Nebraska Man Donates Hundreds Of John Deere Christmas Toys

KHAS TV

A Grand Island, Nebraska man is acting as Santa's helper this year buying all the toys on the shelves at Toner's Incorporated in Grand Island. He bought more than 300 toys.

They are worth more than $5,000.

And he is donating all these toys – model tractors, grinders and wagons – to the News 5 Present Patrol.

"Just because he can, that is what he said, just because I can and I want to give back and bless his heart for being able to wanna do this," said Parts Manager Jamie Sich.

Last year, the same man bought all the John Deere toys in The Conestoga Mall and all the toys at the John Deere Dealership.

A big thank you to him for helping make our 2009 Present Patrol Campaign a success.

Toy Tractors Match Big Farm Counterparts

Aurora News-Register

The love that two Hamilton County ag producers felt for their lifelong careers extended beyond their work day and well into their spare time where they spent hours collecting and displaying hundreds of toy tractors and farm implements.

Those displays were made available to the public several years ago when the Plainsman Museum in Aurora devoted space inside the Wesley Huenefeld Agricultural Museum to the collection in a fitting setting, next to "real life" tractors used in the county many long years ago.

Along the north wall of the building rest two display cases featuring various tractors, cars, implements and other toys from the collection of Marian and Thelma Salmon and Willis and Doris Akerson.

In Salmon’s collection, there are 100 tractors, 99 implements and 18 other various pieces.

The Akerson collection features 201 toy tractors, model die-cast cars and John Deere lawn and garden equipment.

Megan Sharp, director of the Plainsman Museum, said having all of those toys and John Deere clothing together in one place is really neat.

"The kids really love this when they come here," she said. "But the adults really enjoy it too."

"It’s like they are automatically drawn to it," she added. "It’s neat for them to see things like miniature plows. It really draws the people in."

Sharp said the collection is significant because is showcases a person’s passion for something.

"It shows off something they really took a big interest in," she said. "And now that interest is shared with everyone and it’s really neat."

Nancy (Salmon) Lohrmeyer of Aurora was the youngest of seven children in the Marian Salmon family. She said it was very interesting to grow up with her father’s tractor collection.

"He would only buy John Deere models and toys," she said. "We lived on a farm and it’s what he farmed with."

"I thought it was kind of cool to have a dad interested in toys," she added.

Toys that were off limits except for once each year when the kids "sort of" got to play with them.

"Dad had them stored up on shelves all along the living room walls and once a year we would take them down to help clean them," she said. "We had to be very careful with them."

Lohrmeyer said her son, Alex, also got to experience the tractors first hand when he came to the museum for a Boy Scout community service project and he helped clean the toys and the exhibit.

She said her father always liked history.

"Our grandparents homesteaded land in Hamilton County near the Blue River," she said. "My father grew up during the 30s."

"Money was always tight," she added. "But it was fun watching him collect his tractors. I enjoyed watching him and I think we all did. It was the one thing he enjoyed spending money on. He really enjoyed buying his toys and it made him so happy."

She said her father never had a duplicate toy and always knew what he had in the collection.

When her parents moved into town in 1981, Lohrmeyer said they built shelves in the basement along the south, west and east walls to house the tractor collection.

"Those cases were covered on the inside with green felt, for John Deere of course," she said. "They were full of tractors and John Deere toys and it was a lot of fun to see."

She said she thinks it’s great the group of John Deere collectibles is now featured inside the Plainsman Museum.

"It’s a more manageable way for people to look at them," she said. "They can see them and be like, ‘I remember my dad had one of those.’"

"They can also see the progression of John Deere ag equipment," she added. "I think he wanted to contribute these for others to enjoy because of his love for history and it was something people could remember him by. There was a very brief discussion about each one of the kids keeping one piece of the collection, but we knew he would want the entire collection to stay together and we decided that was the best thing to do."

Classic Toys Go To Highest Bidders

Globe Gazette

Denny Borchardt watched from the back row as farm toys from the collection of the late Chuck Behr were auctioned off Saturday at the North Iowa Fairgrounds.

Pencil in hand, he noted the prices toys were selling for and waited until the ones he had highlighted in yellow came up for bid.

“There’s always toys I’m looking for,” said Borchardt of Mason City. “Especially John Deere.”

One of about 250 Iowans who turned out for the auction in the Olson Building, Borchardt was watching for farm toys to add to his collection of about 700.

Like others who attended, he had come in the day before to survey the toys and make note of the ones he could use.

Arranged neatly in rows on long tables, many of them in the boxes in which they came, the farm toys were being sold by members of the Behr family.

Chuck Behr, a farmer and owner of Chuck Behr’s Trailer Farm in Algona, died at the age of 70 in 2006. He collected farm toys all his life, but particularly once he retired, his son, Joe Behr of Mason City, said.

Chuck Behr’s particular favorites were Model B and Model G John Deere tractors, the first tractors his family owned, said Joe.

The 400 items being auctioned off by Joe’s brother, Ed Behr, represented about half of their father’s collection.

Their mother Sue said selling the farm toys was difficult for her.

“I’ve bonded with every one of them,” she said, emotion building in her voice.

