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Engines rev, and the ground trembles. Out in the back parking lot, yellow tape marks the parking area for the big school event: the tractors. Every year throughout many of the Western, Southern, and Midwestern states in rural areas, schools host Tractor Day.
Tractor Day or John Deere Day, as it is sometimes called, offers farming students the opportunity to show off their mom and dad’s tractor and their developed driving skills. The cars stay to the front, and a wide entry and pass point allows the tractors to make their way to the back. High school students who are allowed to drive have to get up extra early to get to school on time since traffic is usually very slow on these days.
Lined up on the grass and in the parking lot, shined and polished to look their very best, sit rows and rows of tractors. And what brand name is emblazoned on most? That’s right, John Deere. Though Tractor Day is intended to honor the farming families in the community, it also honors someone else who made the tractors they ride possible: a blacksmith from Vermont born over two hundred years ago.
In 1804, John Deere entered a cold, poverty stricken home in Vermont. His father disappeared on his way to England when Deere was just a boy, and so he was raised by and eventually carried for his mother. He only had a limited education, the common form that barely taught the basics. After that, he agreed to a four year apprenticeship, and in that time, he distinguished himself, heading out on his own in 1825. His hard work, determination, and creative ingenuity gained him an excellent reputation and created a loyal customer base.
In the beginning of his career, Deere sold highly polished and honed hay forks, shovels, and similar farming tools. His reputation began to precede him. Two short years later, he married Demarius Lamb. They had five children, and business continued. But despite his professionalism and skill, business declined. With little income, Deere knew that he and his family needed to move.
They headed out to the small village of Grand Detour, Illinois. Here, Deere’s new tools were much sought after, but the plows he made in Vermont did not work as well in the thick Illinois sod. In 1837, Deere developed a new steel plow, highly polished and more efficient. It became very popular.
Deere and Company introduced a variety of new products including the Hawkeye Riding Cultivator, the precursor to the tractor. Cotton, corn, and bean planters as well as plows, cultivators, harrows, goads, wagons, hitches, and buggies were other components of his inventory. At one point, he even sold bicycles. By the time 1841 rolled around, Deere was manufacturing orders for 100 plows per year and receiving orders for more than he and the business could handle.
Deere went into business with Leonard Andrus in 1843. The company was known as “Deere and Company.” Famously, his partner claimed that Deere spent too much time fiddling with the designs, stating that farmers would buy whatever was available. But Deere rejected that line of thinking. He was devoted to quality.
Deere and Company continued to focus on product development, always looking for ways to make it stronger and better. The company’s focus had shifted to being more of a manufacturing company than just blacksmithing. Prices, however, continued to go up, particularly for coal and water power.
With the price increases, Deere made another decision. He chose to end the partnership with Andrus in 1848 and move to Moline, Illinois. Here prices were more affordable. Business increased dramatically.
Deere continued to focus on the current processes farmers used. He looked in depth at the way that their own products could be improved to help farmers do their jobs better. Because of this attention to detail and current needs, Deere and Company’s business boomed.
While Deere had intended to pass the reins of the business on to his oldest son, Francis, Francis’ death changed that. So Deere informed his second oldest son, Charles that he was the vice president. In 1858, John Deere handed full authority over to his son, though he retained the title of president.
With his focus now freed, he began to spend more time in politics and serving the community. He founded and served as president of the National Bank of Moline. He also became the director of the Moline Public Library, and he volunteered to become one of the trustees for the First Congregational Christian Church. Amidst this busy schedule, he continued to lead a full and busy life. He even went on to serve two years as the mayor of Moline.
After more than twenty years of civic service, Deere began struggling with chest pains and dysentery. Though the people asked him to, he refused to run for a second term as mayor. To escape the cold chill, he and his wife traveled to Santa Barbara and San Francisco only the transcontinental railroad. He passed away from dysentery on May 17, 1886 in his home.
The entire city mourned his passing. All of his factories and offices as well as many others in Moline draped themselves in black, and the flags were hung at half mast. More than 4,000 people waited at the First Congregational Church where he served to pay their respects to him and his family.
The tractor, probably the most iconic pieces of the Deere corporation, was not made until 1918. But during John Deere’s lifetime, the foundation for the famous tractor was put into place. Deere’s dedication to innovation and meeting the needs of the farmers lead to future leaders honoring that memory and continuing to pursue those goals.
Some believe that Deere had already conceived possible forms of the modern tractor which his grandson-in-law, William Butterworth, pursued when he assumed control of the company. The principle, that they should always be seeking to give their customers the best, continued to be embodied in everything from the plow to the tractor.