As he used to say, "If we don't improve our product, somebody else will. He also made a commercial innovation. At that time, blacksmiths made goods only on order, but Deere, who had a sure thing, mass-produced his plows and then took them on sales tours. By , Deere was selling over 13, plows per year. Don't miss our next newsletter! A shift from that thinking into industrial-scale production was what made John Deere's name synonymous with farm technology.
But there was a problem. It's all about getting rid of the native stuff that's there and turning the soil over. One of the downsides to that is that the soil gets washed away. The modern plow has helped to feed billions, but also contributed to massive erosion that has damaged farmland and polluted waterways. Habitat for wildlife has been lost. Species have been driven to extinction. The Dust Bowl of the 's was a direct result of large-scale plowing with the technological descendants of Deere's steel plow.
Without the roots of native plants to hold the soil down, a drought turned the loose soil into dust that literally buried entire towns. In the American History Museum, there is a very old plow. The popular story is that John Deere had a eureka moment, invented the steel plow that won the West, and that this is one of the first three plows that Deere personally forged. Plows were very regionally sold.
He has a particularly good plow and as his business grows into new markets he is competing with other sellers. They are all borrowing ideas from each other. By 'borrowing,' I mean stealing them. John Deere did not invent the steel plow in any more than Henry Ford invented the automobile. Deere established a process for perfecting the plow, which led to the creation of a company that has invented or mass-produced not only plows but also cultivators, combines and tractors that have reshaped a large percentage of the Earth's landscape.
Today, the company he founded is part of a revolution in agricultural technology that is moving away from the plow that birthed it. Plowing is primarily a means of uprooting weeds and killing them in order to stop them from competing with crops.
It also makes it easier to plant seeds. But now we have other technology for dealing with weeds. Shortly after arriving, Deere learned from his farmer customers that the commonly used cast-iron plows of the day performed poorly in the sticky soil of the Midwest prairie. Soil clung to the plow bottoms, and farmers had to stop and scrape off the dirt every few feet.
Convinced that a plow with a highly polished surface would shed the sticky soil as it moved through the field, Deere made a plow using steel from a broken sawblade. The need for a self-scouring plow was so great, it is said hundreds of people gathered at the farm of Lewis Crandall near Grand Detour to see the young blacksmith test his new product. In , Deere moved his growing operation 70 miles southwest to Moline, Illinois, on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
The river provided water power for running a factory, as well as riverboats for bringing in raw materials and moving plows to market. Our heritage Discover the milestones that shaped us. Origin of the Plow When the American economic bubble burst in the s, John Deere headed west, soon to be followed by his wife and five children. The Opportunistic Blacksmith Convinced a different material and shape would solve the problem, Deere found a broken steel sawblade and began crafting history.
From Dirt, We Grow Deere used the momentum from this single innovation to build a business and keep refining the product itself. An icon of quality Our leaping deer trademark is recognized worldwide.
Leading the land The strength of our leaders is reflected in the strength of our company. Live the legacy Learn the stories behind legendary John Deere people, places, and products by visiting our wide range of John Deere Attractions. Sustainability Our future. Innovation Driving Forward. Investing Continuing Growth.
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