Remembering John Deere's Vermont roots

It's no surprise to see John Deere equipment around Vermont in the summer months. Annual tractor parades in Charlotte, Dorset, Manchester, and Peacham − to name a few − are guaranteed to display the John Deere logo in the line-up of tractors.

The Green Mountain State offers several locations which sell the company's equipment, so John Deere is never far. The company has never been based in Vermont, but Deere himself was actually a native Vermonter.

Deere was born in Rutland on February 7, 1804, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. His family moved to Middlebury during his childhood, and it was there that he began his career. Deere ended his education and began his adult life when he apprenticed with Middlebury blacksmith Capt. Benjamin Lawrence at just 17 years old.

When he was 21, Deere started his own blacksmith business and worked for 12 years, traveling around Vermont until the New England economy made life as a rural blacksmith too difficult for Deere.

The New England economy was in the midst of a rapid decline by 1836, and Deere moved to Illinois to continue his business. It was there that he invented the plow that changed agriculture and made his name synonymous with farming equipment.

In 1837, shortly after his move to Illinois, Deere invented the first steel plow, according to the John Deere company website. He had noticed that soil often stuck to the wooden and cast iron plows commonly used in the Northeast.

Deere created a plow from a broken steel saw, and found that it was much more efficient, according to the John Deere company website. The agricultural community agreed and the product caught on quickly.

This plow, also known as "the plow that broke the plains," according to the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, was a revolutionary change in the agricultural industry and cemented Deere's name and business into the national conversation.

What started as an apprenticeship in Middlebury has grown into massive company in America and beyond. According to the John Deere website, the company has locations across six continents, and their global presence is clear. John Deere reported a net income of $5.9 billion in 2021, according to a company press release.

Deere lived the rest of life in Illinois, but his Vermont roots are still very much visible. A placard in downtown Middlebury commemorates the famous inventor and businessman's roots in the Green Mountain State, and in rural Vermont, you're never far from some John Deere equipment.

Kate O'Farrell is a reporter for the Burlington Free Press. You can contact her at KOFarrell@freepressmedia.com.