Deere

Robert W. Lane has been Chief Executive Officer of Deere & Company since May 2000 and Chairman of the Board since August 2000 and President since January 2000. Mr. Lane serves as Chief Executive Officer of John Deere Capital Corp., a Credit Supporter of John Deere Credit Inc. Mr. Lane was President of John Deere's Worldwide Agricultural Equipment Division, and was Chief Financial Officer. He was President of Deere Credit, Inc., and, over his career, has directed most of John Deere's operations around the world. After joining Deere & Company in 1982, following -a career in corporate banking, including management assignments in Europe, Mr. Lane worked in the Worldwide Construction Equipment Division and managed governmental and national account sales. He subsequently served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Deere Credit, Inc., and later joined the Worldwide Agricultural Equipment Division where, as Senior Vice President, he directed Deere's equipment operations in Latin America, the Far East, Australia, and South Africa. In 1996, he was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and, before being named President of the Worldwide Agricultural Equipment Division, he served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of manufacturing and marketing operations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and in the nations of the former Soviet Union. He served as the President, Worldwide Agricultural Equipment Division of Deere from September 1999 to January 2000 and Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Region II, Europe, Africa & Middle East of Deere from 1998 to September 1999 and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Deere from 1996 to 1998. He is a member of the board of directors of Verizon Communications Inc., since March 1, 2004. He serves as Chairman and Director of Deere John Capital Corp. He has been a Director of Deere & Co. since 2000. He has been a Director of Verizon New England Inc. since March 1, 2004. He is a Trustee for the Committee for Economic Development and a member of The Business Roundtable and Business Council. Mr. Lane is also a member of the boards of the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mr. Lane graduated with high honors from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, in 1972. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago in 1974, and has participated in advanced executive education programs at Columbia, Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, and Dartmouth.