Considering the drought and other worries U.S. farmers have seen throughout the growing season, North American retail sales of farm tractors have started off the second half of 2012 surprisingly strong. This hasn’t been the case in overseas markets. 

The Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers reported that during the January to July period of this year, total U.S. farm tractor sales were up 7.5%, while sales of combines were down by nearly 16% compared with the…