At least some investors are making money off of ethanol! John Deere, the world's leading manufacturer of farm equipment, posted impressive fourth quarter earnings due to a jump in ethanol demand. Net income climbed to $422.1 million, or $1.88 a share, on sales of $5.45 billion which beat analyst expectations of $1.54 a share. Business in Brazil caused overseas sales to jump 32 percent as Brazilian farmers bought more machines for sugarcane production. John Deere stock shot up $7.06 (%4.87) to $152.06 a share after the news.