This story is part of the QCBJ’s Newsmakers edition. This year-end wrap-up from the staff of the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal includes some of the biggest stories we brought you in 2023. It’s also a tradition by our parent company, Corridor Media Group, based in North Liberty, Iowa. This story was originally published in […]
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This story is part of the QCBJ’s Newsmakers edition. This year-end wrap-up from the staff of the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal includes some of the biggest stories we brought you in 2023. It's also a tradition by our parent company, Corridor Media Group, based in North Liberty, Iowa.
This story was originally published in March 2023.
John Deere leapt onto the tech world’s biggest stage last year, unveiling its groundbreaking self-driving tractor to rave reviews from surprised tech leaders at the 2022 Consumer Technology CES show in Las Vegas. Just one year later, Deere & Co. Chairman and CEO John May delivered the keynote address spotlighting Deere’s ongoing progress in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) at the gathering that bills itself as “The Most Influential Tech Event in the World.” That 2023 speech marked the first time in CES history that an ag company gave the Consumer Electronics Show keynote. And while it might have seemed that Deere had burst onto the AI scene in 2022 with its driverless 8R tractor, the Moline-based global equipment manufacturer has been changing the future of farming through innovation since John Deere invented the self-scouring plow 186 years ago, Deere’s board chairman told a receptive CES crowd. Modern-day Deere is continuing that tradition via “purpose-driven sustainability practices and advancements in technology” to address what Mr. May called “one of the world’s greatest challenges – feeding a growing global population.” For Deere team leaders like Kimberly D. Noe, “sustainability” is more than an industry buzzword and the mission and targets contained in the Leap Ambitions that Deere introduced in 2021 to measure its progress are more than a guidebook. “When we think about the Leap Ambitions, they are goals designed to impact economic volume and the sustainable value for our customers,” said Ms. Noe, Deere’s program manager of sustainability. “Really it’s important to look at it from other frames of mind and not just from a monetary perspective.” For example, she said, the goals are designed to ensure that for Deere customers “we really optimize their operation so that every hour, every drop, every seed, every pound, and every pass counts to make sure that we are delivering better outcomes for our customers with fewer resources.” According to Deere’s updated 2022 Sustainability Report, substantial progress has already been made in hitting those 2021 targets. Among the 2022 report highlights (released in 2023) are:
John Deere leapt onto the tech world’s biggest stage last year, unveiling its groundbreaking self-driving tractor to rave reviews from surprised tech leaders at the 2022 Consumer Technology CES show in Las Vegas. Just one year later, Deere & Co. Chairman and CEO John May delivered the keynote address spotlighting Deere’s ongoing progress in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) at the gathering that bills itself as “The Most Influential Tech Event in the World.” That 2023 speech marked the first time in CES history that an ag company gave the Consumer Electronics Show keynote. And while it might have seemed that Deere had burst onto the AI scene in 2022 with its driverless 8R tractor, the Moline-based global equipment manufacturer has been changing the future of farming through innovation since John Deere invented the self-scouring plow 186 years ago, Deere’s board chairman told a receptive CES crowd. Modern-day Deere is continuing that tradition via “purpose-driven sustainability practices and advancements in technology” to address what Mr. May called “one of the world’s greatest challenges – feeding a growing global population.” For Deere team leaders like Kimberly D. Noe, “sustainability” is more than an industry buzzword and the mission and targets contained in the Leap Ambitions that Deere introduced in 2021 to measure its progress are more than a guidebook. “When we think about the Leap Ambitions, they are goals designed to impact economic volume and the sustainable value for our customers,” said Ms. Noe, Deere’s program manager of sustainability. “Really it’s important to look at it from other frames of mind and not just from a monetary perspective.” For example, she said, the goals are designed to ensure that for Deere customers “we really optimize their operation so that every hour, every drop, every seed, every pound, and every pass counts to make sure that we are delivering better outcomes for our customers with fewer resources.” According to Deere’s updated 2022 Sustainability Report, substantial progress has already been made in hitting those 2021 targets. Among the 2022 report highlights (released in 2023) are:
- A 29% cumulative reduction of operational greenhouse gas emissions reported since 2017, far surpassing its original goal of 15%.
- An 84% increase in waste recycling.
- Surpassing its 2022 renewable electricity goal of 50%.
- Just under half a million reported connected acres.