Falling crop prices are leaving American agriculture equipment sellers with an excess of unsold tractors and combines. To cope with the surplus, dealers are discounting machines, suspending new orders, and even auctioning off equipment at reduced prices.

Too many tractors: As boom times fade, farm equipment piles up

Deere cuts 2024 profit view as borrowing costs hurt demand
Executives expressed caution about margin performance amid weakening farm economy
Deere & Co cut its 2024 profit forecast on Thursday as farmers remained hesitant about big-ticket equipment purchases due to high borrowing rates and falling crop prices, even as its first-quarter sales and profit topped Wall Street estimates.

CNH raises revenue guidance on robust tractor demand
Price increases support profit margins
Milan | Reuters — Farm and construction equipment maker CNH Industrial on Friday raised its full-year revenue forecast as operating profit topped expectations in the first quarter, aided by a strong order backlog and resilient demand for its large tractors. The company increased its revenue outlook for industrial activities to between eight and 11 per

Colorado’s ag equipment right-to-repair bill signed into law
Bills introduced in 16 states
Reuters — Colorado’s governor signed the nation’s first right-to-repair legislation into law on Tuesday, giving the state’s farmers and ranchers the autonomy to fix their own equipment. The bill, which requires manufacturers such as Deere and Co. to provide manuals for diagnostic software and other aids, garnered bipartisan support as farmers grew increasingly frustrated with

Colorado passes first U.S. right-to-repair legislation for farmers
Manufacturers fear safety, emissions systems could be overridden
Reuters — Colorado farmers will be able to legally fix their own equipment next year, with manufacturers such as Deere and Co. obliged to provide them with manuals for diagnostic software and other aids, under a measure passed by legislators in the first U.S. state to approve such a law. The Consumer Right to Repair

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

CNH Industrial pulls pin on China
CEO sees lack of growth in China’s construction market, but opportunity in agriculture
Reuters – Farming and construction manufacturer CNH Industrial’s decision to permanently halt construction sales in China was due to declining market share and competition from local companies, the CEO said on Dec. 8. Mounting debt from Chinese property developers has been the catalyst for falling housing prices in the region and an overall real estate

Equipment dealer consolidation raises cost to farmers
Wave of consolidation began in 1980s, accelerated dramatically in recent years
Reuters – More farm equipment dealers are going out of business, leaving a handful of companies in control of a large swathe of the market and with greater ability to set prices for selling and repairing equipment, say farmers, equipment dealers and analysts. Buyouts of local mom-and-pop dealers have reduced farmers’ options for buying machinery