By: NATHAN STUEDLE
John Deere is bringing hundreds of employees back to work, even as the broader agricultural equipment market continues struggling. The company plans to hire more than 400 workers across its factories and recall another 275 employees to its Waterloo, Iowa, operations in the coming months. Deere says those moves would bring total employee callbacks since 2024 to approximately one thousand. Workers previously laid off in Waterloo, the Quad Cities, Ottumwa and Dubuque have also been asked to return.
However, approximately 125 employees remain on layoff in the Des Moines area. The workforce changes come as Deere prepares for labor negotiations next year. Meanwhile, industry sales figures remain disappointing. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers reports September tractor sales declined 16.4 percent from a year earlier, while combine sales fell nearly eleven percent. The figures indicate Deere's hiring activity has not yet translated into a broader recovery in agricultural machinery demand.