John Deere to Consolidate Hay Equipment Lines and Close Ottumwa Works

Agricultural equipment manufacturer John Deere has announced in November 2026 a multi-year manufacturing consolidation across its Midwest footprint, detailing plans to close its 1911 Ottumwa Works plant after transferring windrower and round baler assembly to its Des Moines Works facility in Ankeny.

Phased Transfer of Windrower and Round Baler Lines in Fiscal Years 2027 and 2028

Citing shifts in agricultural customer demand and available factory capacity across its North American network, Deere outlined a two-stage transition before shutting down the Ottumwa facility. Windrower production—machinery used by hay and grain producers to cut and condition crops—will relocate from Ottumwa to Des Moines Works in Ankeny by the end of fiscal year 2027. Round baler production will follow to Des Moines Works by the end of fiscal year 2028, at which point Ottumwa Works will cease operations.

Deere first established its presence in Ottumwa in 1911 when it purchased the property from Dain Manufacturing, making Ottumwa Works the company's first manufacturing plant in the state of Iowa.

Workforce Impact Estimates of 300 to 400 Jobs and Broader Iowa Restructuring

Local and corporate estimates differ on the total workforce impact of the closure. Ottumwa city officials told the Ottumwa Courier that shutting the plant will affect approximately 400 jobs, whereas John Deere told the Iowa Capital Dispatch that at normal production volumes roughly 300 employees would be impacted. The company stated that affected workers will be eligible for internal transfer opportunities, retraining, retention incentives, relocation support, and severance packages.

The closure follows earlier workforce reductions at the Ottumwa plant during a broader downturn in farm equipment demand: in January 2025, Deere notified state officials that 75 Ottumwa employees would be laid off the following month, after more than 100 workers at the site had already accepted early retirement packages and mower assembly was shifted to Mexico.

Beyond Ottumwa, Deere confirmed two additional footprint changes across Iowa and Illinois: the company will end manufacturing operations at its Hagie sprayer factory in Clarion, Iowa by fiscal year 2029, while moving small planter production from Moline, Illinois to a production facility in Paton, Iowa during the next fiscal year.