Just over 100 years ago, on 14 March 1918, Deere & Company entered the tractor business. The biggest success story in the agricultural machinery industry started with the Waterloo Boy in the Midwest of the US. Today, John Deere is the world’s leading manufacturer of agricultural tractors in 12 factories worldwide.

The $2.25m acquisition of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in Iowa in 1918 marked John Deere’s entry into the tractor business. This was a much debated and controversial investment at the time, as many critics did not believe in the future of tractors and continued to rely on the use of traditional horse power.

Nobody expected that the tractor business would develop into the key foundation of the company’s growth.

The story of John Deere’s 100 years of success and innovation, from the Waterloo Boy to today’s “intelligent” tractor, is being celebrated at the company’s worldwide tractor factories. Employees, their families and other guests have been invited to look behind the scenes of John Deere tractor production, and the Mannheim factory is holding a tractor parade through the city.

The John Deere Forum in Mannheim is featuring a display of vintage and classic tractors that have strongly influenced the company’s history, including an original Waterloo Boy, while the Forum’s shop is offering a variety of fan merchandise, such as a special edition 9RX tractor model, caps, shirts and mugs. Tractors ordered this year will also carry a 100 years anniversary badge, and dealers will have a range of special offers at favourable prices.