Machinery Pete Podcast

Machinery Pete interviews Neil Dahlstrom, Manager of Archives and History for John Deere about his new book, “Tractor Wars – John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester and the Birth of American Agriculture.” Dahlstrom shares fascinating stories from the period 100+ years ago on the race for dominance and relevance in the burgeoning new American market for farm tractors. Pete also provides a recap of a November 6, 2021 farm retirement he filmed for his TV show in Keymar, MD….according to Pete “The Hottest Auction I’ve Seen in my 32 Years.”

Show Notes


Machinery Pete interviews Neil Dahlstrom, Manager of Archives and History for John Deere about his new book, “Tractor Wars – John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester and the Birth of American Agriculture.” Dahlstrom shares fascinating stories from the period 100+ years ago on the race for dominance and relevance in the burgeoning new American market for farm tractors. Pete also provides a recap of a November 6, 2021 farm retirement he filmed for his TV show in Keymar, MD….according to Pete “The Hottest Auction I’ve Seen in my 32 Years.”

  • [:35] - Machinery Pete teases this episode’s interview
  • [2:10] - McGrew Auction recap
  • [7:46] - Interview with Neil Dahlstrom begins
  • [10:17] - Early life, growing up near Deere archive building
  • [13:04] - About the new book
  • [15:03] - History of Ford, International Harvester and Deere Tractors
  • [26:18] - Advent of the small tractor
  • [36:58] - Tractor market in 1925 
  • [49:08] - Relating computer advancements to tractors and “what if?s”
  • [53:12] - Where to buy the book
  • [54:08] - Final words from Machinery Pete

Machinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.

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What is Machinery Pete Podcast?

Welcome to the Machinery Pete Podcast hosted by Greg Peterson, known to the industry as Machinery Pete. For over 30 years, Greg has been a trusted source of knowledge in the farming equipment industry. Starting with a gut feeling, Greg set off to bring more and better data to the agriculture space. He’s been a voice you can trust, no matter where you’re listening or reading.

In this podcast, Greg will be sharing stories and conversations from around the industry. The kinds of conversations that are longer and more meaningful than just a few soundbites. He’ll be adding context and color to stories from good people that make up the agriculture space. He’ll also be sharing the types of insights, trends, farming news and used farm equipment values from around the country that you’ve come to expect from him.

Founded in 1989 by Greg Peterson, Machinery Pete has come a long way since its beginnings in Greg Peterson’s home office in Rochester, Minnesota where he passionately researched, tracked and reported on auction prices. In 2014 Farm Journal and Machinery Pete partnered to provide a more efficient marketplace for buying and selling used ag equipment.


In July of 2015, MachineryPete.com launched its marketplace with leading-edge marketing solutions for dealers, informed and built with the online equipment shopper in mind and creates meaningful connections between buyers and sellers. The company is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

You can find out more at https://www.machinerypete.com/podcasts