Deere lawn mowers on recall list

There’s a voluntary recall of John Deere mowers with foot lift option due to an injury hazard.

About 6,450 John Deere EZtrak Zero Turn lawnmowers were made by Deere & Company and sold nationwide, except in California, from February 2009-September 2010 for about $5,300.

A bolt on the steering lever can catch on the foot lift stop and lock in place. That can stick the steering lever in forward position, which poses a risk of injury.

The recall involves numerous models of Z445 riding mowers with 54-inch-high decks and 7445 or 7465 Zero Turn movers with Premium Foot Lift features.

Consumers should stop using the mowers and contact a John Deere dealer to have the lift stop bracket removed.

You can call (800) 537-8233 for information.

Deere’s Birdies for Charity raise $4.34 million for charities

One of the upswings of the John Deere Classic is the way the tournament helps local and regional charities. In 2010, officials tallied $4.34 million for more than 500 groups.

It’s the fourth consecutive year that the event’s charitable total topped $4 million.

It was a happy day as members of the John Deere Classic Board of Directors hand delivered some of the checks to various charities. Most of the donations will go out in the mail on Friday.

That amount of money translates to $11.57 for every person living in the Quad Cities.

Congrats to all the donors and sponsors!

Deere expands Brazilian factory

Sometimes we need to remember that Deere & Company is one huge multi-national corporation. Case in point: Deere’s $35 million investment to expand its factory in the Brazilian state of Goias.

Deere plans to step up its production capacity there over the next four years. It’s mirroring a jump in domestic sales there after a strong recovery following the financial crisis.

Deere also has two other factories in Brazil. The company wants to make new machinery to pulverize sugarcane.

Something I did not know, Brazil is the world’s number one sugar producer.

Sounds like some sweet dreams for Deere in Brazil.

Deere worker charged in mailroom scare

While reading the Quad City Times Friday morning, I came across this story about a former employee at John Deere Seeding Group in Moline.

Don Lawrence Asheim, 59, is facing federal charges after white powder was found in a mailroom back in April.

Asheim, who worked at Deere at the time, was indicted by a grand jury this week in U.S. District Court in Rock Island, on a charge of false information and hoaxes.

During the April incident, authorities temporarily shut down River Drive and kept about 100 employees inside the facility during the incident.

The substance was determined to be not hazardous.

Asheim apparently was protesting his tax bill and had written hostile and profane statements on it.

Deere & Company introduces John Deere Financial

As you know, Deere & Company does more than make combines and farm equipment. With that in mind, the ag giant is introducing a new name, John Deere Financial, for its business unit that offers credit and other financial services.

When the company decided to expand its presence in the crop insurance industry, officials decided to change the name to reflect the expanding range of financial products and services.

John Deere first entered the crop insurance market in 2005. It uses its expertise in agriculture to help customers get insurance protection against yield and price loss of their crops.

Tell me about your harvest this year

Around the Quad Cities, it looks like the harvest season is wrapping up quickly.

Farmers took advantage of the unusual warm and dry weather to get an early start on harvesting the crops around here. In some cases, up to three weeks earlier than usual.

Despite the early start, yields are said to be down around the region. One Mercer County farmer told me that he expects his corn crop to be down by as much as 30% this year.

With that in mind, how was your harvest this year? Did it meet expectations? Will the jump in prices have much of an impact? Do you expect to do much spending on farm equipment?

Just leave me a message below, and thanks!

Deere fan restores and collects tractors

Irvin Wildhagen knows a lot about about John Deere merchandise. The Brighton, Illinois, man, 85, started his collection more than a half-century ago, and he’s still going strong.

According to the Alton Telegraph, he owns more than 50 John Deere tractors and machinery. He keeps about 20 housed inside a barn.

His oldest tractor is a 1925 John Deere Model D. That was made the same year he was born.

While some of the work is understandably shipped out to others these days, he still paints nearly each one by himself. He also does plenty of engine work on his own.

As Irvin puts it, “There’s nothing like a Deere.”

FFA Convention on agenda for Deere student

The National FFA Convention starts on Wednesday in Indianapolis.  There will be hundreds of participants, parents, teachers and chaperones at the event.

Cole Ramsley will be on his way to the convention. Now 20, he’s a John Deere Ag Technician major at Northeast Iowa Community College.

As part of his studies, Ramsley works at Erlandson Implement in Kiester, Minnesota. He’s also one of Minnesota’s four national finalists for an FFA proficiency award.

Two participants from Iowa will also compete as national finalists.

Congrats, and good luck!

Deere goes back to school with College Fair

The John Deere Pavilion in Moline plays host to visitors from all over the world. But on November 12, it will host perhaps its most important visitors.

That’s because high school seniors, juniors, class groups and parents are invited to its College Fair. The event will run from 9 a.m until 2 p.m., at the Pavilion.

Students will get a chance to meet recruiters from more than 15 colleges and universities. The program offers special outreach for students interested in degrees in agriculture, life sciences and horticulture.

Groups will also get a chance to tour its Harvester Works, Davenport Works or the Seeding Division.

The Rock Island County Farm Bureau Federation and University of Illinois Extension organized the activities.

Deere’s hiring in the Quad Cities

While the Quad City Times gets ready to host its Career Fair on Tuesday, Deere is ready to fill some positions.

Included in its Sunday ads, Deere notes it’s currently seeking qualified applicants to join its Quad City operations.

The positions range from a welder, paying $16.005 per hour to a tool & die maker, mechanical machine maintenance and electrical machine maintenance all paying $23.705 per hour.

Deere’s ad says that the positions include competitive wages and benefits.

Apply at http://www.johndeere.jobs in order to be considered. On the website, click United States, then “John Deere Wage Opportunities.”

Good luck, and let me know if you get hired!