Deere announces Des Moines layoffs

Deere & Company said today that 160 employees of the John Deere Des Moines Works will be placed on indefinite layoff later this month due to reduced market demand for the factory's products.

The company said the layoffs affect production workers with the least seniority and that employees were told of the plans in meetings today at the factory. The layoffs are effective April 27. The John Deere Des Moines Works manufactures tillage, planting, spraying, and cotton harvesting equipment for agriculture.