Deere donates to Australian flood relief effort

John Deere donated a tractor to assist a Northeast Australia city cope with flooding.
John Deere donated a tractor to assist a Northeast Australia city cope with flooding.
What do John Deere and Queen Elizabeth have in common? Both are part of a growing international relief effort to assist flood-ravaged Northeast Australia.

According to a published report, Deere is donating a tractor to the city of Ipswich, which is in the Australian state of Queensland. Queen Elizabeth also has contributed to the effort to bail out Northeast Australia, which has suffered from flooding since late December. Despite the generosity, the struggle is not expected to let up for several months as the rainy season runs through late March.

Deere and the queen are part of a growing collection of companies, performers, poets and athletes who have donated in some way to the Australian state's efforts to cope with and bounce back from the natural disaster.

Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Sting, Bon Jovi, Beyonce, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and the Foo Fighters are among the performers singing on a three-disc, 59-track benefit album. Called Flood Relief - Artists for the Flood Appeal, the album is produced by Sony.

Soccer players have helped shovel out. Tennis player Andy Roddick donated $100 per ace he served during a recent tournament in Brisbane, Australia.

Flood victims will benefit from proceeds of a book written by an author with the Australian Haiku Society.