July 8, 2002

The Green Girl weekly web column by Brenda Kruse

July 8, 2002

Formerly on FieldReporter.com

Playing the game of (farm) life
What it takes to win Deere’s Centennial "Master Farmer" game

In honor of its 100^th birthday, John Deere produced a "Master Farmer" board game for its farmer customers.

City slickers: this is your chance to try your hand at farming…without the actual financial consequences of poor decision-making, Mother Nature’s wrath or the volatility of the commodity markets.

For those experienced in farming, the board game may prove easier than in real life!

As the last paragraph of the instructions reads, "As the game progresses, you will advance in your ‘farming.’

You can see that while weather conditions and a few other elements of chance affect your success, it is also important for you to have good farming equipment in order to be a winning farmer."

Mailed in an oversized envelope bearing a 3-cent stamp out of Moline, each game was sent to customers from the John Deere Plow Company to help celebrate its centennial. The 16 by 20-inch tri-fold board included a spinner wheel and cut-out game pieces.

A mix of tinted photographs and cartoon artwork show the various farming tasks by season – from plowing and disking to drilling and planting…plus haying, hauling, harvesting, and more.

To win, you must travel along the 100 spaces to reach the winning spot, which says: "You have made a larger net profit with your John Deere Tractor and equipment. You win."

But along the way, you can run into common farming pitfalls (and just plain old bad luck or simple klutziness) that make you lose a turn or back up a few spaces.

Some examples include:

You overtaxed your soil for too many years, failing to use crop rotation. Go back 4 spaces.

You plowed when it was too wet; lose a turn next time.

You failed to test your seed before planting – you’ve got a poor stand. Go back 4 spaces.

You failed to fix the fence. The cows are in the corn. Go back 2 spaces.

Rain prevents field work and you go fishing – go back 3 spaces.

Chicken thieves brake (sic) into your hen house. Go back 5 spaces.

You ran into a bumble bee’s nest. Back up 4 spaces – quick!

You forgot to sharpen your shares and rolling coulters before starting fall plowing. Go back 2.

Wow! Old Flossie kicked you and the milk pail against the wall. Go back 5 spaces to get your bearings.

You fell down the hay chute. Carelessness sends you back 4 spaces.

You tripped and fell into the water tank. Go back 3 spaces and dry off.

And the doozy…

You bought gasoline instead of low-cost fuel for your John Deere tractor – go back 25 spaces.

Finally, just 2 spaces from the finish…

Not so fast – you’re too anxious to win – go back 3 spaces.

Before you think the road to farming success is only filled with potholes, read a few of the more-positive spaces that let you advance ahead of the competition. Of course, they all have to do with John Deere equipment…after all, they sponsored the game!

Your new John Deere tractor gives maximum power and economy on low-cost fuels. Advance 6 spaces.

With your John Deere tractor, you’re through plowing and ready to plant ahead of your neighbors – advance another space.

Fewer working parts mean longer life for your John Deere tractor. Advance 3 spaces.

Hand clutch on your John Deere saves time in hooking up drawn equipment. Advance 2 spaces.

Your John Deere handles easier – you can sit or stand at work. Advance 3 more spaces.

The two-cylinder design of your John Deere tractor means economy, dependability, long life. Advance 3 spaces.

You cultivated your corn an extra time because of the fast work of your John Deere Tractor and Cultivator. Advance 3.

You made extra money picking corn for neighbors with your tractor outfit. Advance 2.

While original 1937 versions of this game are hard to come by, Deere did reproduce the game for its 50^th anniversary in 1998. So if you just want a copy for the family to play with on Sunday afternoons, look for this later edition.

Have fun farming!