2009 News Releases and Information

MOLINE, Illinois (February 3, 2009) - The contractor is the star in 2009 at www.skidsteersmackdown.com from John Deere Construction & Forestry. Deere takes to the road to visit job sites, tradeshow lots and dealerships throughout the country to test the skills of real skid steer operators in the second season of the in-your-face, yet irreverent customer website campaign.

Dubbed "The Prove It Tour," both John Deere and its customers are being challenged this season. Deere is putting contractors behind the wheels of its family of skid steers to demonstrate the outstanding features that go into every machine made by John Deere. The tour also invites operators of competitor skid steers to join in the competition.

"At the same time, we'll have some fun with our customers," said Sam Norwood, manager, John Deere Commercial Worksite Products. "Obviously, we want customers to share these videos and all the information on the website. That's why we're making this a lot of fun."

A serious message that John Deere skid steers give the contractor greater productivity, longer uptime and lower daily operating costs come through loud and clear in The Prove It Tour.

"Every time a contractor walks into a John Deere dealership, we've got something to prove," Norwood said. "And we know we can prove that our family of skid steer loaders can take on the competition anytime, anywhere."

The first set of battles were filmed recently in Bowling Green, Kentucky and pitted a John Deere skid steer driver against real-world contractors driving their chosen competitive machines.

"It was gratifying watching Deere come out on top against competitor skid steers, and their drivers, before a live audience of around 1,000 cheering fans," Norwood said.

The second stop on the tour is the World of Concrete in Las Vegas where Deere will invite show goers to get involved, putting them behind the wheel of John Deere skid steers.

Watch for all the action at www.skidsteersmackdown.com.

Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) is the world's leading provider of advanced products and services for agricultural and forestry and a major provider of advanced products and services for construction, lawn and turf care, landscaping and irrigation. John Deere also provides financial services worldwide and manufactures and markets engines used in heavy equipment. Since it was founded in 1837, the company has extended its heritage of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation around the globe. John Deere Construction & Forestry produces more than 120 machine models and distributes its construction, forestry and worksite products through a network of more than 1,300 dealer locations worldwide.