Canada’s Caterpillar equipment distributor for Manitoba and points east is set to sell a major Manitoba dealer of Agco’s farm equipment brands as well as the province’s exclusive dealer for Claas combines. Toromont Industries announced Monday it will sell its AgWest Ltd. arm to Dutch equipment distributor Mechan International, effective May 1. Neither company would […] Read more
Toromont to sell Manitoba Agco, Claas dealer chain
Dutch firm to buy AgWest
Manitoba Deere dealer expands westward reach
Enns Bros. to buy Shoal Lake's S.H. Dayton
A major dealer of John Deere equipment in Manitoba is extending its catchment in the province’s west to include a long-established Deere shop. Winnipeg-based Enns Bros. announced Friday it has a deal in place to buy the assets of S.H. Dayton Ltd., a Deere equipment dealership at Shoal Lake, about 100 km northwest of Brandon. […] 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
Right-to-repair advocates fighting, but not gaining much ground
No right-to-repair laws have been passed; dealers association says lack of broadband is the real issue
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been an uphill battle but the right-to-repair movement isn’t giving up and is getting closer to winning over lawmakers, says a leading American advocate. Right-to-repair legislation has been introduced in 42 states and two provinces — but none of the bills have made it into law, Gay Gordon-Byrne, head of The Repair Association, conceded […] Read more
Farm equipment demand to remain high, FCC says
Low inventories, high commodity prices and a good crop place pressure on demand
Demand for farm equipment should remain high through 2023 despite higher interest rates and projected price increases, according to Farm Credit Canada. The federal ag lender has released an outlook on the farm equipment market that analyzed data and trends that affect the market. While the outlook attributes much of the current demand to relatively […] Read more
The shortage of farm equipment may not ease until 2024
Dealers — and a new report from FCC — suggest tight supplies are the ‘new normal’ and unlikely to change soon
Reading Time: 5 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Farm equipment dealer Guy Deroche was pleasantly surprised about parts orders this fall when delivery was better than expected. Supply chain disruptions were a hallmark of the year, forcing producers and agri-businesses to scramble for inputs, for equipment components, for livestock ear tags and a long list of consumer products. There were […] Read more
No end in sight for soaring farm equipment costs
It’s not just the price tags on new equipment that’s shocking, it’s also the spillover effect in the used market
Reading Time: 3 minutes Prices for farm equipment continue to rise. And it’s not just fancy new iron that’s causing farmers to do double takes. How does $62,972 sound for a 1994 New Holland 9680 tractor? How about $49,995 for a 1995 John Deere 1850 air drill? Or $80,000 for an older tandem axle grain truck? “You’re seeing an […] 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
The buyers are willing but the equipment supply chain is weak
Farm equipment sales jump but availability of new machines and parts for older ones remain an issue
Reading Time: 4 minutes Driven by high commodity prices and low interest rates, sales of farm equipment shot up last year — but getting delivery was a huge headache for many. Sales of four-wheel-drive tractors in Canada rose 33 per cent, 100+ horsepower tractors were up 34 per cent, and combines were up 23 per cent, according to data […] 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