Focused on Safe Operations, Deere Reports Second Quarter Net Income of $665.8 Million

MOLINE, Illinois — Deere & Company reported net income of $665.8 million for the second quarter ended May 3, 2020, or $2.11 per share, compared with net income of $1.135 billion, or $3.52 per share, for the quarter ended April 28, 2019. For the first six months of the year, net income attributable to Deere & Company was $1.182 billion, or $3.73 per share, compared with $1.633 billion, or $5.07 per share, for the same period last year.

 

Worldwide net sales and revenues decreased 18 percent, to $9.253 billion, for the second quarter of 2020 and decreased 13 percent, to $16.884 billion, for six months. Net sales of the equipment operations were $8.224 billion for the quarter and $14.754 billion for six months, compared with $10.273 billion and $17.214 billion last year.

 

"John Deere's foremost priority in confronting the coronavirus crisis has been to safeguard the health and well-being of employees while fulfilling its obligation as an essential business serving customers throughout the world," said John C. May, chairman and chief executive officer. "We've had good success in these areas thanks to the proactive measures we have taken to keep employees safe and our production facilities and parts distribution centers operational. At the same time, the company has reached out to our local communities to help those in need as a result of the pandemic. Deere and its employees have provided generous support to area food banks and other organizations offering assistance during this difficult time."

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.