By CINDY LADAGE

Illinois Correspondent

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — National Farm Toy Museum Curator Amanda Schwartz said the organization is part of the upcoming celebration of 100 years of the John Deere tractor.

“We are working on a new John Deere manufacturer showcase highlighting the John Deere brands through the decade,” she said.

The new exhibit will profile innovations and celebrate Deere’s purchase of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. in March 1918. “That’s how they got into the tractor market. We want to feature and highlight that, and feature what they’ve done since then,” Schwartz said.

“We have a unique way to do that, focusing on the farm toys. We will highlight why things changed and profile the farm toys.”

While the celebration kicks off in January 2018, she said museum organizers hope to have the exhibit available around mid-March. The new display will be on the upper level where items will have more space to be spread out.

Planning for this event has been in the works for a while. “Our advisory board has been instrumental. Eric Smith, that does work for John Deere, has been helping us with this,” she said, adding she is consulting with him and the board to help her select which Deere models should be highlighted.

Several anniversary kick-off events are scheduled in Waterloo, Iowa, but the big unveiling for the National Farm Toy Museum will really be during the Summer Farm Toy Show in June. “It will be the big unveiling for us,” Schwartz explained. “We would really like to do some features on some custom items and show the difference between the manufactured model and what’s been changed on the custom model.”

Some of Ryan Mees’ Deere farm toys that have been customized will be used for the custom display. A few exhibits currently on display, like Jeff Strueber’s 3-D planters and Kelly Mutchler’s farm harvest scene, will remain.

While the museum is still in the negotiating stages with Deere, Schwartz said it would like to obtain a small engine for display. “We have the toy engines, so it would be a neat fit. We want it to be fun and educational.”

For more information on the National Farm Toy Museum, visit it online at www.facebook.com/nationalfarmtoymuseum

This is not the only museum working with Deere to celebrate its centennial. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History will use its American Enterprise exhibition to profile the event. Organizers plan to install its 1918 Waterloo Boy tractor at the entrance of the business history exhibition in January.

Neil Dahlstrom, manager of Corporate History and Archives at Deere & Co., said, “John Deere is excited the Smithsonian has chosen to present one of Deere’s most iconic tractors in the context of technological change in America. The display provides an opportunity to educate the public about the importance of agricultural innovation.”

Along with the toy museum and the Smithsonian, another exhibit will commemorate the anniversary, at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo, where it all began. Starting in June, the site will display 100 Deere tractors and engines between the museum and the Waterloo Convention Center. These will include a mix of company- and customer-owned equipment and will feature tractors and engines spanning product lines and from around the world.

According to Deere, within the Smithsonian exhibition, a new display on "Precision Farming" will examine a more contemporary story of disruptive technology in today's agriculture industry with the use of technology, including a GPS antenna donated by Deere.

Deere will also be placing iconic tractors on display at the John Deere Pavilion and John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, Ill., as well as at the John Deere Forum in Mannheim, Germany.

In addition, the company said the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines will feature Deere tractors and equipment to tell the story of the last 100 years of agriculture in Iowa.

 And last week, Deere completed its global rollout of a new company website that places those who shop for and own its equipment as the No. 1 priority for information offered on its pages. The site design is mobile-responsive and works on a variety of screen sizes, from smart phones and tablets to traditional desktop computers.

"This redesign benefits all of our customers whether they are farmers, ranchers, construction contractors, landscapers, loggers and all others whose work is linked to the land," said Sean O'Hanlon, director of Deere’s Global Internet Strategy. "Our customers want to quickly find the information they need, whether they are searching from their desk or from a jobsite."

The global launch included 33 Deere sites in 16 languages and approximately 2,300 product pages. About 2.5 million visitors view information each month at the company's website, www.JohnDeere.com