Retail sales of combines in both Canada and the U.S. showed a marked increase in April this year while the market for sub-compact tractors continues to soften, new data shows.
The count for April 2023 from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) puts self-propelled combine sales in Canada at 166, up 50.9 per cent from April 2022, and at 572 for the year to date, up from 246 in the year-earlier period.
Sales of two-wheel-drive (2WD) tractors in Canada saw a marked decline in April, particularly in models under 40 horsepower (1,269, down 34.4 per cent). April sales of 2WD tractors came in at 2,098 for the month, down 27.7 per cent from April 2022, and at 7,462 year-to-date, down 15.1 per cent from the year-earlier.
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Taken together, sales of tractors and combines in Canada in April 2023 were below the total for each of 2021 and 2022 and below the five-year (2018-22) average.
“In April we saw an increase in sales of the 100+hp farm tractors, but a decline in both the smaller tractor units, which is likely due to sub-compact market decline, which represents a large volume of units and had record sales in 2020 through 2022,” Curt Blades, senior vice-president, industry sectors and product leadership for Milwaukee-based AEM, said of the combined Canada/U.S. market in a release.
“And because commodity markets for agriculture products remain strong, we continue to see increases in sales of the larger, more expensive segments of 4WD tractors and self-propelled harvesters.”
In Canada, sales of 4WD tractors reached 166 in April 2023, up 50.9 per cent from April 2022, and 572 year-to-date, up from 246 in the year-earlier period.
Similarly, in the U.S., sales of combines and 4WD tractors were up 23.1 and 54.1 per cent in April 2023 over April 2022, and up 71.9 and 51.6 per cent in the year to date, while 2WD tractors below 100 hp saw marked declines.
AEM emphasizes its data are, in part, estimates and represent most, but not all, manufacturers in each product category being sold at retail in Canada. — Glacier FarmMedia Network
