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John Deere announces layoffs in Waterloo, Quad Cities in the wake of slow farm orders [1]
['Kevin Baskins']
Date: 2025-08-18
John Deere announces layoffs in Waterloo, Quad Cities in the wake of slow farm orders
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John Deere announced layoffs at Waterloo and Quad Cities manufacturing facilities impacting more than 230 workers.
The layoffs follow a disappointing earnings report and a decline in farm equipment sales.
Despite the layoffs, John Deere affirmed its commitment to U.S. manufacturing and plans to invest billions in facility upgrades.
John Deere has announced layoffs at three of its manufacturing facilities in Iowa and Illinois following a gloomy earnings report
The company said Monday, Aug. 18, that it will be laying off 71 workers at its foundry in Waterloo effective Sept. 19. In addition, it will be laying off 167 workers in the Illinois side of the Quad Cities: 115 from its harvester works in East Moline, effective Aug. 29, and 52 from its seeding and cylinder works in Moline, effective Sept. 26.
Since April 2024, Moline-based Deere, which operates plants and other facilities across Iowa, including in Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, Ottumwa, Dubuque and Davenport in addition to Waterloo, has pared its workforce in the state 26 times, laying off 2,056 employees.
The latest round of layoffs reflects the ongoing effect of a downturn in farm commodity prices that has cut into Deere's sales and sent its shares down 6% following the Aug, 14 earnings report.
“As stated on our most recent earnings call, the struggling ag economy continues to impact orders for John Deere equipment. This is a challenging time for many farmers, growers and producers, and directly impacts our business in the near term,” the company said in its statement.
The statement affirmed the company’s commitment to its U.S. manufacturing and reiterated its recent announcement that it will be investing nearly $20 billion over the next decade to upgrade and enhance manufacturing facilities across the country.
It also said employees affected by the layoffs, for a period equal to their length of service, will be eligible for recall to their home factories. Those laid off are automatically placed in seniority order for openings they are qualified to perform.
Tariffs add to headwinds in ag machinery manufacturing
In its earnings report, the company noted that President Donald Trump's tariffs have added to the woes of farm-equipment makers who already were grappling with slow demand. Farmers are opting to rent machinery instead of buying.
"Tariff uncertainty and deflated commodity prices have made farmers increasingly cautious in spending decisions and more hesitant to accept higher machinery prices," said CFRA Research analyst Jonathan Sakraida.
Deere's net income in the third quarter was $1.29 billion, or $4.75 per share, compared with $1.73 billion, or $6.29 per share, for the same period a year earlier.
The company's net sales fell about 9% to $10.36 billion from a year ago, more than analysts' estimates of $10.31 billion.
Rueters contributed to this article.
Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at
[email protected].
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[1] Url:
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2025/08/18/john-deere-layoffs-announced-in-waterloo-and-quad-cities-east-moline/85707870007/
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