The day before Farm Progress Show in Iowa, John Deere hosted agricultural media at their Des Moines Works facility in Ankeny, IA for a look at new products. The event kicked off with a plant tour by Rosalind Fox, Factory Manager. She gave an overview to participants of what to expect, including a chance to view the craftsmanship up close and experience the history of the facility.
The factory is the site of all parts of the production process, including design, prototypes and testing. They are especially proud of their cotton product engineering group; a group that revolutionized the industry with their baler machine in 2009. While the nearest cotton customer is a state and a half south of Ankey, the location is the site of the knowledge base and machine history.
“What makes our facility so interesting is that we produce a variety of products that cover all parts of the farming cycle for various crops from tilling the land to planting, spraying, providing nutrients to crops and harvesting them with our cotton harvester,” Fox told the media.
You can listen to her remarks here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/jd-media-16-welcome.mp3″ text=”Rosalind Fox, John Deere, Welcome”]
More photos and interviews are coming; keep your eye on AgWired and Precision to learn more.