Revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 were $161.9 million, an increase of $38.8 million, or 32%, compared to revenues of $123.1 million in the prior year third quarter.

"Healthy agricultural market fundamentals and positive grower sentiment continue to drive increased global demand for irrigation equipment," said Randy Wood, president and chief executive officer. "At the same time, raw material inflation and other supply chain issues continue to create challenges and margin headwinds. Our teams have responded well and effectively managed through these dynamic market conditions in order to support our customers."

Third Quarter Segment Results

Irrigation segment revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 increased $44.7 million, or 47%, to $140.2 million, compared to $95.5 million in the prior year third quarter. North America irrigation revenues increased $24.5 million, or 39%, to $87.4 million compared to the prior year third quarter. The increase resulted from a combination of higher irrigation equipment unit sales volume and higher average selling prices. The increase was partially offset by lower engineering services revenue. International irrigation revenues of $52.8 million increased $20.2 million, or 62%, compared to the prior year third quarter. The increase resulted from higher unit sales volumes in most international markets, higher prices, and favorable foreign currency translation impact of $2.3 million.

Irrigation segment operating income was $23.9 million, an increase of $8.5 million, or 55%, compared to the prior year third quarter. Operating margin was 17.1% of sales, compared to 16.1% of sales in the prior year third quarter. The increase resulted primarily from the impact of higher irrigation system unit volume and was partially offset by the impact of higher raw material and other costs.

Infrastructure segment revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 decreased $5.8 million, or 21%, to $21.8 million, compared to $27.6 million in the prior year third quarter. The decrease resulted from lower Road Zipper System sales, which were partially offset by higher Road Zipper System lease revenue and increased sales of road safety products. Road construction activity and the timing of certain projects continues to be impacted by coronavirus-related delays.

Infrastructure segment operating income was $3.8 million, a decrease of $4.4 million, or 54%, compared to the prior year third quarter. Operating margin was 17.3% of sales, compared to 29.5% of sales in the prior year third quarter. Current year results reflect lower revenues and a less favorable margin mix of revenues compared to the prior year.

The backlog of unfilled orders at May 31, 2021, was $120.8 million compared with $78.6 million at May 31, 2020. The irrigation backlog is higher compared to the prior year while the infrastructure backlog is lower due to two large orders in the prior year that did not repeat.

Outlook

"Market conditions support continued robust demand for irrigation equipment, and we also expect raw material inflation and supply chain challenges to persist through the balance of our fiscal year," said Wood. "We remain optimistic about the outlook for our infrastructure business, particularly as coronavirus restrictions are lifted and road construction activity returns to more normal levels."

Wood continued, "Our financial position remains strong, providing support for our innovation growth strategy across our businesses that address global megatrends and provide solutions that improve customer profitability and assist in their sustainability efforts.