Josh Lade, who farms north of Saskatoon, has been using the Seed Terminator for more than six years. The mechanical device destroys weed seeds during harvest, making them unviable before they exit a combine’s spreader.

The Seed Terminator was developed in Australia but is gaining interest among farmers in Western Canada.

With herbicide costs rising and regulatory pressure growing, Prairie farmers are looking for tools beyond chemistry to manage weeds. Mechanical weed seed destruction at harvest offers a complementary approach.

Six years of results

“We don’t have any issues with it, other than a little bit extra power required because we are running a multi-stage hammer mill and a little extra fuel,” said Lade.

In an article on this site last year, Lade noted that the Seed Terminator has reduced spray costs on his farm. He now has to spray canola only once — albeit at a higher rate — rather than twice to keep weeds at bay.

He’s also seen bumps in cereal crop yields from spraying less herbicide.

“We’re not often spraying for wild oats or grasses in our cereal crops, for example … because it can be quite expensive and it can also have quite a metabolizing effect since you’re trying to kill a grass weed in a grass crop,” said Lade.

While the savings are likely to perk up ears — Lade estimates about $20 per acre — for him, it isn’t just about the money.

It’s the reliance on a single approach to weed control that helped motivate him to adopt the Seed Terminator.

“I really now feel I take for granted the ability for us to use certain herbicides on our Canadian farm,” said Lade.

A lesson from Europe

That comment stemmed from visiting a farm in Germany while attending last fall’s Agritechnica farm equipment show. Herbicide legislation in Europe is especially onerous due to environmental and sustainability concerns, and the situation facing European farmers made him reflect on farming in Canada.

“We’re only certain policies away from maybe not being able to use some chemicals, and that’s exactly what has happened here in Europe,” said Lade.

“So I think we need to be looking at other sources of weed control tactics while we still have a lot of easy options.”

– With files from Mark Halsall

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The case is part of broader scrutiny in the U.S. over so-called right-to-repair practices, with regulators and plaintiffs arguing that some manufacturers limit competition by controlling access to repair tools and software.

What does the settlement cover?

The settlement fund covers eligible plaintiffs who paid Deere’s authorized dealers for repairs to large agricultural equipment from January 2018, according to a document filed on Monday in the federal court in Chicago, Illinois.

In the settlement, Deere also agreed to make available to farmers for 10 years “the digital tools required for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair” of large agricultural equipment, including tractors, combines, and sugarcane harvesters, the filing showed.

The proposed accord requires a judge’s approval.

“This settlement addresses the issues raised in the 2022 complaint and brings this case to an end with no finding of wrongdoing,” Deere said in a separate statement.

Deere faces FTC suit

Deere also faces a separate lawsuit brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. A U.S. judge ruled in 2025 that Deere must face that lawsuit, which accused the company of forcing farmers to use its authorized dealer network and driving up their costs for parts and repairs.

Deere is blocking farmers from acquiring the “tools and information necessary to repair their equipment in a timely and cost-effective manner,” the FTC had said in a court filing in April. Deere has denied the wrongdoing.

— Reporting by Carlos Méndez, Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City and Mike Scarcella in Washington

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The seven-plex folding air drill, part of the company’s eight-year-old Quantum line, is scheduled for full commercial release in 2027.

WHY IT MATTERS: Wider seeders let producers cover more ground during the Prairies’ tight spring seeding window.

Garth Massie, director of sales for Morris’s parent company, Superior Farms Equipment (SFE), says the new seeder is aimed at enhancing productivity for crop producers working around 9,000 acres.

“Canadian farmers probably have the shortest seeding window of anyone in the world,” he says.

“They’re trying to get a lot of work done in a very short amount of time. So there’s been this continuous push on the machinery development side to help farmers get more acres planted every day.”

Wider spacing for better residue flow

Beyond the jump from 80 to 100 feet, the machine adds six inches of spacing per rank — 48 inches compared to 42 on smaller Quantum models.

That wider spacing improves residue handling relative to the seeder’s overall width, said SFE director of marketing Melissa MacLean.

“That’s going to maintain the flow without bunching up or plugging so you don’t have to sacrifice any of that by going to a larger machine.”

