EVENT RECAP
Deere 331 P-Tier( left) and 204 G-Tier Compact Loaders
John Deere opens its doors for hands-on equipment testing at its revived PLC turf care fly-in event
FOUR YEARS AFTER ITS LAST GATHERING, John Deere welcomed
By Brian Ethridge landscape contractors, dealers and prospective customers back to North Carolina for its professional landscape contractor turf care fly-in event, blending product launches, factory tours and hands-on equipment demos.
About 130 attendees participated over the course of the week, according to company officials, marking the first such fly-in event since 2022. The program had previously been held nearly every year and, representatives said, had become something many customers looked forward to.
“ We’ ve heard it time and time again from dealers and customers: When are you going to do an event like this again?” said Luke Gribble, go-to-market manager at John Deere Agriculture & Turf.
“ So we decided around the midpoint of last year to give it a go, put our team together and make it happen.”
Compact excavator updates
Among the machines drawing attention was the redesigned 26 P-Tier compact excavator, one of Deere’ s newest additions to its compact construction lineup.
Gribble said one of the most noticeable upgrades is the cab, which now features expanded glass for improved visibility when trenching or moving materials. The machine includes heating and air conditioning, a sealed switch module and controls consistent with other Deere equipment to provide a more familiar layout for operators.
8 OPE + April 2026 www. OPE-Plus. com