IPTV ‘Tractor Wars’ documentary makes online premiere Feb. 22

New film based on book by Deere & Co.’s Dahlstrom

Tractor Wars Neil Dahlstrom
“Tractor Wars” was written by Neil Dahlstrom.

A documentary based on a book by best-selling author and John Deere Heritage Manager Neil Dahlstrom will premiere next week as part of Iowa Public Television’s Festival 2024.

The advance preview will air online on Thursday, Feb. 22, of the film that follows the 1920s battle between John Deere, Ford and International Harvester to build the first all-purpose tractor. A discussion with Peter Tubbs, producer at Iowa PBS, and Debra Reid, curator of agriculture and environment at The Henry Ford, will follow the hour-long online premiere. For more information and to register to join online, visit iowapbs.org/events.

neil dahlstrom
NEIL DAHLSTROM

The film will premiere on the statewide IPTV network at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 26. Mr. Dahlstrom also will appear live in the studio during the debut. The documentary will be rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 3, and at 1 p.m., Saturday, March 9. Tractor Wars also will be available to stream on iowapbs.org and the PBS App. Learn more at iowapbs.org/festival.

“Seeing this come to the small screen has been an incredible experience,” Mr. Dahlstrom told the QCBJ. “As I wrote the book, I always envisioned the narrative with archival footage and photographs to really bring it to life. I couldn’t be happier that Iowa PBS shared that vision.”

According to Iowa PBS, the documentary “Tractor Wars” traces how in the early 20th century, hundreds of companies were experimenting with vehicles to bring power farming to agriculture. “By 1929, Deere, Ford and International Harvester were among the few dozen companies that remained, but the tractor form we recognize today had finally emerged and began rapidly replacing muscle as the primary source of power on the farm,” the Iowa PBS news release said.

“Following the framework of John Deere’s Archivist Neil Dahlstrom’s book published with the same name, ‘Tractor Wars’ broadens the look at this time period for both agriculture and in industrial America.”

“It took a lot of experimentation to get to what we now recognize as the tractor,” Mr. Tubbs, the producer and director, said.  “This film will appeal to tractor enthusiasts, but will be equally engaging for those simply tagging along. I’m glad to share this important story in the tractor industry with our audience.”

Mr. Dahlstrom’s book, “Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester, and the Birth of Modern Agriculture,” looks at the period from 1908-1928 to examine how the tractor many farmers know today got its start. It looks at how John Deere, Ford and IH were major revolutionary players in an almost forgotten battle to bring power machinery to the farm.

“I hope to shed light on a transformative period in an often-overlooked industry and introduce the people, places and brands that, in many ways, defined the century,” Mr. Dahlstrom wrote in his book. “Today, most of the world does not know where their food comes from, in part, because a small percentage of the population feeds the world. Power farming made it possible.”

Mr. Dahlstrom’s other books include “The John Deere Story: A Biography of Plowmakers John and Charles Deere” and “Lincoln’s Wrath: Fierce Mobs, Brilliant Scoundrels, and a President’s Mission to Destroy the Press.”

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