Congratulations to Don Borgman on his retirement from John Deere. Don is retiring as the Director, Agricultural Industry Relations for John Deere's North American operations. His last day in the office was May 30; however, he is using vacation time until his official retirement date in December. He started his career with Deere in 1974 after graduating from the University of Missouri where he studied agricultural economics and journalism. He has held various product support, sales and marketing positions during his career. He also grows corn and soybeans on a Century Farm in West Central Missouri, belongs to the NCGA, ASA and the Missouri Farm Bureau, serves on the Board of Directors of several businesses and farm organizations, and has been involved in the promotion and expansion of agricultural products usage since the late 1970s. One of those boards was the NAFB Foundation.
About his career Don humbly said, “Mostly I just worked for a farm equipment company and farmed—not that notable.” But, he proudly added, “As for the NAFB Foundation, Hugh Whaley recruited me, and my first meeting coincided with the board starting the strategic planning process. The six years have gone by in a flash, but I got to be around while we expanded the funding for the foundation, which enabled more scholarships and internships.” Don will continue to farm and, as you might expect, his equipment features “lots of green paint.” He added, “I used to farm with stuff that was older than me, but now it's hard to get equipment older than me started, and even more challenging to keep it working.”
