It’s official — Iowa’s Economic Development Authority Board has given CNH Industrial the tax incentives it requested, to move its Crawler/Dozer production line from out-of-state to the Burlington Case Plant.
Case won’t need to expand or build new facilities, but the 5 1/2-million dollar investment is expected to create 50 new jobs here.
Meanwhile, Governor Terry Branstad is blaming the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the recent layoffs at Deere and Company. Deere announced last week that over 100 people will be laid off indefinitely from its plant in Ankeny, then Friday, Deere announced 460 people will be laid off at its tractor factory in Waterloo. Deere cited falling commodity prices as the primary cause of its drop in farm equipment sales.
During an appearance in Le Mars Friday afternoon, Branstad blamed the drop in corn prices on the E-P-A’s proposal to lower the Renewable Fuels Standard. Branstad has been criticizing the E-P-A for proposing a roll-back of the amount of corn-based ethanol that must be blended into gasoline this year. The E-P-A hasn’t made that new “Renewable Fuels Standard” level final, however, and Branstad says that uncertainty isn’t helping either.
Deere expects farm equipment sales to drop 10 percent this year. The company has laid off workers at its East Moline plant, which makes combines, as well as the tractor plant in Waterloo. The plant in Ankeny makes cotton pickers and other farm machinery, like tillers and grain drillers.
