Agri-Pulse staff reported that “John Deere says it ‘anticipates’ it will hire more than 400 people across its factories and will call back more than 275 to its Waterloo, Iowa, operations in the coming months, which would bring total callbacks since 2024 to about 1,000 employees.”
“‘With these callbacks, all employees previously on layoff in Waterloo, the Quad Cities, Ottumwa, and Dubuque have been asked to return to work,’ a company press release said,” according to Agri-Pulse’s reporting. “‘Approximately 125 employees remain on layoff in the Des Moines area.'”
The Des Moines Register reported that “the company said Deere facilities that will be hiring include its Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois; John Deere Seeding Works and John Deere Cylinder Works in Moline; North American parts distribution in Milan, Illinois; the Davenport Works, Dubuque Works and Ottumwa Works in Iowa; and the Coffeyville Works in Kansas.”
“In September, when Deere called back 375 workers in the Quad Cities, it said its goal was to build up its inventory as it heads into labor negotiations next year,” the Register reported. “That would help it weather any disruption in production like the one in 2021 when workers represented by the UAW went on strike for five weeks, and managers, in some cases, had to temporarily fill positions on production lines.”
Manufacturing Dive’s Nathan Owens reported that “while orders for construction equipment have increased, largely in response to the U.S. data center buildout, Deere in August maintained its full-year expectations for large agricultural equipment sales to be low as farmers continue to navigate higher input costs and market uncertainty from tariffs.”
“As a result, the company raised production rates at its construction factories, but continued to underproduce at its agricultural factories to meet slower demand, executives said in a third quarter earnings call,” Owens reported. “Despite these conditions, Deere accelerated its rehiring efforts in September and October. This came after labor negotiations collapsed with the United Auto Workers in August.”
Ag Equipment Sales Market Shows No Signs of Uptick
While the recall and hiring of workers by Deere is a positive sign, the ag equipment market has so far showed no signs of an uptick. Successful Farming’s Curt Bennink reported that “U.S. tractor sales fell 16.4%, while combine sales declined 10.9% year-over-year in September 2026, according to sales data the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). Reporting data came from AEM members who provided sales numbers from their dealers.”
“‘September’s sales underscore the difficulty in the agricultural market today,’ said Curt Blades, senior vice president at AEM,” according to Bennik’s reporting. “‘We approach this harvest season with optimism for increased certainty and recovery of farm economy.'”
AgDaily reported that “according to AEM’s September sales figures, U.S. dealers sold 15,024 tractors during the month, down from 17,979 in September 2025. Self-propelled combine sales totaled 369 units, compared with 414 a year earlier.”
“The weakness extends beyond September. Through the first nine months of 2026, U.S. tractor sales totaled 135,325 units, compared with 154,869 during the same period last year, a decline of approximately 12.6 percent,” AgDaily reported. “… Through September, combine sales reached 2,432 units nationwide, compared with 2,683 a year earlier, representing a 9.4 percent decline.”
