“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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Year-to-date sales of tractors were down 0.3 per cent compared to 2024, while combine sales were up 1.6 per cent.

Total four-wheel drive tractors sales fell by 22.5 per cent. Total two-wheel drive tractor sales rose by 0.8 per cent.

In November, sales of two-wheel drive tractors under 40 horsepower were down 10.2 per cent compared to November of 2024 while sales of tractors with more than 100 horsepower were down 18.6 per cent. Sales of tractors with between 40 and 100 horsepower were up 11.8 per cent compared to the same month last year.

Four-wheel drive tractor sales fell by 50.6 per cent compared to last November. Combine sales were up 25.6 per cent.

Canadian equipment sales fared better than U.S. sales. At the end of November, year-to-date sales of all tractors were down 9.7 per cent in the U.S. Combine sales were down 38.3 per cent.

Downward trend continues

Overall, farm equipment sales in both countries have been trending down in recent years.

In late 2023, Farm Credit Canada warned that the year’s robust sales were unlikely to continue. The farm lender said sales had been strong thanks to the resolution of pandemic-era supply chain issues and strong farm cash receipts. However, drought in Western Canada and softening commodity prices were likely to take their toll.

Sales declined in 2024 as predicted, and in November 2024, FCC again predicted a slump in 2025 as farmers faced low commodity prices and high equipment costs.

Tariff impacts

This was before U.S. President Donald Trump took office and announced sweeping tariffs — including on the imported steel and aluminum needed to build machinery.

In late November, farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Co said it expected tariff impacts on the company to come in around US$600 million (C$826.1 million). It predicted a pre-tax tariff hit of around US$1.2 billion (C$1.65 billion) in 2026.

Low crop prices and high production costs were prompting American farmers to put off purchases or opt for used equipment. Deere has considered production shifts, higher prices and widening its portfolio to used equipment.

CFRA Research analyst Jonathan Sakraida said he does not expect Deere to recover until fiscal 2027, adding that the company struggled to offset tariff impacts.

—With files from Reuters

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Claas’ new Axion 9 series, the successor to its Axion 900 large series tractors, is the Germany-based brand’s tractors with horsepower ranging between 330 and 450.

WHY IT MATTERS: The latest in farm machinery was on display in Germany in November during Agritechnica.

Five new wheeled tractors and two new Terra-Trac models complete the lineup.

The new Axions are fitted with FPT’s latest generation Cursor 9, six-cylinder engine. A new Auto-Droop function adjusts engine power to the task being performed — such as power take-off demands and hydraulics — so power delivery and efficiency are maintained at all times.

The new engines are also approved to run on hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) that, when used, can reduce the tractor’s carbon footprint by up to 90 per cent.

Cab comforts

Vasily Badya, Claas product manager for Axion tractors, said operator comfort and a driver centric approach was a key aspect in the development of the 9 series tractors.

“It’s an all new design,” said Badya.

“It’s wider, longer, taller … so much more space for the operator to work in.”

To help deliver a high level of comfort, Claas claims that the new 9 series has the widest cab in its class.

The premium rotating driver’s seat includes ventilation, a heater and massage function and will likely be a plus for operators as well.

Badya said the controls inside the cab were also redesigned to make them as intuitive as possible for the operator.

Award-winning tractor

The new Axions received a nod from judges at the show, picking up Tractor of the Year for 2026 in the HighPower category.

Badya said driving comfort, suspension and the low decibel rating inside the cab — a mere 66 decibels — were just a few of the things that caught the judge’s attention.

Not only did the Axion win Tractor of the Year at Agritechnica; it was also recognized with a silver Innovation Award for its predictive powertrain management system.

The Axions’ electronic drive management system is optimized to balance comfort, performance and efficiency.

The new vehicle drive controller offers a smooth delivery when changing direction of travel or when switching between pedal mode, joystick mode or operating the p.t.o.

“The tractor will recognize itself, the engine speed, the transmission ratio and make it as efficient as possible … to save fuel, also to (deliver) as much performance as possible,” added Badya.

On the hydraulic delivery side, the Axions offer a two-pump system — a standard pump that pumps 220 l/m and an additional optional pump delivering 150 l/m — that can pump a total of 370 l/m to help when connecting larger, heavier implements.

Axions can be equipped with an optional tire pressure control system on both front and rear axles to optimize traction and help reduce soil compaction.

