With the exception of combines, North American farm equipment dealers are reporting that the value of most used ag machinery continued to hold firm through Feb. and there’s little evidence of any significant shift toward lower pricing in the near term.
The outlook for equipment dealers catering to the livestock segment of U.S. agriculture will gradually improve as 2013 progresses with projected prices for cattle, hogs, broilers and milk continuing to rise and, in some cases, hit record highs. But many dealers expect that sales of hay tools will lag until input costs show some semblance of balance.
Farm equipment dealers who have been coming to the Colusa Farm Show for 30 years or more expressed delight over the mood emanating through the grounds as farmers and ranchers converged on the shiny new equipment to kick tires, climb into tractor cabs and check out the latest trends in irrigation.
Potato equipment specialist Grimme strengthened its position in the sugar beet harvesting sector shortly after completing a near-record year for sales revenues.
North American farm equipment dealers are reporting that they’re seeing some reduction in price contribution to sales, and lead times from the factory, according to the most recent Dealer Sentiment & Business Conditions Update report.
AGCO Corp. cited “EPA compliance and diminishing volumes resulting in an ever-changing industry landscape” when it announced it would discontinue production of its SpraCoupe compact, self-propelled sprayers for the North American market in 2013.
According to a December survey of North American ag machinery dealers, incoming orders grew 2% on average in November, down from a level of 4% in October.
The strength of North American tractor sales during the last three years might lead one to believe that it’s always been this way, but dealers and others who have been around the business for more than a few years know better.
North American ag equipment retail sales grew across all categories in December. Year-over-year comparisons were positive for all equipment categories.
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In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take an initial look at the Dealer Business Outlook & Trends Report and what dealers are forecasting for 2025.