Mechanical fold designed around grower feedback

The decision to go with a fully mechanical seven-plex fold with a single pivot design was based on grower feedback favouring a “traditional” folding machine, says Massie.

Transport profile built for safety

The machine’s travel profile — at 28 feet, three inches wide and 18 feet, four inches tall — was designed to be low and narrow in the interest of operator safety.

“Transport underneath power lines … is your key consideration there,” said Massie.

High-capacity air system boosts fertilizer delivery

Fertilizer delivery was another major focus. The machine uses a high-capacity air system with a smooth, three-inch primary hose to reduce airflow restriction.

“It doesn’t have that rough interior that can restrict airflow,” says MacLean, adding the smooth primary — based on testing — delivers 18 per cent better air flow compared to a rough interior hose.

The gains extend to delivery volume, said Massie.

“In our testing, we’re able to deliver up to 500 pounds of fertilizer per acre at five mph (eight km/h). So that’s a really impressive number to hit.”

MacLean also highlights the seeder’s independent opener system with consistent depth control and proven seed/fertilizer separation across the full working width.

Other specs are largely unchanged from previous Quantums. One exception is frame depth — 96 inches centre to centre compared to 84 inches.

Launch at Ag in Motion 2026

The official launch of the Quantum 100 foot will take place at Ag in Motion July 21-23 near Langham, Sask. It will be paired with the Morris 10 Series 1440-bushel air cart.

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The cumulative value of those outstanding shares determines the overall value or market capitalization of a company. Of course, those numbers change daily as share prices rise and fall with normal market fluctuations.

WHY IT MATTERS: While Fortune 500-level companies are typically somewhat better insulated against market shocks, reduced market cap can make it more difficult for publicly traded firms to obtain favourable credit or raise capital through share offerings.

Those fluctuations are the result of profits each company reports and the outlook on their future fortunes along with the condition of the overall economy.

Stock markets slide as war upends global trade

In recent days, however, there is another consideration to factor into those market trends: the war in Iran. That gambit, initiated by the Trump administration and Israel’s leadership, has roiled markets around the world.

The U.S. Dow Jones had been riding pretty high despite a global economy upended by U.S. tariff policy.

The Dow had reached a yearly high average on Feb. 10 of more than 50,000. However, the Middle East war cratered it, causing the average to drop to slightly more than 46,000 by March 25. Almost every other market around the world saw significant declines as well.

At the same time, oil prices have reached higher than US$100 per barrel as global supply is choked down by roughly 20 per cent due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, impacting urea fertilizer prices as well.

Iran war strikes at agriculture

All of this has affected the input costs farmers will face this year, but it has also had a negative impact on the market value of farm machinery manufacturers.

As their profitability and share prices were starting to rise from a low point in the cyclical equipment demand cycle, the stock market declines have caused significant reductions in the valuation of those companies.

Here’s a look at just how much the market capitalization of those brands had fallen from mid-February to late March:

John Deere shares peaked just before the war on Feb. 24 at US$664. By March 25, those share values had dropped $82. With about 270.1 million shares outstanding, that represents a market capitalization loss of roughly $22 billion.

Agco shares peaked Feb. 13, and by March 25 had seen a $1.7 billion valuation reduction.

CNH Industrial, parent company of Case IH and New Holland, realized a $2.5 billion decline. In the automotive sector, the story is the same. For example, Ford saw its market value decline by more than $8 billion.

The situation is the same for nearly all publicly traded companies listed on many different stock exchanges around the world, meaning globally, companies collectively have probably lost trillions of dollars in market value, at least temporarily.

Financial market fallout

At the same time, financial analysts are sounding the alarm over the possibility of insider trading on the U.S. stock market related to government announcements, with unusual trading patterns observed that could have netted millions for unidentified entities just minutes before a White House announcement.

More than a few analysts are now questioning the integrity of the U.S. stock market as a result. Since the current administration took office, the ability of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to prosecute violations has reportedly been significantly reduced.

This comes at a time when foreign investment in U.S. government treasury bonds is declining, reportedly due to a lack of confidence in the administration. Those bonds help finance the government’s deficit. Without continued investment, the U.S. treasury will find itself in a bind.

