Tractor rivals meet at museum

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

It was Oliver/White vs. John Deere at the Floyd County Museum on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Hosting its final Tractor Talk program of the summer, the museum invited former employees of the Oliver/White tractor plant and its nearby neighbor at John Deere in Waterloo to compare the experience of working for the rival tractor companies.

Sharing stories about everything from engineering tractors to working on the line to closures and downsizing, there was plenty to talk about as people described their experiences with each manufacturing plant.

Some in the group had only worked at one plant or the other, but others had spent time at both plants and were able to directly describe the similarities and differences.

“The machining plant was pretty similar at both places,” said Duane Bennett.

While the work done at each manufacturer was comparable, those with a history with both companies noted the differences in the corporate culture between the industrial giant of John Deere and the comparatively smaller operation of Oliver/White.

“At John Deere, they were looking for a warm body to pour green blood into,” said Dean Tjaden. “White Farm was tiny compared to Deere, but as an individual you felt you had more of an impact.”

It was a sentiment shared throughout the group as the retired workers talked about having to navigate the ambitions of bosses looking to climb John Deere’s corporate ladder, contrasting it with the more personable environment of Oliver/White.

“I loved my work and I was so sad when it closed,” said Shirley Hemann, who was the first woman to work in the Oliver/White foundry. “I would go back to work at Oliver any day, even at my age.”