John Deere plans to close two Iowa plants, Ottumwa Works and Hagie in Clarion, moving the work to Des Moines and Thibodaux, Louisiana, by fiscal 2029.
Deere announced the plan on Nov. 4, citing changes in customer demand and the factory capacity it has available. Ottumwa’s history with hay equipment goes back to 1900, and Deere has owned the site since 1910. Hagie has built sprayers in Clarion since the 1940s and became fully Deere-owned in 2020.
What Moves, and When
Five production lines are changing places:
- Windrowers: Ottumwa to Des Moines Works by the end of fiscal 2027.
- Round balers: They follow to Des Moines by the close of fiscal 2028. Deere then intends to shut Ottumwa.
- Hagie STS sprayers: Clarion to Thibodaux, starting in fiscal 2028, with manufacturing in Clarion ending by fiscal 2029.
- Sugar cane harvesters: Thibodaux to Catalão, Brazil, in fiscal 2029. Thibodaux builds around 35 of them a year for the U.S.
- Small planters: Moline, Illinois, to Paton, Iowa, in fiscal 2027.
So Louisiana gains one line and loses another. Deere says headcount at Thibodaux won’t drop because the sprayers are arriving…