Add to that the recent increase in global oil trades conducted in yuan, rather than the standard U.S. dollar transaction, which came to be known as the petro-dollar.

The so-called petro-dollar has helped prop up demand for U.S. currency for decades. That has been an economic boon for the United States, but the continued decline in U.S.-dollar oil transactions would lead to significantly reduced demand for greenbacks.

As a lack of confidence in the U.S. among investors, trading partners and allies grows, there could be a very rocky road ahead for the U.S. economy, and the valuations of U.S.-based corporations could continue to take a beating.

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“I want John Deere and Case and all of – they’re great companies, Caterpillar… I want these companies to give it to you in the form of lower tractor and equipment costs,” Trump told hundreds of farmers and ranchers gathered under drizzle at an event on the South Lawn of the White House.

Deere & Co shares dropped two per cent after the statement. Case IH manufacturer CNH Industrial fell one per cent while Caterpillar Inc was down nearly 1.2 per cent in late-session trading.

The three companies could not immediately be reached for comment.

Trump seeks support from struggling farmers

Trump called for lower prices in an aside during a speech that otherwise focused on shoring up support among the Republican president’s loyal constituency of rural voters, who have backed Trump in all three of the last presidential races.

For the fourth straight year, U.S. crop producers are facing tight margins, high production costs and low commodity prices – and are struggling financially – despite near-record government payments.

The Trump administration is distributing $12 billion (C$16.7 billion) in aid to U.S. farmers — a move that farm trade groups and agricultural economists have said is helpful in the short-term but will not fully compensate farmers for financial losses that have topped $30 billion in recent years.

On Friday, Trump said he would seek even more such aid for farmers from Congress. More than 50 farm-interest groups, such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, are urging Congress to approve additional aid in a military funding package.

Trump pledges new loan guarantees

The event happened as the administration finalized new biofuel blending mandates for U.S. oil refiners, requiring them to mix more of the fuels made from corn and other agricultural products into the nation’s gasoline and diesel than initially proposed, in an apparent win for farmers.

Trump also said the U.S. Small Business Administration would open up new loan guarantees for farmers and food suppliers.

Farmers are entering the critical spring planting season under a cloud of uncertainty as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupts global trade, causing fertilizer and diesel costs to spike.

The long-term U.S. trade relationship with China also remains unclear amid the ongoing trade war launched by Trump’s administration with the country, the world’s top soy importer.

Rural voters constitute a fifth of the U.S. electorate, and they favored Trump by a two-to-one margin over Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

— Additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya

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RB Global Inc. announced last Wednesday (March 4) it will buy Nebraska-based BigIron for an undisclosed sum, expecting to close the deal in the second half of this year.

BigIron, whose roots in the auction business date back to 1984, is now billed as “a scaled, agriculture-focused online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of agricultural equipment, land, livestock, and other farm and ranch assets.”

According to RB Global, BigIron processed about $885 million in gross transaction value in the 12 months ending last Sept. 30, including about $520 million worth of farm assets and vehicles and about $365 million in farmland and real estate transactions (all figures US$).

“BigIron brings a talented team with deep ag sector knowledge and an established sales footprint that will continue operating as a stand-alone brand while being complemented by the Ritchie Bros. industrial footprint,” RB Global CEO Jim Kessler said in a release. “This will create opportunities to serve even more customers through a combination of onsite, offsite, and digital channels and solutions.”

BigIron co-founder Ron Stock noted BigIron will remain a stand-alone operation within RB Global, with he and co-founder Mark Stock “involved in the business as usual.”

“Through this combination, we gain a larger platform and additional resources, which is expected to help us deliver even greater choice and liquidity to all the sellers we serve,” Mark Stock said in the same release.

RB Global dates back to the founding of Ritchie Bros. in Kelowna in 1958, from which it expanded its services into the U.S. and overseas and bought several Canadian and U.S. auction firms, becoming publicly traded in 1998. Its corporate headquarters has since moved to the Chicago area.

In its last fiscal year ending Dec. 31, RB Global booked $412.8 million in net income on total revenue of $4.28 billion, handling a gross transaction value of $15.9 billion.

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The last event was no exception. This time the brand created a one-off machine intended to highlight its Italian heritage.

