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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Lower Horsepower Tractors Bright Spot in Machine Sales

US retail sales of farm tractors under 40 horsepower were up 33 percent for March of 2016, and up 26 percent year-to-date. A report on Successful Farming at Agriculture.com says the 2 wheel drive category of tractors between 40 and 100 horsepower saw sales increase 10 percent in March compared with a year ago. High horsepower tractors didn’t fare as well. Two-wheel-drive tractors over 100 HP declined 32 percent. January to March sales dropped 38 percent compared to a year ago. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers says sales of the smaller tractors benefit from a broad customer base in smaller acreage farms and some livestock operations. Sales of larger production equipment are still significantly lower than a year ago as producers still feel the effects of lower commodity prices and higher used equipment inventories.