Quarterly reports on surveys of bankers in three Midwestern Federal Reserve Bank districts indicate that rising interest rates and low commodity prices may impact farmers’ decisions on making larger, long-term investments in the near future. Farm equipment dealers should take note of this trend, as higher interest rates for farmers mean they will be less willing, or able, to take out a loan for capital expenditures.
It’s not getting any easier for farmers to borrow funds for ongoing operations, let alone ag equipment. Farm lenders are taking a much closer look at crop producers’ loan status as concerns about repayment are starting to grow.
Amid ongoing weakness in commodity prices, Midwest and Mid-South farm income and quality farmland values continued to decline during the first quarter of 2016, according to the latest Agricultural Finance Monitor published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (8th District) on May 12.
Each monthly issue of Ag Equipment Intelligence is like getting one-on-one personal advice from the world's most trusted ag equipment industry experts. Advice that hasn't been watered down or distorted by outside influence, providing the latest and most insightful farm equipment analysis. AEI explores where the ag equipment industry is going — not just where it's been. No filler. No bias. No conflict of interest. You can access the PDF issue archive by clicking here.
In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, Deere Director of Investor Relations Josh Beal told JP Morgan analysts that the OEM is confident it will be “producing to demand” in fiscal year 2025.