On Terra Trac models, there are four track widths to choose from, ranging from 457 mm (17 inches) to 890 mm (35 inches).

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The HighPower category is limited to tractors over 300 horsepower. Claas’ Axion 9.450 comes in at 450 horsepower.

“Tractor of the year, it’s really, really huge honour for us,” said Vasily Badya, Claas product manager for Axion tractors. “It’s all brand new class tractor with a completely new design.

Badya also pointed out that operator comfort was a main focus when designing the Axion. For example, noise levels inside the cab come in at a mere 65 decibels.

Read: More Agritechnica coverage with the Western Producer.

“It’s really, really going to be the benchmark,” said Badya.

Tractor of the Year is an international award ‘recognizing excellence in agricultural mechanization,’ showcasing the best tractors on the European market.

Related: Check out the CLAAS AXION 9.450 Tractor Specifications on AgDealer.com

The post Claas Axion 9.450 tractor wins ‘Tractor of the Year’ at Agritechnica 2025 appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Read: More coverage of Agritechnica with the Western Producer.

The new Optum tractor series comes in three models: the 440, 390 and 360. The new Optums are rated at 435, 390 and 360 horsepower, respectively.

Case’s new Optums come equipped with the new Cursor 9 engine and a CVXDrive transmission, allowing it to travel at faster road speeds of up to 60 km-h.

The new Case IH Optum tractors are also designed to work in tight spaces and have a tight turning radius of 6.1 metres, while Adaptive Steering Control reduces the effort it takes to maneuver the tractors when in the field.

Related: Check out the Case IH OPTUM 440 Tractor Specifications on AgDealer.com

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The company which specializes in farm robots won first prize with its Monarch MK-V electric tractor in the Equipment category at the Innovation Program Awards ceremony on the eve of the 2025 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show.

The Monarch is a 4WD, fully electric, 70 horsepower tractor that also offers autonomous features.

Jeff Pettit, sales manager with Haggerty AgRobotics, says with labour shortages on the farm and the rapid pace of technology it was a “no brainer” to introduce an electric tractor into the equipment market.

From an operator perspective, sitting in the seat of the Monarch is very similar to a conventional diesel-powered tractor, but with a catch.

“The biggest thing is that you don’t get the feedback that you would from a normal diesel tractor,” said Pettit. “It’s quite quiet and the feedback on the pedals is a little bit different. But overall, it feels and operates like a regular tractor.”

When it comes to battery life, Pettit said that operators can expect about eight hours of working time. The battery is rated for 14 hours, but battery life largely depends on what the tractor is pulling.

Pettit said it takes about five to six hours to fully charge the Monarch’s battery plugged into a 220 volt outlet and approximately eight to ten hours to charge the battery using a 110 volt outlet.

As far as what type of work the Monarch is suited for on the farm?

“We’ve got a bunch of different uses for it,” said Pettit. “We have a dairy case where it has a feed pusher on it and operates autonomously through the barn.”

Pettit also added that the Monarch is a good fit for use orchards and vineyards.

For more coverage of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show 2025, visit Farmtario’s landing page.

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Both students and staff at Northwestern Polytechnic in Fairview are praising the Tenstar Simulator for its capacity to safely build students’ operational skills with expensive ag machinery and better prepare them for real-life field scenarios.

“When you go onto a farm, your employer or your dad are not going to be confident putting you in cold on the brand new piece of equipment,” says Shaela Lee, the agriculture program coordinator with the school, which bills itself as the largest post-secondary institution in northern Alberta.

“We would rather you come here, get hands-on in a simulated environment, crash this thing, refine your skills and then you’re a little bit more familiar with the equipment before you get into the huge equipment that can be daunting and costs lots and lots of money.”

The simulator — which was purchased in January — is intended for students in the polytechnic’s recently-established two-year agriculture operations diploma program.

Because the program caters to students with a wide range of ag backgrounds, some have had more experience with tractors and combines than others, says Lee. However, the platform has challenged even those with extensive real-life experience.

“This year, many of the students who were going onto the simulator were quite confident,” she says.

“During the exercises, they got stuck. So they were humbled a little bit … Some of our students have come from grain farms, so they haven’t operated a baler or anything like that.

“Each student learned a little something from the experience, regardless of their starting point.”

