On a lighter note--

John Deere's monthly mag-The Furrow-is 125 years old this year and the Jan. issue is the best issue they have put out in years. It is called reflecting on 125 years of ag. If you get the mag-which probably a lot of you do-this is old news-but if you don't I will post some of the "neat stuff that it contains if you want me to.---Tee

This issue came out in 1943 during WWII as a tribute to the war effort of the American farmer--The guy must be a hard worker--He wears BIBS!!!!

I have an original of that Furrow...

Is he a REAL farmer or just an actor??? Bill

I vote actor. He has a little gray in the hair so he must be 50 or so. He should have at the least had half of an ear cut off in the sickle mower by 50.

Even though I have a dozen Deere tractors, 4 combines and a full line of Deere implements my dealer does not consider me important enough to have on their mailing list. They said buy some new equipment and they would. I do have an almost complete set of Furrow's from 1958 untill the early 80's. Most likely more in those for my operation than would be in the new ones anyway. Tom

Back in the early '90s I was invited by a book editor and professor to write some chapters for a book he was working on titled Corporate Magazines of the United States. One of the chapters I wrote was a historical look at The Furrow. I visited John Deere headquarters (East Moline?) to gain access to the back issues of The Furrow. If I recall correctly, it was and remains the oldest continually published company magazine in the United States (first published in 1865). There's a copy of the book on e-Bay today for $75. Here's what the listing says about the book:

"(Editor Sam G.)Riley is professor of communications at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and also a prolific compiler of reference books on print media. Corporate Magazines of the United States is part of the Greenwood series Historical Guides to the World's Periodicals and Newspapers. In this particular title, Riley and 26 other media professors provide a history of 324 corporate magazines."

I wrote several other chapters for the book but struggle to recall the magazines I examined; 1992 was a long time ago for me to remember details. I think one was Chevy Outdoors, another was Corvette Quarterly, another might have been Uplink (about the infant satellite media industry). I have a copy of Corporate Magazines somewhere in my neglected boxes of stuff I hauled from my office when I retired. Another book edited by Sam Riley was Regional Interest Magazines of the United States; I recall doing three chapters for that book, but don't quote me on that. Some day I'll run across both books when I sort out work-life leftovers.

They will put you on if you email them . I wrote and told them
I have a whole line of old John Deere equipment and that’ I would like to get the magazine

Here's the 100 anniversary of the furrow

Somewhere i have deeres 150 anniversary issue

Tee,
Is that you on the cover?

NO--He has more hair!!

This would be closer!---Tee

Not all farmers stayed home.
Not all of them came back home.