“The driving force behind it was we were coming up to Agritechnica and we wanted to do a concept to celebrate our design and heritage and where we’re going as a company,” says Andrew Dunne, brand identity and product launches manager.

Built on a standard production T5 chassis, theT5.120 Il Trattore concept tractor takes its inspiration from the first production Fiat tractor to be built in Italy. In 1991, Fiat took over the Ford New Holland brand and eventually adopted the New Holland name for all its models.

Here in North America, Fiat-built tractors have appeared over the years wearing Allis-Chalmers and Hesston name badges, as well as White Farm Equipment and its subsidiary brands.

“We looked back at the original 702 Fiat tractor and we took that as a benchmark,” says Dunne.

“We took the utility tractor today that is built in Jesi (NH’s assembly plant in Italy) as well and decided to style it, to give it a modern twist harkening back to the original heritage.

“The colour scheme was inspired by the original tractor, but we went for a modern twist with a darker metallic, slightly premium colour. We used the original red-orange colour on the wheels.”

A restored 1918 702 Fiat tractor was displayed alongside the Il Trattore concept model at Agritechnica.

Originally developed to address the labour shortages in Europe created by the First World War, the original Fiat 702 introduced a design that became a staple in agricultural tractor production.

It debuted a four-cylinder engine and load-bearing powertrain as a chassis, an idea that was also adopted in the original Fordson tractor design, which made its commercial introduction in 1917.

The 702’s success helped establish Fiat’s reputation in agricultural equipment, one of a few Italian companies that were early innovators with their designs. The first modern production front-wheel assist tractor was introduced in Italy by the SAME-brand tractor manufacturer.

The Il Trattore project came together quickly, says Dunne.

“It was a very, very fast project. I would say we started six months before the show. It was a very small group of people. The original idea came from our CEO, Garret Marx.”

Marx was inspired by a 702 that was on display at the company’s Turin headquarters. An in-house design team came up with the modern look for the concept tractor.

Aside from its unique body style, the Il Trattore features a number of special touches.

“We took the toolbox that was standard on the (T5) tractor and covered it in leather and colour-coded it as well so it matched the tractor,” says Dunne.

That’s reminiscent of an idea that Mercedes Benz introduced, including matching leather luggage with its iconic 300SL Gull Wing car model in the 1950s.

“At New Holland, we do care about how things look and the style of them,” Dunne says.

“We like to do these concepts. We like to present ourselves as a stylish modern brand.”

The tractor garnered a lot of attention at the German show, attracting almost as much media attention as the new production models on display.

It’s now back in Italy at the Jesi plant, on display for visitors to the factory. From there, the company isn’t certain what the future holds in store for it.

“Maybe we’ll bring the tractor to EIMA because it’s a home show in Italy,” says Dunne.

“After that, we don’t know. There’s some talk of it going to a museum in Turin, which is a Fiat historical museum. It’s not out of the question that maybe we’ll auction it off.”

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To date, only pesticides registered for use with drones — often called remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) — can legally be applied by drones. Almost none are registered for drone application.

WHY IT MATTERS: The proposed regulations would make many existing pesticides available for application by drone. To date, almost no products have been made available for legal application by drone — though anecdotal evidence suggests drone application is happening on the down low.

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) proposes to allow currently registered products, where the label permits aerial application — that is, by fixed wing or rotary aircraft — to be applied by drone.

Applicators would need to comply with all the label directions for aerial application, including spray volume, application rate, droplet size, treatment interval and spray buffer zones.

When used according to aerial application instructions, the PMRA said, drone application is not expected to impact the value of the pesticide being applied.

Based on data from global studies, spray drift with drone application is similar to ground application. Spray buffer zones established for conventionally-piloted rotary wing aircraft will be adequate. The PMRA also said pesticide residues on food crops are not higher than with conventional applications.

The PMRA said there isn’t enough data for a full risk assessment on safety risks of operators exposure to pesticides; however, it says available evidence suggests it’s “unlikely to be higher than with conventional equipment” — particularly because tasks such as mixing, loading and application must be done by different people, just as with other aerial spraying.

Consultations opened on Feb. 23 and close March 25.

Drone pilots would still require the relevant licenses from Transport Canada.

