Deere partners with India for farming project

It’s no secret that Deere & Company is very much involved with the global economy. Along those lines, the company announced it will work with local government in the state of Gujarat, India, on a public-private partnership.

The five-year project could benefit nearly 50,000 farm families. They will learn skills to help mechanize their farms and could increase crop yields.

Deere will open small agricultural implement resource centers there. It will also offer more than 500 tractors for use by local farmers. Each center will have a trained operator and maintenance staff.

Farmer groups will pay only for operating and maintenance costs and not for the actual tractor or implements.

Deere plans new factory in India

Everybody knows that Deere & Company is a multinational corporation that’s deeply involved in the global economy. It’s with those worldly reaches that the Moline-based ag giant announces plans to build a new factory in India. The company will also expand its current tractor factory in Pune. All of it amounts to about a $100 million investment.

The new factory will build small agricultural tractors that are sold in India and for export to other countries. No word yet on exactly where it will be built.

Deere’s top boss, Samuel Allen, said that for Deere to maintain and expand its leadership role, it must be active in many economies around the world.

It’s good to be the CEO

The compensation for Deere & Company’s CEO nearly tripled in 2010. According to the Associated Press, Samuel Allen’s $12.3 million compensation jumped from $4.3 million in 2009.

His 2010 compensation was still less than what his predecessor received. Robert Lane took home compensation worth $14 million in his final year leading the company.

By the way, all those figures are still less than what Albert Pujols will make playing baseball with the Cardinals this season. And don’t get me started on those movie salaries.

John Deere unveils new automated crop reporting

As seen in the Corn & Soybean Digest, John Deere is improving how producers report field data for crop insurance purposes.

The new Automated Crop Reporting process provides a simpler, more accurate way to track field data for a producer’s most time-consuming task: government reporting.

Deere’s goal is to be the leader in developing new technology that will help simplify the lives of producers.

Youngster makes some dough with Deere tractor

A suburban St. Louis boy is turning a holiday gift into a business opportunity.

Max Nissen, 12, is using a John Deere tractor to clear snow from neighbors’ driveways. According to KSDK, he charges $25 a session. He’s bringing in more than $200 on some of the better days.

Neighbors thought that the tractor was a strange gift at first. But after he turned it into a business opportunity, they became believers and customers, too.

John Deere art is a hit in Davenport

The combination of two institutions in the Quad Cities is proving to be very successful.
A spokesperson for the Figge Art Museum in Davenport says their John Deere art exhibit has brought thousands of people into the museum during its run so far.
Now, with the exhibit scheduled for another four months, visitors have a limited amount of time to see Big Green in a big way. There’s everything from oil paintings to old advertisements.
The exhibit runs through May 22 and features dozens of pieces from the company’s collection.