Deere workers grapple with fallout from Trump's trade war
John Deere | November 15, 2019
Devin Spencer has been on edge ever since Deere & Co. laid off dozens of his colleagues at its Harvester Works plant in western Illinois due to dwindling demand for farm combines. He considers himself lucky to have escaped the indefinite layoffs, but has been relegated to a lower-level job with a pay cut. The 29-year-old welder blames America’s trade war with China, which has dented U.S. agricultural exports and, in turn, slowed sales of equipment, for his situation.