Deere and the Farm Equpment Theft

A Kentucky man was arrested in connection with farm equipment theft. According to MachineFinder, Stephen McCarty, 46, admitted to being involved in the thefts.

It totalled about $40,000 in equipment. That included a camper, John Deere Gator, several trailers and an all-terrain vehicle.

There are steps to help protect farm equipment. Along with securing them properly in a storage facility, people may consider removing batteries or ignition switches when machines are not being used.

John Deere and the UK Survey

When it comes to sales and satisfaction, Deere is keeping its dealers happy in the UK. That’s the word from Farmers Guardian, which detailed a survey recently conducted by the British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association.

It’s good to be number one. Deere beat out 13 other manufacturers to return the highest overall score in dealer feedback.

The survey is part of a new initiative aimed at assessing backup and service from manufacturers to their dealerships.  Deere took top place after dealers answered 53 questions to grade over five levels of satisfaction.

The results hope to show manufacturers more about their working relationships and how dealers perceive them.

Deere and the Russian Plant

Deere & Company Chairman and CEO Samuel Allen was a long way from the Moline headquarters on Tuesday. Turns out, he was in Moscow for the grand opening of a new manufacturing and parts distribution facility.

The plant will manufacture agricultural, construction and forestry machinery while also distributing service parts in the region.

The new facility opened just nine months after Deere first announced its plans at a business forum last summer. The company got a lot of government and community cooperation to open in a short time frame.

It’s actually part of a long tradition. According to Allen, Deere first sold products in Russia 100 years ago.

Deere and the Volunteer

The John Deere Classic is just around the corner, but it’s never too early to salute the volunteers that really make it all happen.

That’s the case for Paula Burnett, who is currently serving as the volunteer coordinator for the Quail Hollow Championship in North Carolina.

From the Charlotte Observer, there’s a salute to the energetic woman from Paw Paw, Illinois. The former cheerleader, 51, got her first taste of volunteering nearly 30 years ago in the Quad Cities.

These days, she still returns to the John Deere Classic every summer to volunteer. That’s even though she moved to Charlotte in 2002 with her family.

Burnett says that working with volunteers is like working with family. The John Deere Classic is always thrilled to have this member of the family return to Silvis for the big tournament.

Deere and the Rugby Team

Did you get to see Amy Calderone’s interesting piece on the rugby team Sunday night? She profiled a group of Australian rugby players who made their way to the Quad Cities.

These guys from down under didn’t just come to play around. They’re fulltime farmers in search of some quality John Deere products.

After getting their fill of tractors and plows, the club from Queensland, Australia, played the Quad City Irish, who knew they would be in for a battle.

The Aussies got a good look at Deere products to take back to their farm while the Americans learned more about a sport that is slowly gaining ground in the United States.

Deere and Tourism

With the milder temperatures and longer days, Summer vacations are just around the corner. While browsing the Sunday paper, I found the insert from enjoyillinois.com. It includes a section on John Deere attractions.

We’ve been talking about these staycations for quite a while. It’s a chance to sample local sites without spending a lot of money.

In the insert, it offers the chance to visit where the John Deere legend lives on. That’s Moline, Illinois, home of the John Deere Pavilion.

It’s one of the world’s most comprehensive agricultural exhibits. There’s also a chance to shop at the unique John Deere store.

The insert also promotes a day trip to step back in time at the Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour, Illinois, where it all began.

For more information, check out http://www.johndeereattractions.com, or call (309) 765-1000.

Weekend Assignment

Now that the weekend is upon us, take a minute to drop me a post on this subject.

Tell me what makes Deere equipment, the company, its employees important to you. It can be something serious, something funny or just routine.
Have fun and add your posts to this.
Enjoy the weekend,
John

Deere and the Medill Outlook

As a graduate of the Master’s program at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University way back when, this item off Medill Reports caught my eye.

Carolyn Surh reports that analysts are bullish on Deere & Company after it posted strong first-quarter profits.

Surh goes on to report that analysts are expecting Deere to have a strong 2010. Its agriculture machinery business is anticipated to benefit from strong farm cash receipts and high commodity prices. That may potentially offset continued slow sales in its construction equipment division.

Deere and the eBay Scam

From the Orlando Sentinel, comes word that Kissimmee Police released a security photo of a man suspected of taking $2,300 for a tractor sold on eBay that was never delivered to a West Virginia buyer.

The Sentinel reports that the man used a fake passport and gave a ficticious address when he picked up the money order for the tractor at a Publix in Kissimmee.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.

Deere and the Tractor Sale Down Under

I’ve seen firsthand how collectors come from all over to bid on John Deere tractors, parts and antique farm equipment.

It seems that the same enthusiasm can be found worldwide. A recent auction in Australia for vintage tractors brought in big money.

According to farmonline.com, all tractors were imported from the United States, with 17 of the 26 John Deere models selling to a top of $21,000.

That figure covered the price of a restored John Deere 720 tractor with good tires.

There were some bargains. An immaculately-restored John Deere Model M sold for $13,000 and a rare John Deere Model 60 went for $14,000.

The event attracted 55 bidders. One said that vintage John Deere tractors make a good investment, with their value doubling since 2004.