Even though student Karson Wasylciw has been helping run combines with his grandfather since he was seven, he still sees the simulator’s value for both himself and other students in the program.

“I know for myself, when I get in someone else’s piece of equipment, the first worry is always not messing up and making sure that everything runs smoothly once I’m done with it,” says Wasylciw, who’s working towards taking over his grandparents’ portion of the family farm.

“So being able to get the practice time in and getting fairly comfortable with it before actually jumping onto a $100,000 piece of equipment is quite beneficial.”

Although it obviously does not offer the exact sensation one would get from running a real-life piece of equipment, Wasylciw says it’s pretty close.

“It is so similar that I think you can get fairly confident on there and be able to get in a different piece of farm equipment and have no issues running it.”

Weather adjustable

Lee says the Tenstar is a good fit for the program, which was designed for the winter months to give students a chance to take part in fall harvesting and return for spring seeding. The simulator also removes the risks of firing up a real-life tractor in freezing winter conditions.

A few of the 50 tractor-related exercises Tenstar can replicate include baling, tillage and spreading fertilizer. It supports basically “anything you can pull behind a tractor,” says Kristy Honing, chairperson of animal health technology at the polytechnic.

“There’s a screen on the back too so that when you turn around, you can look at what’s behind you. No kidding — if there’s a rock that you’re going over, the seat will move as well.”

The combine component is a little different, says Lee. Although it doesn’t have as many options as the tractor sim, users have the ability to adjust for various weather and environmental conditions.

“During harvest, the weather changes constantly. From dusk to dawn the weather can shift. So you’re able to adjust the simulator to test the students and give them different scenarios.”

Wide-ranging applications

Manufactured by the Swedish-based Tenstar Simulation company, the simulator is a self-contained unit compatible with a host of simulation software.

Although it comes with a choice of configurations, the machine purchased by Northwestern Polytechnic looks similar — and to an extent functions in a similar way to — an updated version of the sit-down arcade racing games from the 1980s and ‘90s.

Its applications are not limited to agriculture. According to the company website, the Tenstar is also marketed to schools and companies that train in the construction, transportation, traffic and forestry industries.

“There was a week where some of the health students came and were driving ambulances on it,” says Wasylciw.

“There’s are quite a few different pieces of machinery that you can get on there. We just have the tractor and combine for ourselves, but it looked like you could go right down to cranes and excavators and stuff.”

Tenstar Simulators are interoperable with other machines under its platform, making options potentially unlimited minus budgetary considerations.

“If there were two simulators, you could sync them together so one could be on the combine portion and one could be on the tractor,” says Lee.

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Major manufacturers, as well as short-line operations, are feeling the pinch, reducing production and laying off workers.

Ben Voss is an engineer who has worked in various capacities for a number of farm equipment manufacturers over the course of his career. He also farms in Saskatchewan.

He says farm equipment sales have been declining each year since 2021-22 and that this is one of the tougher times in the industry over the past 20 years.

While it’s natural to blame soft grain prices and the drop in farm income, Voss believes structural changes in agriculture are a big contributor to this downturn.

Others in the industry may be coming to the same conclusions, but insiders tied to a firm may be hesitant to talk about this elephant in the room.

Voss has gone public with his analysis, posting a couple in-depth articles on LinkedIn.

Manufacturers tend to target the sale of large, high-tech equipment to large farmers. That’s where the demand has been for new equipment.

In the past, a ready market has existed for two-or- three-year-old used equipment as those large farmers ungraded to newer and better.

Voss argues that large operations now farm a big percentage of the total land base, and the number of second-tier buyers isn’t large enough to maintain good prices on used equipment.

Therefore, prices are soft and dropping in many used equipment categories. This is especially true in combines.

Voss points to a situation where a large, new John Deere combine with only a couple hours on it sold for auction at $400,000 less than new price. While this is an extreme example, it illustrates the magnitude of the issue.

In a market saturated with big equipment just a few years old, sale prices drop, and that has wide-ranging implications.

When you figure out what equipment costs you per acre, you typically assume a salvage value — the value you get when you trade off the machine. As salvage values drop, the cost per acre for a machine rises dramatically.

This also has a big impact on the equipment leasing market.

All the equations change when equipment depreciates much faster than anticipated.

