“Adjustments” are happening across the country as 2024 comes to an end. In some cases, they may be temporary. But in others, it appears like there will be permanent reductions in jobs as agricultural industries reshape their workforces due to economic forecasts and persistently higher interest rates.
Deere Down -- John Deere announced yet another round of layoffs in a year where the company has idled thousands of workers. Another 112 employees at John Deere Waterloo Works in Waterloo, Iowa, have been notified that January 3rd, 2025, would be their final day on the payroll.
KCRG-TV in Waterloo reported that the newest reductions bring the total to nearly 1,700 statewide announced this year by John Deere. The company reported last month that earnings were down 16% from 2023.
The company also confirmed additional layoffs in other parts of Iowa:
Quad Cities: 287 employees at Harvester Works
Davenport: 80 at Davenport Works
Moline: 7 at Moline Seeding
AgDaily tracked nearly 6,000 job cuts globally for John Deere in 2024. See that article here.
Tyson Trimming --Tyson Fresh Meats was responsible for the second largest mass layoff in Kansas this year. The company is shutting down its processing plant in Emporia, which means eliminating 809 jobs effective February 14, 2025.
“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our beef and pork non-harvest processing facility in Emporia, Kansas, to increase the efficiency of our operations. We understand the impact of this decision on our team members and the local community,” the company said in a statement about its facility shutdown.
The city manager of Emporia told KSNT-TV in Topeka that the company could have positions elsewhere for about one quarter of the laid off workers.
Tyson is also cutting 229 jobs at two plants near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company is closing those two facilities, according to WGAL-TV in Lancaster. Find those details here.
Cargill Cuts -- A third major agricultural company, Cargill, also confirmed reductions. Reuters reported that Cargill will eliminate about 5% of its global workforce. That includes 475 employees at an office center in Wayzata, Minnesota, beginning on February 5, 2025.
Cargill became exposed to industry pressures in cattle, grains, and oilseeds.
A 5% reduction in the company’s estimated 160,000 workers worldwide would represent dismissals of about 8,000 employees.
Brownfield AgNews noted that beef exports have declined recently while pork exports have increased.
