Deere & Company
Market Data Current As Of: September 12, 2026
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Deere & Company
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Company History
Founded 1837 in Moline, Illinois
John Deere founded the business in Grand Detour, Illinois, in 1837 after seeing that sticky Midwestern prairie soil clung to the cast-iron plows farmers had brought from the East. His polished steel plow solved a specific field problem first, then became a business because farmers could immediately see the productivity gain.
John Deere develops the first commercially successful self-scouring steel plow in Grand Detour, Illinois, after observing that sticky prairie soil would not shed cleanly from common cast-iron plows. The product gives the company a durable origin story: Deere wins by solving a customer's field problem with better material, design, and reliability.
Deere moves the business to Moline, Illinois, where river access, transportation links, and supplier proximity make it easier to scale from a blacksmith shop into a manufacturer. The move matters because the future Deere model depends not only on invention, but on repeatable production, logistics, and a widening dealer reach.
Deere & Company is incorporated in Delaware, formalizing the modern public-company structure behind the John Deere brand. By this point, the company has evolved far beyond plows into tractors, agricultural implements, and industrial equipment, but the core operating pattern remains the same: sell durable machines through trusted channels and support them over long working lives.
Deere signs major acquisitions on two sides of its strategy. Wirtgen gives Deere a deeper roadbuilding platform in construction equipment, while Blue River Technology adds computer vision and machine learning capabilities for plant-level precision agriculture. Together, the deals show how Deere was pairing industrial scale with software and sensing capability.
John C. May becomes chief executive officer on November 4, 2019, after serving as president and chief operating officer and after earlier roles in agricultural solutions, information technology, turf, utility, and international operations. His appointment marks Deere's leadership shift toward a smart-industrial strategy built around production systems, precision technology, and digital tools.
Deere reports FY2025 net sales and revenues of $45.684 billion and net income attributable to Deere & Company of $5.027 billion, down from the prior cycle peak but still profitable through weaker equipment demand. The year underscores the business model tension: Deere is investing in autonomy, precision agriculture, and lifecycle services while still exposed to farm income, construction demand, tariffs, and financing conditions.
Deere acquired NavCom Technology to deepen its GPS, satellite-positioning, and machine-guidance capabilities at a time when precision agriculture was moving from experimental technology toward commercial field use.
Deere agreed to acquire Germany-based Wirtgen Group to expand from its traditional agriculture and construction equipment base into a broader roadbuilding platform with milling, processing, mixing, paving, compaction, and rehabilitation brands.
Deere acquired Blue River Technology to bring machine learning, computer vision, and plant-level decision tools into precision agriculture, especially targeted spraying that can identify weeds and apply inputs only where needed.
Deere acquired Bear Flag Robotics to accelerate autonomous operation in agriculture, including technology that can allow existing machines to perform field work with less direct human control.
Since its establishment in 1837, Deere & Company expanded from an early-stage venture into a recognized leader in Agricultural, Construction, and Forestry Equipment, overcoming key market challenges.
Over its history, Deere & Company executed decisive strategic pivots toward scalable monetization and digital distribution, securing its current market leadership.
By continually modernizing operations and embracing workflow automation, Deere & Company maintains resilience through changing technological and economic cycles.