Greetings from Dyersville.

We’re now into early August and it will soon be time for kids to go back to school. In Northeast Iowa the crops look pretty good. Some areas have had too much rain, while others are wishing they could get a little more rain.

The crop dusters are busy right now and it’s county fair time. I visited the Jones County Fair and looked at the small display of vintage farm equipment. There was one piece that immediately caught my eye. This restored John Deere 734 Hi-Cycle self-propelled sprayer has been beautifully restored. You don’t see many of these around, let alone restored to this condition.




It’s sweet corn season as well, and I’m hoping my garden fence will at least keep the deer out. They seem to like hanging around my yard- until deer hunting season that is. I just planted a few apple trees in my yard, so I’m guessing the deer will continue to be guests for years to come.

Switching to toys, let’s talk about some of the new 1:64th items we have coming out. The first is stock number 45632A which is a set that include a Hagie STS12 and John Deere R4030 self-propelled sprayers. This set commemorates the 70th Anniversary of Hagie and their new partnership with John Deere. This is a one-time production run.

We’re also shipping our new 1:64th John Deere 4450 tractor with the FFA emblem. This is stock # 45628. This is the first 1:64th tractor we’ve produced with the FFA logo on it.

In addition we are starting to ship the new Case 175th Anniversary 1:64th set that includes a newly tooled Case 65HP steam engine and Case 2594 tractor. This is stock # 44109A and is also a one-time production run.

Don’t forget to check out the Ertl Collectors Club for our latest special offerings. The 1:64th scale Allis Chalmers 440 for the National Farm Toy Show is now sold out. The 1:16th Allis Chalmers D21 is still available.

Until next time.

Bill Walters