Independent curation

Find farming history books you'll love

Weekly picks surfaced by readers who obsess over tractors, soil, and stories from the field.

Share your top 3 farm reads

Join fellow readers swapping must-read manuals, memoirs, and histories.

Start a list

Fresh off the shelf

Recently Added

Browse all books
Loaded 13 more books
Taking the Guesswork Out of Aquaculture
Taking the Guesswork Out of Aquaculture

Product description This is the student guide that corresponds with the John Deere Publishing text, Taking the Guess Work Out of Aquaculture. This is a guide for prospective producers of aquaculture products. Chapters are devoted to types of aquaculture enterprises, commercial catfish production, required resources and investment, site selection, stocking, and feeding. Also covered are water quality, fish health and disease management, harvesting and marketing. Also included is a decision checklist, common calculations used in fish pond and lake management, species profiles, and a section on additional sources of aquaculture information. About the Author Martin W. Brunson holds a B.S. in biology and M.S and Ph.D. in Aquaculture and fisheries Management. He began his career as an assistant professor in Aquaculture and Fisheries at Louisiana State University, moving to Mississippi in 1988. He has conducted extensive research in aquaculture of catfish, crawfish and sunfish, as well as recreational fisheries management in small impoundments. He is currently Extension Leader and Professor in Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State University, and works closely with the aquaculture industry nationwide in meeting their educational and technical assistance needs. He has authored a comprehensive set of over 150 fisheries and aquaculture extension publications, as well as 75 technical and scientific articles. Bob Ratliff is an agricultural journalist with experience in radio, TV and print. From 1980 until 1990, he served as farm director of the Progressive Farmer Network, a regional radio network providing agricultural programming to stations in the Midsouth. His career also includes four years as editor of MAFES Research Highlights, a quarterly magazine published by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. His articles about the work of MAFES researchers have appeared in the Catfish Journal, Cotton Farming, Delta Farm Press and other agricultural publications. He currently serves as Mississippi State University's science writer, providing print and broadcast coverage of the university s science-related teaching and research activities.

View Details
Snoopy and the Spy A Saga of Espionage, Ingenuity, and the Epic Battle to Save International Harvester
Snoopy and the Spy A Saga of Espionage, Ingenuity, and the Epic Battle to Save International Harvester

<p>On the farm fields of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the stakes had never been higher. The era marked one of the hardest economic environments of the twentieth century, and two of the world's toughest competitors were locked in a high-horsepower arms race to create the world's best piece of agricultural equipment. For John Deere, winning meant maintaining global dominance. For International Harvester, winning would mean survival. For all the other ag equipment makers--well, it was mostly bad news. </p><p>In a big money game of poker, the two top makers bet on various new technologies and raced to build the best one first. The new machines were designed and built in secret spaces, then tested in dark pastures and remote corners of the world. They were transported carefully covered under tarps and rail cars . . . all in effort to keep them from the prying eyes and nimble cameras of the competition. </p><p>In this rollicking trip back in time, the salesman, engineers, and executives who played the game offer firsthand accounts of how and why this techno-turf war was fought. As the game escalated, one salesman took matters into his own hands. In the name of company loyalty, he crossed a line he shouldn't have and found himself deep in enemy territory. </p><p>The book includes never-before-published images of facilities and equipment, engineering design details, a look at company culture at the ag equipment companies, quotes from interviews with engineers, salespeople, and leaders of both International Harvester and John Deere, as well as insight into the events that led International Harvester to fail. If you love agriculture, history, or a zesty read, this book is for you! </p>

View Details
The Art of the John Deere Tractor Featuring Tractors from the Walter and Bruce Keller Collection
The Art of the John Deere Tractor Featuring Tractors from the Walter and Bruce Keller Collection

<p>John Deereย’s most famous and fascinating machines are presented as theyย’ve never been presented before: in a studio, photographed against plain seamless backdrops. The result is a superb collection of unprecedented photographs celebrating every detail of the tractors considered to be icons of industrial design.</p><p> </p><p>From the spartan Waterloo Boy to the streamlining triumph of the Model AOS, from German and Argentine models to the much vaunted New Generation tractors, photographer and author Lee Klancher delves into the renowned Keller Collection to bring Deere fans an utterly unique look at the objects of their passion. Thirty tractors are presented in beautiful full-tractor shots and detail views that highlight notable engineering and design elements. Accompanying the photography are detailed captions, the stories behind the models shown, and the history of John Deere design evolution, particularly the influence of renowned industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss. A John Deere book like no other, sure to captivate those who bleed Green.</p><p> </p>

View Details
Out of the Field International Harvester Company Buildings
Out of the Field International Harvester Company Buildings

<p>Covering the elusive and not-so-commonly found interests in the International Harvester Company, this series brings International Harvester Out of the Field and into the agricultural daily life. The first in a series of understanding the why behind the large company that truly had a full line of equipment, bringing that spirit of prosperity and profit together for the benefit of the farm and the family. Building a farm meant buildings, and this book delves into the buildings you would find on a farm and what they are used for. There is also great depth on the importance of a dealership as well as some lesser known details of the McCormick world. </p>

View Details
John Deere Two Cylinder Tractors
John Deere Two Cylinder Tractors

John Deere two-cylinder tractors have made an impact to the agricultural world. They provided the mechanical muscle to transform prairie and plains to farms that have provided for the nation and world.For 42 years, John Deere two-cylinder tractors cut their way through history and helped John Deere become the number one agricultural tractor and implement business. From the Waterloo Boy to the 30 series tractors, John Deere Two-Cylinder Tractors tells the history of two-cylinder tractors is told in relation to a larger scheme of things. This ECS concentrates on how these tractors fit into the John Deere company, nation, and world between 1918 and 1960. Timelines highlight important dates in the nation and world's history in relation to the introduction of two-cylinder models and series.

