Company Description
Deere & Company (NYSE: DE), commonly known as John Deere, operates in the farm machinery and equipment manufacturing industry within the broader manufacturing sector. According to company and analyst descriptions, Deere is a global leader in the delivery of agricultural, construction, and forestry equipment, and is also a major producer of construction machinery. The company supports work that helps produce food, fiber, fuel, and infrastructure, positioning its equipment and services as part of everyday life around the world.
Core business and segments
Deere & Company reports its operations through four primary segments: Production & Precision Agriculture (PPA), Small Agriculture & Turf (SAT), Construction & Forestry (CF), and Financial Services (FS). The production & precision agriculture segment is described as the largest contributor to sales and profits, reflecting its importance to the overall business. Small agriculture & turf focuses on equipment and solutions for smaller-scale agricultural and turf customers, while construction & forestry covers machinery used in construction, roadbuilding, and forestry applications. The financial services segment, often referred to as John Deere Financial, functions as a captive finance subsidiary that provides retail financing for machinery to customers and wholesale financing for dealers.
Deere goes to market through a dealer network that, based on available descriptions, includes over 2,000 dealer locations in North America and extends into more than 100 countries. This dealer structure is central to distributing equipment, providing support, and connecting customers to financing options through John Deere Financial.
Geographic reach and industry role
Analyst data indicates that Deere generates a significant portion of its sales in the United States and Canada, with additional contributions from Europe, Latin America, and other regions. Deere’s management highlights that the company serves diverse customer segments and geographies and that this diversity has helped it navigate different points in the agricultural and construction equipment cycles. Company communications emphasize Deere’s role in helping customers respond to worldwide demand for food, shelter, and infrastructure, and in addressing challenges such as supply chain efficiency, resource management, and changing climate patterns.
Technology, precision solutions, and digital tools
Deere describes itself as driving innovation in agriculture, construction, forestry, turf, and power systems. Its Smart Industrial Operating Model and related "Leap Ambitions" are referenced in company materials as key frameworks for transforming agriculture and construction through advanced technologies. Examples mentioned by the company include technology-enabled products such as the John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor, See & Spray™, and an E-Power Backhoe, which are cited as ways to help customers be more productive and operate more sustainably.
In addition to hardware, Deere has developed digital platforms and tools. The company highlights the John Deere Operations Center™, Equipment Mobile, and Shop.Deere.com as part of its digital support environment. A notable example is Operations Center™ PRO Service, a digital tool designed to enhance how equipment owners use, maintain, diagnose, repair, and protect their equipment. Deere states that Operations Center™ PRO Service offers machine health insights, diagnostic trouble codes, PIN-specific machine content, software reprogramming for John Deere controllers, diagnostic readings and recordings, interactive diagnostic tests, and calibrations. These capabilities are positioned as supporting both connected and non-connected machines across Deere’s agriculture, turf, construction, and forestry equipment portfolio.
Deere also emphasizes its support for customer self-repair. In describing Operations Center™ PRO Service, the company notes that it is intended to reaffirm Deere’s support of customer self-repair and to give equipment owners more control over how they maintain and repair their machines. With the owner’s permission, local independent service providers can use this tool to access diagnostic and repair information, broadening the ecosystem of support options beyond Deere dealers.
Financial services and capital structure
Through the Financial Services segment, Deere provides retail financing for customers purchasing machinery and wholesale financing for dealers. Company disclosures and analyst descriptions identify John Deere Financial as an integral part of the business model, supporting equipment sales and dealer inventory. Financial services results are reported separately and are influenced by factors such as financing spreads, provisions for credit losses, and credit performance.
Deere also accesses capital markets through debt offerings. For example, a recent Form 8-K describes an issuance of notes by Deere Funding Canada Corporation, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Deere & Company, with the notes fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by Deere & Company. This illustrates how the company uses subsidiaries and guarantees to support its funding strategy.
Corporate governance and board structure
Deere & Company is incorporated in Delaware and files regular proxy statements and current reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A recent definitive proxy statement describes a board of directors elected by shareholders and outlines matters such as director elections, advisory votes on executive compensation, auditor ratification, and shareholder proposals. Company filings also document changes in board composition and leadership roles. For instance, an 8-K filing reports that the board increased its size and elected Brian Sikes, Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Cargill, as a director and member of the Compensation and Corporate Governance committees.
Other filings note changes in leadership positions within the company’s operating divisions and corporate functions, such as the appointment of presidents for Production & Precision Agriculture and Small Agriculture & Turf, and leadership roles overseeing lifecycle solutions, supply management, and customer success. These changes are presented as part of Deere’s efforts to advance its Smart Industrial strategy and to align leadership with its technology and customer support priorities.
Purpose, strategy, and risk environment
Deere frequently references a higher purpose summarized as "We run so life can leap forward." Company communications state that, from its origins with a steel plow nearly two centuries ago, John Deere has evolved to support global needs for food, fuel, clothing, and infrastructure. Deere highlights its focus on helping customers push the boundaries of what is possible in ways that are more productive and sustainable.
In its earnings releases and risk factor discussions, Deere identifies a wide range of factors that can affect its performance, including the agricultural business cycle, global trade policies and tariffs, political and economic conditions in the regions where it operates, climate patterns and weather events, supply chain disruptions, availability and price of raw materials and components, currency fluctuations and interest rates, and regulatory changes across areas such as environmental standards, data privacy, and product liability. The company also cites competition, technology adoption (including precision technology and artificial intelligence), dealer practices, workforce considerations, and cybersecurity as important elements of its operating environment.
Community engagement and talent pipeline
Deere’s communications describe engagement with educational and community organizations that support the future of agriculture. One example is a multi-year investment by the John Deere Foundation in the National FFA Organization, which the company characterizes as the nation’s premier school-based youth agriculture organization. Deere notes that this investment is intended to help FFA reach more students and strengthen leadership development, reflecting a shared commitment to growing the next generation of leaders and supporting farming communities.
Across its disclosures and news releases, Deere underscores the role of its employees in executing its strategy and navigating industry challenges. The company credits its workforce with helping transform obstacles into opportunities and with supporting customers around the world through periods of market uncertainty.
Why investors follow Deere & Company
Investors and analysts follow Deere & Company because of its central role in agricultural equipment, its presence in construction and forestry machinery, and its integrated financial services operations. The company’s segment reporting provides insight into trends across large-scale production agriculture, smaller agriculture and turf markets, and construction and forestry. Its focus on precision technologies, digital tools like Operations Center™ PRO Service, and self-repair capabilities offers additional context for understanding Deere’s strategic direction and long-term positioning within farm machinery and equipment manufacturing.