John Deere Planter History: Where Did It All Begin?

Farmers everywhere know that in order to make the most out of their time during the planting season, they need the right equipment on their side. This is where planters show their true value, especially those produced by John Deere. Today, the company’s planters allow producers to plant corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar beets, and popcorn accurately at 10 mph thanks to top-notch technological features. But, where did it all begin?

A Timeline of John Deere Planter History

To better understand how planting equipment got to where it is today, we’ve put together a list of some of the most critical moments of John Deere planter history. Let’s take a look at how the foundation for these pieces of equipment was built.

The Early Beginnings

Driven by the industry’s need for an accurate corn planter, Charles Deere (John Deere’s son) and Alvah Mansur (a Deere family business partner) formed the Deere & Mansur Company to manufacture planters. At the time, the planter company was operated separately from the Deere plow company in a small two-story building in Moline.

Soon after the partnership was formed, Deere & Mansur released the Deere Rotary Adjustable Corn Planter, which hosted an innovative rotary mechanism that made it an instant hit. Due to the success, the operation outgrew its small space and was moved into a larger location in Moline where planter innovation continued.

1887

Deere & Mansur introduced the Deere Center Lever Corn Planter, which featured a center lever that was designed to easily raise or lower the runners. The lever could be accessed by hand or foot to accommodate the farmers that unfortunately lost limbs in the Civil War.

Mid-1890s

With planting accuracy in mind, the Accumulative Single-Kernel Drill Planter (increased accuracy by 15 percent) and Edge Drop Planter were introduced. The Edge Drop Planter metered seeds out by thickness, as opposed to length, also increasing planting accuracy.

1899

Deere & Mansur was recognized as the largest planter manufacturer in the world.

1901

The No. 9 check-row corn planter was brought to the market. Due to its ease of use and supreme accuracy at the time, this planter was dubbed as “the foundation of John Deere planter leadership” by a 1940s The Furrow magazine article.

1911

Deere & Mansur was acquired by Deere & Company, as they eyed a full line of farm equipment manufacturing.

1913

The No. 999 was created. The planter hosted natural-drop seed plates, enclosure of both clutch and variable-drop gears, a safety fertilizer attachment, tongue truck, simple positive valve action, and special plates to handle the various types of hybrid corn.

1935

Due to the popularity of tractors, the need for a faster planter became apparent. In response, Deere released the four-row No. 450 Tractor Corn Planter. When attached to a tractor, this planter allowed farmers to plant 40 to 50 acres in a single day.