PMRA passes five-year mark on regulation studies

The PMRA began studying drone regulations in 2019. In September, members of the federal standing committee on agriculture asked the PMRA’s senior director general Frédéric Bissonette what was taking so long.

Bissonette cited scientific issues — for example, that a drone did not behave the same as an airplane — and pledged to have “something in place for next year.”

“Canada seems to be kind of falling behind other jurisdictions in terms of allowing this type of use,” CropLife Canada CEO Pierre Petelle told Glacier FarmMedia in late 2025.

“With these products being used in many other western-type jurisdictions … there should be ways of coming to conclusions much quicker than we have,” he added.

Crop protection companies, meanwhile, have been conducting studies to collect drone-specific data for their products.

Anecdotal evidence suggested farmers were using already drones to apply pesticides on the down low.

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Its shares climbed 8.1 per cent in morning trading.

The world’s largest farm-equipment maker previously scaled back factory production to counter weak demand for new machinery as lower crop prices and higher input costs push farmers to postpone big-ticket purchases.

The company is also working closely with dealers across its network to reduce inventory.

Construction, small agriculture demand recovering

It expects net income for 2026 to range between $4.5 billion and $5 billion (C$6.16 billion and C$6.85 billion) compared with its prior forecast of $4 billion to $4.75 billion. Analysts on average expect Deere to post full-year net income of $4.45 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

“We’re encouraged by the ongoing recovery in demand within both the construction and small agriculture segments,” CEO John May said.

“These positive developments reinforce our belief that 2026 represents the bottom of the current cycle.”

Deere now expects 2026 net sales in two segments — Small Agriculture & Turf and Construction & Forestry — to rise about 15 per cent each compared with its earlier forecast for a roughly 10 per cent increase.

Oppenheimer analyst Kristen Owen said the company ended the quarter with relatively lean inventories, building historically less stock in the fourth and first quarters and leaving room for a potential upside as inventory normalizes through the year.

Deere posted net income of $656 million (C$898.7 million), or $2.42 per share, for the quarter, down from $869 million, or $3.19 per share, a year ago, but above analysts’ estimate of $2.05 apiece.

It’s first-quarter revenue rose 13 per cent to $9.61 billion (C$13.16 billion).

Tariffs drag, farm income remains weak

U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs have weighed on Deere’s operating profits. The Moline, Illinois-based firm has struggled with higher, tariff-driven production costs as it relies significantly on imported raw materials to manufacture its green and yellow tractors.

U.S. farmers are heading into another season of weak crop prices and elevated costs, forcing tough decisions about how, or if, to continue operating as ample grain supplies pressure markets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month forecast net farm income — a broad measure of profitability in the agricultural economy — to fall 0.7 per cent to $153.4 billion (C$210.14 billion) in 2026 from a year ago.

Deere expects a pre-tax tariff hit of around $1.2 billion in fiscal 2026.

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Shares of the company were down more than four per cent in premarket trading.

The Basildon, U.K.-based company said it expects retail demand in 2026 to fall about five per cent from 2025 levels and plans to keep production subdued as it works with dealers to bring down excess inventory across its network.

Farm equipment makers have scaled back factory output amid persistently weak demand for new machinery, as softer crop prices and rising costs prompt farmers to delay large purchases. That slowdown has left dealers carrying elevated stock, resulting in a more cautious approach to restocking.

CNH expects full-year adjusted profit to be between $0.35 and $0.45 per share (C$0.48 to C$0.61) , below analysts’ estimates of $0.54 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Farmers in the U.S. are facing another season of low prices, high costs and difficult decisions about how, or whether, to keep operating, as abundant grain supplies weigh on markets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month forecast net farm income, a broad measure of profitability in the agricultural economy, to fall 0.7 per cent to $153.4 billion (C$209.5 billion) in 2026 from a year ago.

“Agricultural equipment industry demand is expected to resume growth in 2027,” CNH said.

The company, which makes Case IH and New Holland tractors, reported fourth-quarter revenue of $5.16 billion (C$7.05 billion), beating analysts’ estimates of $4.61 billion.

On an adjusted basis, it reported a profit of 19 cents per share for the quarter ended December 31, compared with estimates of 10 cents per share.

— Reporting by Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru

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