by Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register
Net sales for the company’s production and precision agriculture segment have dropped by more than $6 billion. This is a 16% drop compared to last year’s second quarter, according to the Des Moines Register.
Farm income is also to drop by 25% in comparison to 2023. Prices for equipment have been discounted or sold at lower prices as a result of farmer feeling the heat of high interest rates. The economic climate has forced Deere and other companies to cut back on production, according to the Des Moines Register.
So when did the Deere layoffs start this year and which Iowa towns have to fill the workforce hole? Here’s a timeline of the John Deere layoffs of 2024.
In mid-March, John Deere Des Moines Works announced a mass layoff of 150 people.
At the time of the layoff, 1,700 employees at the Ankeny site on 825 SW. Irvinedale Drive. Of those, 1,136 people worked in production and maintenance. The facility manufactures heavy agricultural equipment such as sprayers and cotton pickers.
“Each John Deere factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs of the individual factory to optimize the workforce at each facility,” the company said in a statement.
In late March, John Deere Waterloo Works announced 308 people would be laid off by April 26. The Waterloo facility has around 5,500 employees including roughly 3,600 in the production and maintenance sector.
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