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Developed with the cooperation of the National FFA Farm Business Management Contest Committee, this book remains the definite text on managing a farm or ranch on sound business principles. An important key to the survival of the farm and ranch is good business management. The new breed of farmer and rancher that is emerging must know how to apply management principles to their operation in order to make the most profit. They must be able to compete and win in a highly volatile worldwide commodity marketplace. Being able to do so requires extensive knowledge of all aspects of the business. Until the First Edition of this book, a serious gap existed in the quest for this knowledge. In response, Deere & Company developed Farm and Ranch Business Management. This was and is a basic book that is the first word on the subject. The experts, as a practical guide for the agribusiness manager, wrote it. It explains in plain English the principles and techniques that every farmer and rancher must know.
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Including more than 130 colour photographs, the story of two-cylinder tractors shows superbly restored tractors owned by enthusiasts in the United States, Britain and Canada. Some of the photographs are detailed shots showing special features. These provide a fascinating record of the design changes that took place over more than four decades of development.
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<p>Today, John Deere is remembered-some say mistakenly-as the inventor of the steel plow. Who was this legendary man and how did he create the internationally renowned company that still bears his name? He began as a debt-stricken blacksmith who, fleeing debt in New England in the 1830s, set up shop in a little town on the Illinois frontier. There, in response to farmers' struggles, he designed a new plow that cut through the impervious prairie sod and lay open the rich, heavy soil for planting. The demand for his polished steel plow convinced him to specialize in farm implements.<br><br>In the decades before the Civil War, John Deere envisioned a company supplying midwestern farmers with reliable, affordable equipment. He used only high quality, imported steel and resisted pressure to raise prices. At the same time, he won respectful affection from his employees by working alongside them on the shop floor. Upon taking the helm in the 1860s, John's only surviving son, Charles, expanded the Moline factories to increase production, started branch houses in major midwestern cities to speed distribution, and began to transform the company into a modern corporation. The transformation didn't come without difficulties however: Charles found himself battling the Grange, facing threats of labor unions and strikes led by his own employees, and enduring patent suits and blatant thefts of product designs and advertising.</p>
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Managing Price Risk in Ag Commodity Markets is the definitive guide to risk management in today?s volatile agricultural markets. As we move toward the end of the decade and prepare for the 21st century, American farmers face a most uncertain marketplace. Unprecedented changes in farm policy and New World trade agreements are two of the more important reasons why change is assured. It will take a different set of management skills to be profitable in the new marketplace. If it was ever enough to be just an excellent producer, that time is past. The big challenge facing farmers now and in the future is to respond to and manage the risk associated with highly volatile prices. We can help you prepare for that challenge. This book will help farmers like you develop the ability to cope in an uncertain marketplace. It looks at marketing skills and savvy, and develops management strategies that can be used to ensure and protect profitability. Managing Price Risk in Ag Commodity Markets starts with a look at some of the major forces that are changing the marketplace. Then it demonstrates what price risk is and deals with why it is important to you, to the agribusiness firms from whom you buy inputs mean, and to the processors to whom you sell your commodities. Two broad considerations are kept to the ?how? and ?why? of the changing world marketplace. They are responsible for the increased price volatility and risk to American farmers. The first consideration is the 1996 Farm Bill, which changed farm policy in a dramatic way. The second goes back several years and deals with two very important trade agreements: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT). These two important trade accords expose the American farmer to any and all of the forces that can bring uncertainty to commodity supplies and price variability around the world. The marketplace has indeed changed!
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<b><i>The Complete Book of Classic John Deere Tractors</i> explores the range of iconic "green tractors" with which Illinois-based John Deere has become one of the world's most recognizable brands.</b><br><br> Part of Motorbooks' Complete Book series, this fact-packed volume takes you through <b>dozens of John Deere farm models</b>, beginning with the 1892 Waterloo Boy and ending with the game-changing New Generation and Generation II lines. With selected text from <i>The Bigger Book of John Deere</i> by <b>late legendary Deere historian Don Macmillan</b>, this book details <b>year-to-year model changes </b>within each series and offers <b>comprehensive specs charts compiled by Deere authority John Dietz</b>.<br><br> In addition to the <b>Waterloo Boy</b>, you'll witness the entire 40-plus years of <b>two-cylinder “Johnny Poppers,” </b>from the 1924 <b>Model D</b> through the<b> 830 Series </b>models in 1960, and the styled tractors of the prewar and postwar years. Also featured heavily are the groundbreaking <b>New Generation tractors</b> launched to much fanfare in 1960 and their successors, the <b>New Generation II</b> lineup with their Sound-Gard cabs. Standard, row-crop, orchard, and even a selection of <b>experimental models</b>…they're all here. In addition, you'll find coverage of John Deere’s rich international heritage, with tractors produced in Spain, Germany, and Australia.<br><br> Illustrated with <b>incredible color photography</b> and <b>period advertising</b>, <i>The Complete Book of Classic John Deere Tractors </i>is<i></i>an essential edition for the library of any Deere fanatic.
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This essential buyers guide covers I-H tractors from 1921 to 1961, classifying all tractors from this period according to collectibility. Jam-packed with facts, history, specs, and model changes, plus hundreds of photos. Photography includes contemporary shots of restored and working tractors, as well as archival shots of historic models, and period advertising. Contains useful tips on problem tractors to stay away from. Sftbd., 7 1/2x 9 1/2, 160 pgs., 166 b&w ill.
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<p>Tractors provides a vivid pictorial exploration of tractors through the ages, beginning with John Froelich’s invention – produced locally by the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company – through the first mass-produced models, Henry Ford’s Fordson and the Massey-Ferguson MF35, up to the latest driverless tractor, the John Deere 8R 410, which allows farmers to plot exact paths using a GPS-configured app. In between the book shows many of the world’s best-known models in action, including the New Holland Agriculture, Fendt, Valtra and Lamborghini. The evolution of the tractor in the late 19th century with the development of the Froelich tractor in Iowa in 1892 revolutionized farming, providing farmers with the means to combine the power of the internal combustion engine with the latest farming methods. Farming was never the same again. In the 1940s, hydraulic systems were developed to make tractors more valuable and comfortable, adjustable seats and headlights were installed, and the modern tractor became a reality. Illustrated with 180 photographs, Tractors is a pictorial celebration of these essential machines through the ages.</p>
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<p>The Farmall Dynasty is a dramatic account of the developmental history of the tractors built by the dominant agricultural manufacturer of the early twentieth century, International Harvester. The book traces the evolution of the Farmall tractor from the early Titans and Moguls through to modern times.The book includes well-researched accounts of the development of the original Farmall, the Letter Series, 4100, Cub, and other legendary IHC tractors, with first-hand accounts from factory engineers describing the challenges they faced.</p>--Lee Klancher
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