July 22, 2002

"Innovation opens many gates."

John Deere is helping write the newest chapter on China, where 70 percent of the country's 1.2 billion population is engaged in farming. In the 1980s, John Deere exported 2,000 tractors, implements and combines to China. In 1997, John Deere Jialian Harvester Company, Ltd. (shown) was opened in Jiamusi -- John Deere's first ag- machinery joint-venture manufacturing plant in China. About 2,500 combines rolled away from this factory in 1999.

As a writer, I can quickly find fault with that statement! But I also enjoy the hobby of photography and can admit that photos tell a story, too.

Now that it’s mid-July, it’s high time for summer vacations, ballgames, picnics, class reunions, and other fun family outings. And that means time to capture those moments forever in a photograph.

I’d be willing to bet most of us store our precious images in photo albums and frames so we can always cherish that time and place.

Over the past 160-plus years, there have been countless photos taken of John Deere equipment and employees, as well as customers, crops, and collectibles…just to name a few of the categories.

One beautiful photo album of Deere history (other than mine, John Deere Collectibles) is "Genuine Value: The John Deere Journey" published by Deere in July 2000. This oversized coffee-table book uses gorgeous photographs in its 287 pages — from fine-art-quality full-color scenes of geography around the globe to vintage black-and-white snapshots of John Deere equipment hard at work.

Prior to 1900, most engineering and manufacturing ideas at John Deere would have been sketched with chalk on the shop floor and then tried in steel and wood. By the 1940s, all John Deere factories had rows of drafting tables where engineers hand- figured calculations before making to-scale layouts and drawings of their latest ideas. Today, computer- aided design stations allow testing of new concepts before any metal is bent.

Each one tells a story: An important moment in time. An amazing accomplishment. An ordinary day. The character of honest, hard-working people. And ‘Genuine Value’ along the John Deere Journey.

Inspiring phrases accent the images and incorporate John Deere’s story and history, while weaving in the products for which the company is famous.

Yet prior to the age of the photograph, we relied on artwork to help us visualize.

Most of Deere’s early literature includes detailed line-art sketches of each product.

Imagine the time and effort that went into these compared to the point-and-shoot convenience of snapping a photo with a camera. Many of these are also included in the pages of this book.

Not only does the book pay tribute to Deere’s past as a company, it also honors its 63,676 employees and living retirees around the world (as of January 1, 2000) by listing their name and year of hire ranging from 1919 to 1999.

While "Genuine Value" was first released at a price of $69.95, it has yet to sell out its generous print run. Today, the book can be found for less than its original price on eBay or elsewhere. Whatever the actual "value," the book definitely serves as an impressive photo album ranging from Deere’s past to its present.

Read the book on "Genuine Value"

The cover of "Genuine Value: The John Deere Journey" features a gritty close-up of two boot imprints in the dirt.

Upon closer look, you can see the John Deere logo imprint from the sole of each shoe.

"Quality is valued everywhere in the world."

The Haras Rosa Negra hay and cattle farm near San Justo, Argentina, has depended on John Deere equipment and good dealer support for the entire 31 years the family farm has been in existence. "In Argentina, John Deere is the Mercedes of farm equipment," notes the owner.

"The more we follow the right path, the easier it becomes." Introduced in 1986, this 772B Motor Grader tackles a mountain of snow removal.

En route to delivering a new tractor to a customer, an employee of the Manuel Carrasco dealership in Campillos, Spain, stops to chat with a local sheep farmer.

Deere's operations in Spain date back to 1956.

John Deere GatorÆ Utility Vehicles are designed to scamper over rugged terrain with hefty loads.

This Gator 4x2 has a 500-pound cargo box capacity. There's even one painted camouflage for military usage. And an electric version runs silently.