She made the decision when she moved to a smaller home and didn’t have room for all of them.

One of her favorites was a Model G, 1/12th-scale John Deere tractor that makes a noise when the electric motor runs, she said, walking over to the tractor and starting it up.

Among the early buyers Saturday was Darlene Linahon of Clear Lake, who paid $55 for an orange Case VAC tractor No. 632 she planned to give to her son for his birthday.

“This is the best-organized auction I’ve been to by far,” she said, scanning the room. “They don’t do anything half-way.”

Shelly Richardson of Clear Lake purchased two red McCormick pedal tractors for her children, ages 4 and 6. She paid a total $260.

“I spent a lot less than I thought I would,” she said, laughing.

“The kids will be ecstatic. They love to do tractor pulls at the fair.”

Rilla Arnold of Mason City purchased a Farmall MV tractor for her brother’s collection.

“It looked like a good buy,” said Arnold, who paid $75 for it.

“I’m also looking to get John Deere toys, which is what we used on the farm.”

Among the farm toys that brought in the highest bids were a Knudson Custom Long Creek trailer, which went for $275; and custom-built John Deere tractors that brought in more than $200 each.

The auction was expected to last six hours.

Deere Santa

San Marcos Daily Record

The only elf in the room appeared to be six-year-old Sarah Gonzales, seated on a dais alongside Blue Santa Wednesday afternoon at the San Marcos Conference Center.

But just because the men and women swarming tables in the room about them didn't have green pointy shoes like she did, didn't mean they couldn't match Santa's helpers, toy by toy.

Employees of John Deere Landscapes attending a convention at the conference center and Embassy Suites Hotel assembled dozens of bikes, wagons, mini-tractors and the like in a span of only minutes.

The finished products were then donated to Blue Santa, the San Marcos Police Department program that this year will provide gifts for around 1,200 local children.

"That equals 300 families," said Daniel Arredondo, Brown Santa coordinator.

Arredondo said requests for Brown Santa are up this year, and as of Wednesday he was still compiling a final list.

While donations are down, he said those who are able to give in these touch economic times were "giving more."

The SMPD's Blue Santa program was founded in 1972, and gets assistance from community organizations and individuals.

Landscaping employees assembled the John Deere toys as part of a team-building exercise. Ninety employees attended the convention.

Deere Comes Out On Top In Ergonomics Competition

Occupational Health & Safety

Humantech, an Ann Arbor, Michigan - based ergonomics firm, announced the winners of its third annual Find It - Fix It Challenge^TM, which recognizes and rewards simple and effective workplace solutions that result in increased productivity, improved worker morale, and fewer workplace injuries and illnesses. Organizations were encouraged to submit photos and videos of their best ergonomic improvements for judging by Humantech's board-certified professional ergonomists and staff.

This year's first place was awarded to John Deere Des Moines Works. The winning improvement focused on the company's 7760 Cotton Harvester's muffler assembly installation. Before the fix, the operation required two employees to lift the 30+ pound assembly above their heads and maintain awkward postures holding it in place while one additional operator fastened it to the machine. An internal team designed and fabricated a fixture to hold the assembly and mounted it to an electric lift to raise and lower it. The solution enables one operator to quickly and easily maneuver the muffler assembly into place and fasten it without additional assistance. According to Find It - Fix It judges, the customized lift cart has eliminated the overhead work and awkward postures while dramatically improving the productivity of the operation.

"We are proud to be recognized for developing an effective ergonomic solution that not only improves workplace safety but also improves the efficiency of the operation," says Dan Wisner, ergonomic engineer at John Deere Des Moines Works. "This fix, along with our two other improvements in the Challenges top 15 finalists, showcases our team's ingenuity and commitment to John Deere's continuous improvement process."

Deere To Invest In Israeli Manufacturing Company

Zacks.com

Deere & Co. announced that it made a conditional offer to buy certain assets and customer relationships of Israel-based BHC Manufacturing. BHC manufactures cotton picker repair parts for all makes of equipment and supplies cotton picker row units for other equipment manufacturers.

This investment will expand Deere’s products and services in its already successful cotton picker business. Management said that by combining BHC’s assets with Deere’s existing manufacturing capacity, John Deere will have improved efficiency and better geographic reach to serve its customers.

Deere continues to focus on its global growth strategy. Earlier in the third quarter, the company announced its plans to expand its farm, forestry and construction operations in Russia. It is setting up a manufacturing and parts center near Moscow. Deere considers Russia an important growth market
for agriculture, forestry and construction equipment. The company said that it will make significant investments over the next five to seven years to expand its capacity for manufacturing and supporting all types of Deere equipment.

The company is currently facing tough market conditions. It saw a 19% drop in sales in fiscal 2009 as farmers and other customers cut their spending under recessionary conditions. Deere now projects a 1% drop in for fiscal 2010, including a 10% drop in the first quarter. We do not see any drivers for growth in farm spending and U.S. construction activity over the coming months.

We maintain a Neutral recommendation on the stock.

