8-K

UNITED STATES 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

Washington, D.C.  20549

  FORM 8-K  

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report: April 30, 2020

(Date of earliest event reported)

DEERE & COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	1-4121	36-2382580
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

One John Deere Place

Moline, Illinois 61265

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

(309) 765-8000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

___________________________________________________

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

¨  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

Title of each class	Trading symbol	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $1 par value	DE	New York Stock Exchange
8½ % Debentures Due 2022	DE22	New York Stock Exchange
6.55% Debentures Due 2028	DE28	New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

The Board of Directors (“Board”) of Deere & Company has elected Tamra A. Erwin to the Board effective on May 1, 2020. Ms. Erwin is executive vice president and chief executive officer of Verizon Business, a division of Verizon Communications, Inc. Ms. Erwin is expected to be appointed a member of the Corporate Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee of the Board.

Deere announced these changes in a press release, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)       Exhibits

Number	Description of Exhibit
99.1	Press Release
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (the cover page XBRL tags are imbedded in the Inline XBRL document)

Signature

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereto duly authorized.

	DEERE & COMPANY
	By:	/s/ Todd E. Davies
		Todd E. Davies
		Secretary
Dated: May 1, 2020

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

NEWS RELEASE

Jen Hartmann

Director, Public Relations

HartmannJenniferA@JohnDeere.com

1-309-948-1658

Verizon Executive Erwin Joins Deere Board of Directors

MOLINE, Illinois (May 1, 2020) — Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) today announced the election of Tamra A. Erwin, a leading telecommunications executive, to the company's board of directors. Erwin is executive vice president and chief executive officer of Verizon Business, a division of Verizon Communications, Inc. The organization headed by Erwin provides services and products for business and government clients around the world and has sales of more than $30 billion.

“We are pleased to welcome a business leader of Tami’s stature to the Deere board,” said John C. May, chairman and chief executive officer. “Her wealth of experience in the telecommunications field will be of particular value as we extend our leadership in smart connected machines and precision technologies. Tami’s background in marketing and customer support is yet another asset she brings to our board."

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Erwin joined Verizon in the late 1980s as a customer service representative. In subsequent years, her positions included chief marketing officer and executive vice president of wireless operations. She serves on the Verizon foundation board and the Paley Media Center board of trustees.

With Erwin’s election, the Deere board will have 11 members, 10 of whom are independent, or non-employee, directors. The previously announced retirement of Sam Allen, the company’s former chief executive officer and board chairman since 2010, became effective today.

About Deere & Company

Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land - those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world's dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at www.JohnDeere.com.

XML

Cover	Apr. 30, 2020
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	8-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Apr. 30, 2020
Entity File Number	1-4121
Entity Registrant Name	DEERE & COMPANY
Entity Central Index Key	0000315189
Entity Tax Identification Number	36-2382580
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Address, Address Line One	One John Deere Place
Entity Address, City or Town	Moline
Entity Address, State or Province	IL
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	61265
City Area Code	309
Local Phone Number	765-8000
Written Communications	false
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Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Common Stock [Member]
Document Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	Common stock, $1 par value
Trading Symbol	DE
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Debentures 8.5 Percent Due 2022
Document Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	8½ % Debentures Due 2022
Trading Symbol	DE22
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Debentures 6.55 Percent Due 2028
Document Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	6.55% Debentures Due 2028
Trading Symbol	DE28
Security Exchange Name	NYSE