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in the beginning
Since our founding in 1837, John Deere has delivered products and services to support those linked to the land. Read about our past, what we learn from it, and how we use it to improve every day. -
the first product
In Grand Detour, Illinois, blacksmith John Deere hears farmers’ concerns that their plows, designed for the sandy soil of the eastern United States, aren’t shedding the thick prairie soil. In response, Deere fashions a highly polished steel mold board from a broken sawblade. -
rideable plow
Deere launches the Hawkeye Riding Cultivator, its first implement adapted for riding. One innovation is a wooden peg that breaks when it hits a solid object, saving the shovels. Deere & Company will introduce a similar concept on plows in 1950 with Sure-Trip safety-trip -
first patent
John Deere receives his first patent. It’s for the molds used in casting steel plows. Another is granted soon after, and a third in 1865. -
The Gilpin Sulky Plow
The Gilpin Sulky Plow, introduced in 1875, defeats 50 other plows in a field trial at the Paris Universal Exposition, winning the first place Sevres vase valued at 1,000 francs. Unit sales the following year rise to 5,198, and reach a height of 7,824 in 1883. -
john deere dies
Founder John Deere dies at the age of 82. Just a few months before, he tells someone that "during his long life it had been a great source of consolation to him to know that he had never willfully wronged any man and never put on the market a poorly made article." -
first gas powered tractor
John Froehlich tests the first successful, gasoline powered tractor. In 1918, John Deere will acquire the successor company, the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company. -
more death
Long-time president Charles Deere dies, and is succeeded by son-in-law William Butterworth. During his 21-year tenure, annual sales would grow from $4.5 million to $61 million, and Deere would become leaders in both the harvesting and tractor business. -
more product
After several years of consolidations and acquisitions, Deere & Company now counts planters, buggies, wagons, grain drills, and hay and harvesting equipment among its products. Sales grow from $5.2 million in 1910 to $30.7 million in 1913. -
in the tractor buissness
John Deere enters the tractor business. In the midst of the launch of the All-Wheel Drive Tractor, Deere buys the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, manufacturers of Waterloo Boy tractors. The company sells 5,634 Waterloo Boy tractors in its first year. -
testing
An oversaturated and speculative tractor market results in industry over-production and widespread fraud. As a result, the Nebraska Tractor Tests are introduced to implement industry standards for performance. Test Number 001 features a John Deere Waterloo Boy N tractor. -
new combination
Deere introduces its first combine, the 35-hp No.2, available with a 12' or 16' platform. A year later, Deere adds the smaller No. 1, which featured an 8', 10' or 12' cutter bar. -
di tracter
The Model “DI” tractor, John Deere’s first tractor built exclusively for industrial use, is introduced. -
Model m
The Model “M” Tractor is built at the new John Deere Dubuque Works. Two years later, the “M” is produced as a crawler, called the “MC.” With a front blade, it becomes a bulldozer. The versatile product is a precursor to John Deere’s construction and forestry businesses. -
new generation of power
Four “New Generation of Power” tractor models steal the show at Deere Day in Dallas. The completely new line of four- and six- cylinder tractors offer more horsepower than the two-cylinder models Deere had produced for more than 40 years. -
world head quarters open
The Deere & Company Administrative Center, today's World Headquarters, opens. Designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, it will win many architectural awards. -
snowmobiles
Nothing Runs Like a Deere™ advertises snowmobiles, a new product of the John Deere Horicon Works. The slogan lasts far longer than the snowmobile line, which is sold in 1984. -
150th anaversary
Deere celebrates its 150th anniversary. Continued low farm income and lower Deere sales lead to a net loss of $99 million. -
gator utility vehical
John Deere launches the Gator Utility Vehicle line. The 6x4 model can haul 800 pounds in its cargo box and tow 1,200 pounds. -
aquired timber jack
John Deere acquires Timberjack, a world-leading producer of forestry equipment, and Waratah, a forestry harvester head manufacturer, becoming the undisputed worldwide leader in the forestry business. John Deere opens a new tractor plant near Pune, India.
