I hope this isn’t a trend we’ll be seeing in the industry. It’s a very short announcement sent out today by Deere & Company:

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.

Deere 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 27th. The John Deere Des Moines Works manufactures tillage, planting, spraying and cotton harvesting equipment for agriculture.