard was shaped like a concave parallelogram. The moldboard determines how well the soil turns over so that was important to the plow’s success.
Production was slow at first, but business was good and steadily increased. By the year 1841, John Deere was able to build one hundred plows in one year. The business moved from Grand Detour to Moline, Illinois. Moline offered two major benefits of water power and transportation advantages. After going to Moline, Deere continued testing his products and improving his products based on customer suggestions. One hundred plows in one year was impressive, but just eight years later in 1849, John Deere made two thousand plows. His business was thriving. Like any good businessman, John Deere expanded his product line. An ad from 1857 referenced nine models, although the main differences between those were the sizes and materials. All of those plows had to be pulled by animals. The first time Deere really began to change his initial design was in 1875 when he created the Gilpin sulky plow. That was the first riding plow for the John Deere company, and it quickly became the best selling riding plow on the market. The Gilpin sulky plow had two wheels so the next step was to create the three-wheeled plow. This plow was called the New Deal gang plow. People liked it, and by the 1890s John Deere was selling both walking and riding plows. There were versions that had up to six bottoms. A plow with two bottoms had to be pulled by at least four horses, so a six bottom plow could only be utilized if the owner had a steam tractor. Steam plowing was hard, but it increased the amount of land that could be plowed to an impressive 1.75 acres per hour. By 1890 John Deere was producing plows, cultivators, drills, planters, wagons, and buggies. The company was expanding beyond the small plow business, and in the 1899-1900 fiscal year the business earnings exceeded two million dollars for the first time. The John Deere company continued to succeed for many years. A large number of businesses just did not last like John Deere, especially through the Great Depression. Sales plummeted to just under nine million dollars in 1933, but John Deere continued to carry debtor farmers. This strengthened the loyalty between farmers and the company. John Deere also secured employee loyalty through lowered rent cost in company housing and “make work” projects. Ingenuity did not come to a halt during the Great Depression, and the John Deere company created the Model A and Model B tractors. These became the most popular tractors in company history. World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, pulled America out of the Great Depression through a boost in production demands. John Deere would make military tractors, ammunition, aircrafts, aircraft parts, and cargo units during the war. Around forty-five hundred employees served in the military. John Deere was always expanding, and in 1947 they introduced the crawler. This marked the beginning of the Worldwide Construction Equipment Division. They added a blade to the front of the crawler, and a bulldozer was born. Another innovative product was John Deere’s first diesel powered tractor. John Deere equipment was not only ground-breaking, but beneficial to farmers because it boosted efficiency, just like it does today. For young, aspiring farmers and John Deere enthusiasts alike, there are plenty of ways to showcase their love for all things John Deere outside of buying the actual equipment.
Kids can play with smaller versions of the equipment that John Deere manufactures. There are battery operated mini tractors, and there are also toys that are big enough for kids to ride on and drive around. A little boy or girl can put on their John Deere tool belt or set up their very own farm. People both young and old can get John Deere shirts, hoodies, pajamas, and hats. In my own house, we have an array of John Deere merchandise that I grew up with. I still have my tractors that I used to play with almost ten years ago.
John Deere has many products spanning the divisions of forestry, construction, landscaping, military, sports turf, engines and merchandise. All of these products are very easy to identify as John Deere. The John Deere logo is the image of a leaping, yellow deer in a field of green. According to John Deere, the logo shows the company’s “...determination to stay focused on being the premier company in its industries worldwide…” and exemplifies how the company is staying true to its
values. John Deere may have started in Illinois, but today there are locations around the world. They have offices in America, Germany, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and Canada, just to name a few. If you go to the World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois, you can explore an extensive display floor, or you can go to the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum in Iowa. As of May 2016, John Deere was worth twenty-six billion dollars. The company employs a little over fifty-seven thousand people, and offers many career opportunities. There are jobs in finance, engineering, information technology, marketing, and supply management. John Deere offers internships for college students, and the company is very willing to work with students’ schedules. John Deere was listed at number thirty-five out of the top fifty companies to work for on an American business employee survey. John Deere has had to constantly maintain its reputation in order to beat top competitors. Some companies fighting to take customers from John Deere include Caterpillar, CNH, International Harvester, and Husqvarna. The key to winning on the market today is using more advanced technology, like hybrid electrification and the JDLink app. The app allows the operator to track the machine and collect data on performance and efficiency. John Deere must keep costs reasonable on these cutting edge products to keep up with the modern farmer.
John Deere has been an American classic for one hundred seventy-nine years. Consumers can trust John Deere to put their logo on high-quality products. Remember, nothing runs like a Deere.