The Ag Downturn, UAW Strikes, Mexico Layoffs, and the 2026 "Trough" — Showing You Understand the Business Reality

John Deere is operating in one of the toughest agricultural downturns in years. Farmer income is squeezed, commodity prices are below breakeven, the company has cut more than 4,500 jobs since 2015 (with over 2,167 layoffs in Iowa and Illinois in 2024 alone), production is shifting to Mexico, and CEO John May has explicitly called fiscal 2026 "the bottom of the large ag cycle." This module gives candidates the substance to demonstrate commercial awareness in interviews without sounding negative about the employer they're trying to join.