A John Deere tractor regularly used by Elvis Presley on his Mississippi ranch and at his home at Graceland will be displayed beginning today at the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum.

The John Deere 4010 tractor was restored by students at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi, with guidance from John Deere. The 4010 tractor owned by Elvis was one of four models in John Deere's "New Generation of Power" – a four- and six-cylinder tractor line that the company introduced in 1961 and that helped John Deere become the world's leading manufacturer of agriculture equipment.

The Elvis Presley Automobile Museum is located at the national historic landmark Elvis Presley's Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee.

A special-edition, die-cast version of the tractor will go on sale in November at authorized John Deere dealers nationwide, on ShopElvis.com and at Graceland. This special model will include a 46A loader, an accessory rarely found on die-cast collectibles.

More about the exhibit.

John Deere expands its 7030 Premium Series Tractor lineup with the addition of the new 180-engine hp (152-PTO hp) 7530 Premium.

"Our 7530 Premium Tractor provides customers with features and options similar to our existing 7430 Premium Tractor, but adds extra power for loader or field work on farm or livestock operations. Plus, it's sized right to power mower conditioners, pull 12-row planters, and handle most light tillage chores. It's a nimble, light-weight tractor that fits well into loader, hay-making, and transport applications," says Brett Showalter, division manager, marketing for John Deere.

The 7530 Premium comes equipped with a fuel-efficient 6.8L John Deere PowerTech™ Plus engine, a spacious ComfortGard™ Premium Cab, and has a rear hitch-lift capacity of 10,600 pounds.

In addition, the new model features a 29-gpm closed-center, pressure-and-flow compensated hydraulic system – and updated CommandCenter™ controls that let you precisely dial in the tractor's hydraulics to fit the task at hand. All 7030 Premium Series Tractors are outfitted with an industry-exclusive full-length frame that's teamed with a rugged rear axle. This combination provides plenty of strength and stability to move heavy round bales with confidence.

The 7530 Premium Tractor has similar power levels and a slightly smaller wheelbase at 105.7 inches, compared to the larger 7730 Premium model with a 112.6-inch wheelbase.

Customers can add a number of fuel-saving options to the 7530 Premium including a 540E/1,000/1,000E PTO. When operated in economy mode this PTO lets you decrease engine rpms and maintain rated PTO speed to help save fuel and keep operating costs low.

"One more fuel-saving option to consider is our Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT™). It's a simple transmission to operate. A single lever lets you easily move the tractor from 0 to 25 mph, and any speed in between – for shift-free, seamless speed selection," says Showalter.

Triple Link Suspension™ also can be added to improve operator comfort and tractor performance.

"TLS is an independent suspension system that smoothes out your ride for enhanced comfort across rough roads or fields and improves traction for better pulling efficiency," says Showalter.

For more details you can visit with your local John Deere dealer.

John Deere (Deere & Company — NYSE: DE) is the world's leading provider of advanced products and services for agriculture and forestry and a major provider of advanced products and services for construction, lawn and turf care, landscaping and irrigation. John Deere also provides financial services worldwide and manufactures and markets engines used in heavy equipment. Since it was founded in 1837, the company has extended its heritage of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation around the globe.

John Deere Construction & Forestry Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing Domenic Ruccolo recently testified before the U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, advocating making infrastructure projects greener through the use of more productive and efficient construction equipment that gets the most work out of every gallon of fuel used.

Ruccolo's testimony came during the Committee's hearing on "Constructing a Green Transportation Policy: Transit Modes and Infrastructure"

Among other action items, he urged the Federal government to take steps to support further efforts within the construction equipment industry to improve equipment productivity and efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.

"Collaboration and cooperation between the public and private sectors are needed to investigate and fund the research and development of new standards and technologies to further improve equipment productivity and efficiency," Ruccolo said. "The Federal government has not consistently assisted the non-road equipment industry in the past on such an effort, concentrating instead upon the onroad sector."

"However, by recognizing the essential role non-road equipment will play in transforming the transportation and other sectors of the economy to achieve ambitious and necessary greenhouse gas reductions, we can see that appropriate investment by the Federal government into non-road technologies would create substantial environment returns," Ruccolo said.

Ruccolo went on to point out that any future strategic modal shifts from road transport to rail and public transportation systems to help offset growth in greenhouse gas emissions would require construction equipment to build and maintain the infrastructure foundation for the shifts.

"By supporting the non-road equipment industry to make machines more productive and efficient, the Nation will be able to achieve these shifts and realize the environmental benefits more quickly and with lest cost," Ruccolo explained.

Ruccolo also addressed the vital relationship between infrastructure investment and job creation. "John Deere witnesses firsthand the dramatic impact of the current financial crisis on its workforce, dealers and customers," Ruccolo said.

"There are over 2 million construction workers currently without jobs. Without a doubt, we are all ready, willing and able to get back to work for the Nation to help rebuild its economy and create the environmentally sound infrastructure it deserves. Predictable, adequate and effective use of program funding to achieve these ends should be a policy priority."

Ruccolo then asked Congress to trust national experts regarding the financial requirements to accomplish healthy infrastructure funding for the next Highway and Transit Bill, quoting the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission's estimate that $225 billion is needed annually.

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John Deere Ag Management Solutions and Raven Industries announced today an agreement to supply customers with a broad suite of application control solutions in the precision agricultural market.

"We're targeting this August to combine technologies from John Deere and Raven. We'll be able to offer an expanded line of universal solutions to customers through our John Deere dealer network," says Nick Block, business development manager for John Deere Ag Management Solutions.

Now customers in the U.S., Canada, and Australia will be able to purchase select Raven application control products at John Deere dealerships.

Matt Burkhart, general manager for Raven's Applied Technology Division, says customers will ultimately be the biggest beneficiaries of the agreement.

"Both companies share a common focus to provide customers with market-leading, innovative products, plus offer exceptional support for those products," Burkhart says. "By offering Raven products through John Deere dealerships, we can reach more customers with compatible solutions that help them improve their farming operations," he adds.

"These complementary products will enhance both of our companies' positions in providing precision ag solutions," Deere's Block explains.