Vintage Deere Literature Yields Financial Harvest

Yankton Press & Dakotan

Auctioneer Ken Girard was pleased with the results of a John Deere literature sale held at his Wakonda auction business this past Friday. The large collection came from British John Deere collector and author Don Macmillan

WAKONDA — Approximately 180 pounds of vintage John Deere literature, most of it provided by a buyer in England, was sold Friday at Girard Auction and Land Brokers, Inc. in Wakonda.

The highest-selling pieces included a John Deere 430-630-730 Hi Crop brochure that brought $1,400; a 1960s JD sales manual that sold for $800 and a JD 620 Orchard piece bid up to $500. A rare JD Lawn-Gard Fertilizer brought $395. The majority of brochures sold for $100 to $300 each.

The rare collection came to the auctioneering firm from a buyer in England who recently purchased the brochures and maintenance manuals at the estate sale of longtime John Deere history author Don Macmillan who resided in Devizes, Wiltshire, Great Britain. The English author was one of the world’s most respected authorities on Deere & Company. He bought his first John Deere tractor in 1943 and was appointed the first United Kingdom Deere dealer in 1958.

Macmillan went on to establish one of the world’s foremost collections of John Deere toys, tractors and memorabilia. In cooperation with Deere & Company, Macmillan authored “John Deere Tractors & Equipment,” Volumes 1 and 2 and “John Deere Tractors Worldwide,” all published by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. He also authored “The Big Book of John Deere Tractors” and “The Field Guide to John Deere Tractors.” Macmillan was also a contributing author to “the Little Book of John Deere” and “This Old John Deere,” both published by Voyageur Press.

Macmillan used his John Deere literature collection as reference material for his books. The pieces range from single page brochures to maintenance manuals with more than 160 pages. Most have been well preserved and were in mint condition.

“We don’t usually see a collection that’s this well preserved,” auctioneer Ken Girard said. “A lot of times there are stains on covers and water or rodent damage. Every time you handle a piece of literature there’s some damage from creases, oils from your hands and that type of thing. For the most part, this collection is in very good condition.”

The collection was sold in the Midwestern United States because it’s likely to be where the strongest market exists. A few test pieces were sold earlier this year and netted substantial prices.

“There’s always the possibility that we can be surprised by sale results and that we don’t see the sales we expect,” Girard said. “What we sold earlier this year was tremendously successful. We notified the collectors we’re aware of in this region. That mailing list has about 4,000 names. This type of artifact is somewhat like a coin collection. People who like to have the literature don’t usually display it or do much with it. They just like to have it in their possession.”

One of the rarest pieces sold was a brochure outlining the benefits of JD Lawn-Gard Fertilizer. The four-panel foldout compared JD fertilizer with other companies. It’s a piece the auctioneers have never run across at any other sale.

Many of the brochures referred to tractors that were not popular in the United States but were well used in Europe. Orchard tractors are one model that was very popular there for a period of time. The John Deere 620 Orchard was only manufactured for a few years. It was designed with a wide front end and metal fenders that protected both the tractors tires and engine from tree branches as the tractor was used in fruit orchards.

“This tractor had several unique features, including a fuel cap cover that reduced damage to blossoms as workers drove through the orchard,” Girard said. “That brochure went for $500.”

The rarest piece of literature among these John Deere Collectables was the John Deere 430-630-730 Hi Crop tractor brochure in mint condition. Girard saw another one with water stains and rodent damage sell for $1,100. The tractors were mainly used in the southern and western United States in vegetable fields. His auction saw the brochure sell for $1,400.

“An actual John Deere High Crop tractor sold this year for $29,000 because the models are so rare,” Girard said. “The majority of them incurred a lot of rust damage because they were used in areas with a lot of humidity. They were also used to death. There’s been a real interest amongst collectors for that type of tractor. For years no one had much interest in them but for now they’re a hot item.”

A few of the brochures featured foreign languages, most likely German. John Deere bought out France’s Heinrich Lantz and the Lantz models were produced in that country. A few of the brochures feature tractors that were only made in Europe.

“The value of the literature covers a pretty wide range,” Girard said. “This was a very strong auction.”

John Deere Breaks Ground On 16-Megawatt Wind Farm

It Only Makes Sense That John Deere Would 'Go Green'

Renewable Energy World

John Deere Renewables this week broke ground on a new wind energy project in Idaho. Located in Twin Falls County, the Tuana Springs Wind Farm will consist of eight 2-megawatt (MW) turbines. Idaho Power Company is purchasing energy from the project under a long-term power purchase agreement. Commercial operation of the wind farm is expected to begin as early as Spring 2010.

John Deere Renewables funded the Tuana Springs Wind Farm and will also serve as owner and operator of the project, which is the company’s fifth mid-sized wind farm development in Idaho. The Tuana Springs project creates new economic opportunities in Idaho including jobs and tax revenue for the state and local governments.

“From our Project 60 economic growth initiative to creating the Office of Energy Resources, making Idaho more energy independent by realizing the potential of alternative and renewable energy production in Idaho has been a cornerstone of my administration’s efforts,” said Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter. “The John Deere name brings with it a lot of public recognition and trust. I’m happy to have this exciting new business venture here in Idaho."