John Deere employees face indefinite layoffs at the company's Davenport Works and Harvester Works facilities.
Effective September 18, 2015, about 150 employees at the Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois, will be laid off according to John Deere Spokesman Ken Golden.
Another 30 workers at the John Deere Davenport Works will be laid off effective October 2.
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"Deere continues to adjust the size of our manufacturing workforce at individual factories in response to market demand for products," Golden said.
In their third-quarter earnings report released August 21, John Deere reported declining sales and earnings. The company "forecasted that equipment sales would decrease about 21 percent for fiscal 2015," Golden said.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Samuel R. Allen said the earnings results showed the “downturn of the farm economy.” Allen also said there were fewer sales of construction equipment; but he said "all of Deere’s businesses remained solidly profitable."
The layoffs were announced Monday morning, August 31, 2015.