Deere occupies top spots on Fortune Magazine's yearly list

Fortune Magazine presented accolades to John Deere and Company in its yearly hallmark that recognizes strong companies.
Fortune Magazine presented accolades to John Deere and Company in its yearly hallmark that recognizes strong companies.
John Deere, the world's biggest manufacturer of agricultural machinery including John Deere Gators and John Deere mowers, scored very high returns in a Fortune magazine survey.

The Moline, Iowa-based company placed first for most admired industrial and farm equipment company, just ahead of Caterpillar and Illinois Tool Works, respectively. Fifteen companies made the list, eight of which were ranked. The remaining seven were not ranked. Deere previously was ranked second so it jumped ahead when under consideration for this year.

Deere placed 39th out of 50 for the world's most admired companies, ahead of Netflix and just behind Samsung Electronics. The top three in that category are Apple, Google and Berkshire Hathaway, in order.

The list was made by executives, directors and analysts who rated companies in their own particular industries. The number of people surveyed exceeded 4,000.

The yearly rating is a hallmark of Fortune Magazine. The rankings are from the March 21, 2011 edition of the publication.