Combine sales finish the year with healthy gains in unit sales while ag tractors finish the year below 2021 levels in both the U.S. and Canada according to the latest data from the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

Total U.S. ag tractor unit sales fell for both the month of December as well as the year as a whole compared to 2021, with the sub-40 horsepower segment leading losses in both timeframes, losing 26.7% for the month and 19.3% for calendar 2022. U.S. self-propelled combine sales, however, grew 16.3% on the month, finishing the year up 15.8%. Only one other segment grew for the year, 100+ horsepower units, finished the year up 11.3% despite losing 2.7% for the month of December. Total farm tractor sales in the U.S. for the year fell 14.8% vs. 2021.

In Canada, combines led sales for the year again, up 10.7%, assisted by a 27.7% bump in December. Overall unit sales in tractors finished the year down 7.2%, with the sub-40 horsepower segment leading losses north of the border as well, down 17% for December and 9.8% for the year. Conversely, 4WD units were the only tractor segment to finish the year positive, growing 6.3% for the year, helped by more than doubling sales in the month of December. Two-wheel-drive tractors above 100 horsepower finished the year nearly flat, selling only 9 fewer units than the year before, putting that segment down 0.2%.

“The strength of combine harvester sales during this unusual time in ag markets is a testament to the advantages new technologies make in improving the quality and quantity of crops farmers can bring out of the field,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president, industry sectors and product leadership at AEM. “And while other segments fell vs. 2021, the previous 2 years saw the sales gains they did because of the pandemic, while this year was more a return to normal. That said, overall equipment sales finished near or above their 5-year average more often than not this year.”