AI helps John Deere transform agriculture

Our Executive Function series features perspectives from leaders driving transformation through AI.

John Deere helps produce food, fiber, fuel, and infrastructure, and works for every single person on the planet. It all started nearly 200 years ago with a steel plow. Today, John Deere drives innovation in agriculture, construction, forestry, turf, power systems, and more. We spoke with Justin Rose about AI transforming agriculture, its impact on traditional customer success teams, and insights from its AI deployment at John Deere. 

Can you elaborate on the different components of the business and who John Deere’s customers are across its ecosystem?

John Deere is almost 200 years old—we’re celebrating our 188th year this year. From the start, our focus has been on serving customers and driving innovation. The company was founded on an original innovation: a self-scouring steel plow that could cut through the thick, rich soil of the Midwest without clogging. That initial product set the stage for what we’ve become.

Today, our portfolio is much broader—we operate in agriculture, construction, road building, forestry, and turf care, with over 100 different product lines. Our customers range from individual farmers and ranchers, including hobbyists, to vast agricultural enterprises farming millions of acres per year. We also serve construction companies, forestry operators, homeowners, and more, across every continent and climate.

Fun fact: our machines roll over about one-third of the Earth’s surface every year, and that number continues to grow. It’s really a large-scale endeavor to support human civilization. 

How do you see AI transforming agriculture? What challenges can it help solve?

Agriculture is a huge focus for us, and it’s more than just food—it’s also fuel, fiber, and building materials. A single U.S. farm feeds about 169 people annually, so making farming more efficient and sustainable is critical.

“[AI] is necessary for us to be able to work at a global scale.”