Neil Dahlstrom

Neil Dahlstrom is the branded properties and heritage manager at John Deere (and formerly Manager, Archives and History), where he oversees the John Deere Pavilion, John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum, John Deere Historic Site, and the corporate Archives and Library, among other areas. He's the author of articles and books on American agricultural history, farm equipment entrepreneurs and brand history. He's appeared on the History Channel (The Machines That Made America and Modern Marvels), PBS (History Detectives), National Geographic (Ultimate Factories), Book TV, Trailblazers (a podcast by Walter Isaacson), and is a frequent speaker across the country. His work features forgotten stories of people, events and brands long hidden in forgotten manuscripts and historical records. Neil studied History and Classics at Monmouth College (IL), and earned a Masters in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University. After two years in an archive documenting the history of the commercial space industry near Washington, D.C., he returned to Illinois to join the John Deere Archives. Neil is a member of the Kitchen Cabinet, the Food and Agriculture Advisory Board of The Smithsonian National Museum of American History, past chair of the Society of American Archivists Business Archives Section and the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board, the advisory board of the Illinois State Archives and state level representative of the National Historical Publications and Records Committee. His latest book, "Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester, and the Birth of Modern Agriculture", explores the origins of the farm tractor in the early twentieth century, centered on the fierce competition of companies and entrepreneurs to out-innovate and invent modern agriculture. The book is the winner of the American Book Fest Book of the Year-History General in 2022, and the Henry Ford Heritage Association Book of the Year.