(East Moline, IL) — John Deere is laying off more workers at facilities in Iowa and Illinois.
The company confirming Wednesday additional layoffs at its Quad Cities facilities including 287 at Harvester Works in East Moline, 80 at Davenport Works and seven in Moline Seeding. More than 900 workers have been laid off this year in the Quad Cities alone.
Deere stated the layoffs are not related to overseas moves but to decreased orders in tractors and farm equipment. In a statement to KWQC-TV on Wednesday, the company said in part that “it is important to note these layoffs are due to reduced demand for the products produced at these facilities. They are not related to production moves. As we have repeatedly stated, layoffs this fiscal year are due to the weakening farm economy and a reduction in customer orders for our equipment.”
Just this year alone, the company has laid off more than 2,500 workers across multiple states including Iowa and Illinois, citing the downturn in the ag economy. A few weeks ago, former President Trump threatened the company with a 200% tariff on goods coming into the U.S. amid talk of shifting some production to plants in Mexico.
John Deere attributes the reduction in workforce to a 20-percent drop in sales. The company stock price is down around 16% from last year. Affected employees will receive benefits, including supplemental unemployment and healthcare coverage.