View Details
Original John Deere Letter Series Tractors, 1923-1954
Original John Deere Letter Series Tractors, 1923-1954

The 1923 Model D represented a watershed for Deere & Company insomuch as it was the implement-maker's first foray into tractor production after purchasing the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company. Ideal for those seeking authentic restorations, this marvelous color guide examines all of Deere's post-merger "Letter Series" tractors through the 1954 Model R. Each chapter features exhaustive data, color photography depicting handsomely restored tractors in evocative settings and up-close detail shots. Covers industrial tractors and crawlers, as well as agricultural models.

View Details
John Deere History of the Tractor
John Deere History of the Tractor

Rare Book

View Details
Tractors From John Deere to Lamborghini
Tractors From John Deere to Lamborghini

<p>Tractors provides a vivid pictorial exploration of tractors through the ages, beginning with John Froelichโ€™s invention โ€“ produced locally by the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company โ€“ through the first mass-produced models, Henry Fordโ€™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 worldโ€™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>

View Details
John Deere
John Deere

Born in Rutland, Vermont, John Deere served a four-year apprenticeship to a blacksmith and worked in that trade until 1837.The implements being used by pioneer farmers of that day were cumbersome and ineffective for cutting and turning the prairie soil.To alleviate the problem, Deere and a partner, Major Leonard Andrus, designed three new plows in 1838.The plow was so successful that by 1846 Deere and his partner were selling a thousand a year.Deere then sold his interest to Andrus and organized a plow company in Moline, Illinois.After experimenting with imported English steel, he had a cast steel plow made for him in Pittsburgh.By 1855 he was selling more than 13,000 such plows a year.In 1868 his business was incorporated as Deere & Company, which is still in existence today.

View Details
John Deere Limited-production & Experimental Tractors
John Deere Limited-production & Experimental Tractors

A history of tractor experimentation and development at Deere & Company for the period between 1912 and 1960. Here is an exciting story of success and failure, and of the machines that helped make John Deere synonymous with farm power. Over 150 photos illustrate Deere & Company's tractor development.

View Details
Tires and Tracks
Tires and Tracks

<p>Covers all types of modern-day tires - auto, truck, implement, tractor, & large off-road types. Tells how tires are constructed, rated, sized, inflated, & ballasted. Has illustrated explanation of tire failures & proper repair. Includes such topics as fabric breaks, rubber checks, spinning & stubble wear, tread & sidewall cuts, grease & oil damage, & valve damage. Tells how to mount & demount. Text also covers crawler tracks - how they're constructed, lubricated, adjusted, & inspected for wear. Shows how tracks are disassembled & repaired using a track press. CONTENTS: Tires - Construction, inflation, ballasting, tire failures, tire repairs & mounting & demounting. Tracks - Construction, inspection, lubrication, adjustments, diagnosis of wear & repairing tracks.</p>

View Details
John Deere A History of the Tractor
John Deere A History of the Tractor

In <i>John Deere: A History of the Tractor</i>, acclaimed author and photographer Randy Leffingwell uses his unique brand of storytelling to chronicle the company and the machines that have carried the distinctive green and yellow livery. With details gathered from exclusive interviews and access to John Deere company archives, Leffingwell searched out collectors with restored tractors, or those in superb original condition, to illustrate his text with over 300 beautiful color photographs. Includes a number of archival photographs and exclusive never-before-seen drawings and writings from the journals of Theo Brown, head of Deere's Plow Works experimental division from 1916 to 1952, as well as profiles of other key figures in John Deere's history through the last century. For any fan or collector of John Deere tractors or the history of farming in America, this officially-licensed book is a fantastic journey of an icon over 150 years in the making, now available in a quality trade paperback.

View Details
John Deere A History of the Tractor
John Deere A History of the Tractor

For over 150 years, John Deere & Company has set the bar for tractor design and ingenuity. Not only is it one of the most successful companies in American history, John Deere has revolutionized agriculture throughout the world and its green and gold logo has become a symbol of quality and durability over the decades. <p>Acclaimed author and photographer Randy Leffingwell uses his unique brand of storytelling to chronicle this amazing company and the machines that have carried its distinctive green and yellow livery. With details gathered from exclusive interviews and access to John Deereโ€™s company archives, Leffingwell searched out collectors with restored tractors, or those in superb original condition, to illustrate his text with over 300 beautiful color photographs. Also throughout the book are a number of archival photographs and exclusive never-before-seen drawings and writings from the journals of Theo Brown, head of Deereโ€™s Plow Works experimental division from 1916 to 1952, as well as other key figures in John Deere's history through the last century.</p> <p>For any fan of John Deere tractors or the history of farming in America, this officially-licensed book is a fantastic journey of an icon over 150 years in the making, now available in a quality trade paperback.<br></p>

View Details

Browse by interest

Explore Subjects

View all subjects