Falling crop prices are leaving American agriculture equipment sellers with an excess of unsold tractors and combines. To cope with the surplus, dealers are discounting machines, suspending new orders, and even auctioning off equipment at reduced prices.
Too many tractors: As boom times fade, farm equipment piles up
Deere cuts 2024 profit view as borrowing costs hurt demand
Executives expressed caution about margin performance amid weakening farm economy
Deere & Co cut its 2024 profit forecast on Thursday as farmers remained hesitant about big-ticket equipment purchases due to high borrowing rates and falling crop prices, even as its first-quarter sales and profit topped Wall Street estimates.
CNH raises revenue guidance on robust tractor demand
Price increases support profit margins
Milan | Reuters — Farm and construction equipment maker CNH Industrial on Friday raised its full-year revenue forecast as operating profit topped expectations in the first quarter, aided by a strong order backlog and resilient demand for its large tractors. The company increased its revenue outlook for industrial activities to between eight and 11 per […] Read more
Colorado’s ag equipment right-to-repair bill signed into law
Bills introduced in 16 states
Reuters — Colorado’s governor signed the nation’s first right-to-repair legislation into law on Tuesday, giving the state’s farmers and ranchers the autonomy to fix their own equipment. The bill, which requires manufacturers such as Deere and Co. to provide manuals for diagnostic software and other aids, garnered bipartisan support as farmers grew increasingly frustrated with […] Read more
Colorado passes first U.S. right-to-repair legislation for farmers
Manufacturers fear safety, emissions systems could be overridden
Reuters — Colorado farmers will be able to legally fix their own equipment next year, with manufacturers such as Deere and Co. obliged to provide them with manuals for diagnostic software and other aids, under a measure passed by legislators in the first U.S. state to approve such a law. The Consumer Right to Repair […] Read more
CNH workers at two U.S. plants reject proposed contract
Plants' workers on strike since May
Racine | Reuters — Members of two local unions that have been on strike since May at CNH Industrial factories in Wisconsin and Iowa on Saturday voted down a tentative labour contract, the United Auto Workers union said. The union did not disclose how many workers at the two plants rejected the four-year deal, which […] Read more
Foxconn to build autonomous electric tractors in Ohio
Tech firm to make units for U.S.-based Monarch
Reuters — Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, on Tuesday said it will build driverless electric tractors for California-based Monarch Tractor at its Lordstown, Ohio facility starting in early 2023. The announcement comes as heavy machinery manufacturers, including Deere and Agco, set their sights on the electric vehicle market as the U.S. agriculture […] Read more
Deere tapping into Apple-like tech model to drive revenue
'Hopefully the costs will be paid back in the long run'
Bondurant, Iowa | Reuters — Deere and Co. has sold its tractors and other equipment to farmers for decades, but the world’s largest agriculture machinery manufacturer is tearing a page from the technology world’s playbook — combining cutting-edge hardware with software and subscription models to drive revenue growth. In a world with a dwindling number […] Read more
Agco ransomware attack disrupts equipment sales
Dealerships cut off from parts ordering system
Reuters — U.S. agricultural equipment maker Agco Corp. said on Friday a ransomware attack was affecting operations at some of its production facilities, and dealers said tractor sales had been stalled during the crucial planting season. Georgia-based Agco, whose brands include Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Challenger and Valtra, said in a statement it expects operations at […] Read more
No poop for you: Manure supplies run short as fertilizer prices soar
Ontario honeywagon maker all sold out
Chicago | Reuters — For nearly two decades, Abe Sandquist has used every marketing tool he can think of to sell the back end of a cow. Poop, after all, needs to go somewhere. The Midwestern entrepreneur has worked hard to woo farmers on its benefits for their crops. Now, facing a global shortage of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
