About 800 salaried employees have taken voluntary buyouts since Deere & Co. announced the program in April. This will allow the company to achieve its first-year savings goal of approximately $75 million after a pretax expense of about $100 million primarily expected in the fourth quarter of this year. The voluntary separation program is part of an effort to combine Deere’s two business units focused on agriculture and commercial and consumer equipment into a worldwide agriculture and turf division.

The Iowa corn health report is out from the state Department of Agriculture. On average, corn measures 37 inches high and 81 percent of the crop is rated excellent. The Iowa Corn Growers Association said in a news release following the report that the weather outlook is favorable for nearly perfect growing conditions. The number of acres planted in corn in Iowa represents a slight increase from last year. Nationally, farmers planted an estimated 87 million acres of corn, a 1 percent increase from 2008 and a 7 percent decrease from the historical high in 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The number of acres planted in corn is the second-highest since 1946. Release of the report triggered a 30-cent-per-bushel drop in the price of corn, if it were to be sold today, on the Chicago Board of Trade. Corn opened at $3.47 per bushel today, down from $3.77 when markets closed Monday.

Willis Auto Campus will close at 1 p.m. tomorrow due to the funeral services for Judy Willis, wife of dealership owner Rich Wills and mother of Jason and Matt Willis. Judy died of cancer on Saturday, June 27. Willis Auto Campus will reopen July 2.

Wells Fargo & Co. and SunPower Corp. have entered a deal in which Wells Fargo will provide up to $100 million to SunPower to design, build, operate and maintain solar power systems, the Sacramento Business Journal reported. Wells Fargo will finance the commercial-scale solar power systems through power purchase agreements. The news is a welcome sign for the solar power industry, which has relied on banks and other equity partners to buy tax credits to finance its large systems. That funding dried up during the recession.

The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (GDMCVB) is still finalizing figures but estimates that last weekend’s Des Moines Arts Festival, ArtFest Midwest, Hy-Vee Triathlon and Big Country Bash generated more than $4.6 million in hotel, retail, transportation, dining and entertainment sales. Hotel and motel rooms throughout Greater Des Moines were 88 percent occupied on average. This coming weekend, the 80/35 music festival, 16th Goodguys 3M Car Care Heartland Nationals and numerous Fourth of July celebrations are expected to have another strong economic impact on the community. The GDMCVB also has increased advertising in areas including Omaha/Council Bluffs and Kansas City.

KCCI has won two national Edward R. Murrow Awards for Best Newscast and Overall Excellence in the small market television division from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. KCCI won Best Newscast for its expanded hour-long newscast during the “Floods of ’08.” Its Overall Excellence entry included last year’s coverage of the floods, tornadoes, Iowa caucuses and numerous community events. KCCI will receive the awards in a ceremony in New York City on Oct. 12.

The Incredible Pizza Co. has hired about 200 people for its new store set to open July 9 in Urbandale. The 1950s-themed 48,000-square-foot entertainment center will feature an all-you-can-eat buffet, more than 100 games and indoor go-karts, mini-bowling and mini-golf. It will be located in the Parkwood Plaza shopping center. The company has hired seven full-time managers and more than 200 hourly employees, including cashiers, kitchen staff, cleaning crew and game room technicians.

The 80/35 music festival will take place Friday and Saturday in Western Gateway Park. Tickets are $70 for a two-day pass or $35 on Friday and $45 on Saturday, if purchased in advance at www.iowatix.com. For more details and a list of bands playing, go to www.80-35.com.