John Deere Tractor History Through the Eyes of an Archivist with Neil Dahlstrom

This week, Caite and Arlene interview Neil Dahlstrom from the Quad Cities, an archivist at John Deere who manages historical records, collections, antique equipment, and corporate art; he says he cannot collect John Deere items personally due to ethics rules. Dahlstrom, who lacks a farming background, describes his path into archives and his interest in research and historical mysteries, while also “growing” his nearly 16-year-old son and new writing projects. He discusses his books: a Civil War press-freedom story (“Lincoln’s Wrath”), a biography of John and Charles Deere (“The John Deere Story”), and “Tractor Wars” (1908–1928) on tractor origins and the roles of Ford, International Harvester, and Deere, including forgotten brands, fraud prompting standards like the Nebraska Test Lab, long adoption curves, and implement changes. He explains how “Tractor Wars” became an Iowa PBS documentary, and reflects on why history matters. Don’t miss it!We're glad you're joining us for another episode of Barnyard Language. If you enjoy the show, please tell a friend (or two) and be sure to rate and review us wherever you're listening! If you want to help us keep buying coffee and paying our editor, you can make a monthly pledge on Patreon to help us stay on the air. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as BarnyardLanguage, and if you'd like to connect with other farming families, you can join our private Barnyard Language Facebook group. We're always in search of future guests for the podcast. If you or someone you know would like to chat with us, get in touch.If you have a something you'd like to Cuss & Discuss, you can submit it here: speakpipe.com/barnyardlanguage or email us at [email protected].