Iowa Tribe Visits John Deere Harvester Works

EAST MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) - The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska stopped by John Deere Harvester Works for a tour Wednesday.

During the tour, the tribe not only saw how John Deere’s farm equipment was made, but also talked about how they can improve their own farming operations in terms of sustainability, productivity, and profitability.

Speaking on the tribe’s commitment to sustainability, productivity, and profitability, chairman of the tribe Timothy Rhodd said, “The Iowa Tribe has a smart farm initiative and a lot of the practices and decisions that we’re making on our day to day operations is data driven and that’s just one more piece of the puzzle that we can track through technology...all of the different things we’re doing across our land.”

According to Lance Foster, the Vice Chairman and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, the tribe has over 1,000 years of history right here in the Quad Cities. For years, they had villages along the Iowa River and the Mississippi River and even had a village in Rock Island. The state of Iowa had its name derived from the Ioway people who were members of the Iowa Tribe, which was one of several Native American nations located near present-day Iowa.

The Akana Group, a Native American contractor, connected John Deere with the Iowa Tribes.

“That connection is going to bring a lot of value to what we are doing on our operation and our reservation,” Rhodd said. “It’s fantastic to see what John Deere is doing on the production line. It’s amazing.”

John Deere and the Iowa Tribe hope to have a long-term work relationship for years to come as both parties continue to push for more sustainable, productive and profitable means to farming.

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