CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) – Deere & Co., the world’s largest maker of farm equipment, says it will record a non-cash charge of about $300 million US in its fourth quarter related to its landscapes unit.
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the goodwill impairment charge reflects the “decline in John Deere Landscapes’ forecasted financial performance as a result of weak economic conditions.”
Deere said it had not included the charge in its earnings outlook given in August, when it predicted it would report a full-year net profit of about $1.1 billion.
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The company said at the time that it expected its fourth quarter to be affected by production cutbacks being made in line with retail demand. It said the quarter also would include costs for rationalizing operations.
The tractor and combine manufacturer was forced to scale back production this quarter in anticipation of lower demand next year.
Layoffs this year have affected more than 1,000 of the company’s hourly workers, and about 800 salaried workers left the company this year under a voluntary program.
A key factor has been a retreat in agriculture commodity prices from last year’s record levels, which will translate into sharply lower farm income this year and next, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Because sales of tractors, harvesters and other agricultural equipment rise and fall along with farm income, Deere and competitors CNH Global NV and Agco Corp. scaled back production.
