Total tractor sales in October fell about 8%, with utility tractors (40-100 horsepower) showing the only growth at up 6%. Compact tractor (under 40 horsepower) sales fell 11% last month and high horsepower tractors (over 100 horsepower) fell 18%.
Worldwide economic unrest along with political unrest both here and abroad has placed a black cloud over the U.S. agricultural economy and has slowed large equipment sales to almost a crawl.
The downturn that we are experiencing today is certainly as dramatic as those early ones, but today farmers are not encumbered with massive debt and the current interest rates are very reasonable for those who have debts to service. This certainly is not a pleasant experience for anyone in the industry, but there is much more optimism than in previous downturns.
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There was plenty of technology on display at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., a few weeks ago. Farm Equipment editor Mike Lessiter caught up with Monarch Tractor’s John Issacson and got his take on the top 5 applications in autonomy right now.