Large farms calculating their costs are less likely to trade machines as quickly. Low-hour used equipment increasingly looks like a bargain compared to buying new.

Another pertinent aspect to the discussion is technology and whether the increasing software and computers on new equipment will stand the test of time.

Voss and others worry that the technology may become obsolete or unserviceable long before the mechanical aspects of the machine are worn out. Manufacturers are only required to provide parts for 10 years.

What good is a sprayer if the monitor fails and can’t be fixed or replaced?

Voss argues that equipment should come with a “manual” mode so it can still be functional without some of the precision agriculture technology.

Farm equipment sales have always seen ups and downs through the years, but this downturn may not be solved by an uptick in farm income.

Look at how much excess equipment capacity is sitting on dealer lots. How many new units will be sold if the depreciation rate is going to be so extreme?

Voss makes compelling arguments for why this is a structural change for which the industry will need to adapt.

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Farmers weren’t feeling it this past winter.

Canadian producers bought only 21 new combines in January. That’s down 83 per cent from January of 2024, when farmers purchased 123 self-propelled combines, says a sales report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

American sales data is similar. In January 2024, U.S. farmers bought 460 combines. This January, they only purchased 97.

In more hopeful news, Canadian sales of 4WD farm tractors climbed in January, going from 49 in January 2024 to 59 tractors this year.

Looking at the bigger picture, sales of farm tractors and combines have declined over the last year in North America. That trend may continue in 2025, the AEM said during a presentation at the Commodity Classic farm show March 3.

“AEM data show 2024 shipments of LHP and HHP (low and high HP) equipment have dropped year over year,” says an AEM summary of 2024.

Sales of low HP tractors have seen the steepest decline over the last couple of years. Shipments of higher horsepower tractors have also contracted, but not as much:

• As of December 2024, sales of LHP tractors were down 24 per cent year over year and 13 per cent below the five year average in the United States.
• For HHP, 2024 sales were similar to the five year average and 17 percent below year over year in the U.S.
• “That (high HP) market has been pretty stable over the last few years,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice-president of industry sectors.

“In 2023, we were trending above that line (the five year average)…. (But) in 2024, we were seeing that deceleration of that high HP tractor sales.”

The sales figures for combines followed a similar pattern.

Blades ended the AEM presentation with some key takeaway messages. Sluggish demand for ag equipment will likely persist in 2025 due to weaker grain prices, questions around biofuel policies and trade issues.

“In the ag market right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty,” he said.

The post Tractor, combine sales face downward trend appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

This winter, farmers aren’t feeling it.

Canadian producers bought only 21 new combines in January. That’s down 83 per cent from January of 2024, when farmers purchased 123 self-propelled combines, says a sales report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

American sales data is similar. In January 2024, U.S. farmers bought 460 combines. This January, they only purchased 97.

In more hopeful news, Canadian sales of 4WD farm tractors climbed in January, going from 49 in January 2024 to 59 tractors this year.

Looking at the bigger picture, sales of farm tractors and combines have declined over the last year in North America. That trend may continue in 2025, the AEM said during a news conference at the Commodity Classic farm show in Denver March 3.

“AEM data show 2024 shipments of LHP and HHP (low and high HP) equipment have dropped year over year,” says an AEM summary of 2024.

Sales of low HP tractors, used by suburban landowners and people with an acreage, have seen the steepest decline over the last couple of years. Shipments of higher horsepower tractors have also contracted, but not as much:

As of December 2024, sales of LHP tractors were down 24 per cent year over year and 13 per cent below the five year average in the United States.

For HHP, 2024 sales were similar to the five year average and 17 percent below year over year in the U.S.

“That (high HP) market has been pretty stable over the last few years,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice-president of industry sectors.

“In 2023, we were trending above that line (the five year average)…. (But) in 2024, we were seeing that deceleration of that high HP tractor sales.”

The sales figures for combines followed a similar pattern. Year over year growth was on the rise until the third quarter of 2023.

Since then, quarterly sales in America have been 20 to 40 per cent lower, year over year.

Blades ended the AEM presentation at the Commodity Classic with some key takeaway messages. Sluggish demand for ag equipment will likely persist in 2025 due to weaker grain prices, questions around biofuel policies and trade issues.

“In the ag market right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty,” he said.

“Until we get rid of that uncertainty, that’s the market we’re (in) right now.”

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