DuPont Pioneer lays off Iowa workers as it works toward full Dow-DuPont merger

DuPont Pioneer will lay off 35 workers as parent company DuPont continues work on its merger with Dow Chemical.

Company spokesman Gregg Schmidt said DuPont notified Iowa Workforce Development on Nov. 30 of its intent to eliminate the Iowa positions on Jan. 31, 2019.

DuPont and Dow Chemical closed on their $150 billion merger in fall 2017. Since then, the firms have announced plans to rename Iowa-based DuPont Pioneer to Corteva Agriscience after it spins out of DowDuPont next year and becomes part of a new standalone ag business.

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"This is part of our ongoing work to create a strong independent Agriculture company that is positioned for growth," Schmidt told the Register Thursday. "The work requires that we establish an integrated, efficient organization aligned with our strategic objectives. As part of this, we are taking actions to simplify and optimize our organizational structure."

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Though Iowa lost its bid to headquarter the combined company's new ag firm here, state leaders awarded $17 million in incentives in 2016 to keep 2,600 jobs at DuPont Pioneer in Johnston.

Last year, DuPont notified Iowa Workforce Development that it planned to lay off 53 workers by the end of January 2018. State officials said they were monitoring employment levels to ensure the company remained compliant with its award.

Iowa Economic Development Authority spokeswoman Jacque Matsen said DuPont Pioneer has until its contract completion date to meet its job and capital investment obligations. That date won't come until Feb. 28, 2021. The agency's compliance team will verify employment numbers at the completion date and for two years thereafter, she said.