Following the strongest 5-year period for farm machinery sales in the industry’s history, German manufacturers saw the industry shrink by a quarter in 2009. According to the Frankfurt-based VDMA Agricultural Machinery Assn., equipment sales dropped to $7.7 billion last year. 

Between 2004-2008, German equipment makers saw sales grow by two-thirds to $10.2 billion driven by extraordinary sales to Central and Eastern European farmers, as well as solid demand for new machinery from European Union countries. 

…