It all began as a small project by a single person who owned a blacksmith shop and had a highly skilled blacksmith working for him. All it needed was a discarded steel saw and tons of determination. Today, the determination has paved the way to success, and the blacksmith shop has grown into one of the leading companies producing Agricultural (Farming) and Land Maintenance equipment in America. The blacksmith shop is now famously known as Deere and Company, and its owner and founder are John Deere himself.
Deere and Company began in 1837, in Grand Detour, Illinois. Through the years, it has undergone several changes to improve itself and the services it offers. Its core principles include Integrity, Value, Commitment, and Innovation, which is reflected in all the products they manufacture and the service that they extend.
Their journey began in 1837 and soon moved to Moline, Illinois (about 75 miles from Grand Detour) in 1848. Charles Deere, John’s only son, joined the business in 1853. By 1874, despite economic problems among farmers, the company had managed to sell about 50,000 plows. In 1876, the leaping deer trademark was registered. In the next 8 years, they expanded their product lines to include plows, wagons and buggies, and an innovating rotating plant mechanism.
After John Deere’s death in 1886, his son Charles took over as the Chief Operating Officer. They have five key branches now, in Kansas City, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Council Bluffs/Omaha, and San Francisco. In 1899-1900 fiscal years, the companies aggregate business exceeded $2 million for the first time. The year 1907 saw the death of Charles Deere and the introduction of a new pension scheme for those employees who have put in more than 20 years of service and are over 65 years old. In 1931, a $1.2 million embezzlement of the company’s finances threatened its closure, but the company survived.
In 1941, USA entered the Second World War, and limitation orders restricted the civilian production of farm equipment. The company briefly directed its farm equipment and machinery to the War Production Board but withdrew by 1944. The company continues to expand, and in 1966, sales surpassed $1 billion for the first time. In 1986, a 163-day strike severely affected production, the impact of which was felt across the country.
The latter part of the 21st century did see a phenomenal increase in the need for such farm equipment. The companies sales in the year 2012 were declared as $36.2 billion with a net income of $3.1 billion, thereby setting a new record.
