Angry farmers have threatened to stop buying John Deere tractors.
The 187-year-old company, the largest maker of agricultural machinery, said Wednesday it will lay off even more workers.
The nearly 300 layoffs in Iowa and Illinois bring the total this year to about 2,100.
At the same time, Deere is moving more of its tractor and farm equipment manufacturing to Mexico.
“I will never buy another John Deere tractor or any of their products,” wrote one farmer today in reddit.
Another added: ‘John Deere is loyal to shareholders, NOT employees or even customers. Anything they say otherwise is propaganda.
John Deere produces a wide range of equipment, including tractors, combines, construction vehicles, lawnmowers and snowmobiles. The company is facing backlash over its ongoing plan to lay off more American workers and move production to Mexico.
Massey-Ferguson, a rival to John Deere, is known for its red tractors.
Another, referring to rival Massey-Ferguson and its red tractors, wrote: “Looks like there will be a lot of color changes coming in the next few years. I predict a lot more red in the fields.”
John Deere is by far the market leader in the United States. It means that fields across the country are mostly plowing and harvesting machines adorned in their distinctive green and yellow colors.
The company also sells heavy-duty gardening equipment.
John Deere History
Portrait of John Deere, who founded the company.
The company, now known for its green tractors and its iconic leaping deer logo, was founded almost two centuries ago, in 1837.
In its early days, it produced self-scouring steel plows, which revolutionized agriculture and replaced the inferior cast iron plow that often got stuck in sticky soils.
Today, John Deere, which still bears its founder’s name, produces everything from tractors, construction vehicles, lawnmowers and even snowmobiles.
It has expanded quite a bit since its humble beginnings and has a total of 109 factories and offices around the world.
Many of the company’s dozens of factories in the United States are the largest employers in small Midwestern towns, which is devastating when dozens or even hundreds are suddenly out of work and don’t have many places to turn.
The 2,100 layoffs occurred at several sites in Iowa (Ankeny, Dubuque, Ottumwa, Urbandale, Waterloo) as well as Davenport and East Moline in Illinois, as well as at a research center in Urbandale.
Wednesday’s layoffs affect about 200 production workers at the combine factory in East Moline, Illinois. Additionally, 80 workers in Davenport, Iowa, will also lose their jobs, along with seven in Moline, Illinois.
This is the last round of layoffs this year, after 103 jobs were also eliminated in July for the company founded 187 years ago.
In many cases, the production for which these American workers were responsible is moving to new locations in Mexico.
But the company insisted Wednesday that the layoffs are not related to moving its production to Mexico.
Instead, bosses attributed the job cuts to a decline in demand for tractors and other farm equipment, which has resulted from falling crop prices and farmers’ reduced expenses.
The movement of production to Mexico has caught the attention of politicians.
Donald Trump said in September that he will impose a 200 percent tariff on John Deere imports to the United States if the company moves forward with plans to move production to Mexico.
At the beginning of the year, John Deere employed about 22,600 salaried and production workers in the two states.
The company has targeted a 20 percent drop in sales from 2023 to 2024.
More layoffs are expected, even though John Deere made more than $10 billion in profits in 2023 and also paid CEO John May $26.7 million in total compensation.
John Deere said it is still committed to American manufacturing. Bosses pointed to a $2 billion investment in U.S. factories since 2019.
Former U.S. President George W. Bush (L) watches welders work on a John Deere combine during a factory tour on January 14, 2002 in Moline, Illinois.
John Deere personnel work on agricultural equipment. The company lays off workers
A John Deere factory in Brazil. The company moves its production there, as well as to Mexico.
More than 10,000 John Deere workers went on strike for five weeks in 2021. They won a 10 percent raise for hourly workers and increased retirement benefits.
In a statement to DailyMail.com on Wednesday, John Deere said: ‘It is important to note that these layoffs are due to reduced demand for the products produced at these facilities.
Employees are furious about the cuts.
A former John Deere worker at the Harvester Works plant in East Moline, Illinois, said it all comes down to one thing: greed.
“It seems like every day we hear about more layoffs and this is creating uncertainty everywhere,” said the worker, who remained anonymous for fear of retaliation.
‘They are not related to production movements.
“As we have said repeatedly, this fiscal year’s layoffs are due to the weakening agricultural economy and reduced customer orders for our equipment.”