Tractor Zoom is partnering with world class strategic investors including Innova Memphis, Hyde Park Angels, Iowa Corn Opportunities, ISA Ventures, Ag Ventures Alliance, Ag Startup Engine and several strategic angel investors.

I was curious to see what the price increase has been for combines over the past 3 model changes. I looked through the business system, locating customers who have rolled combines every year, trying to see how pricing has evolved over the last decade. What I found was not all that shocking, but at the same time I have to wonder how long trading the volume of equipment with high used pricing can be sustained. This is not to say a 2018 combine and 2008 combine are the same. The amount of technology and overall improvements in the past 10 years are tremendously vast. So, this goes without saying, R&D cost will be recaptured but with this comes a challenge of its own. When a manufacturer has a price increase, it does affect the used market but not the entire price increase. In the the last 5 years, the rate of price increase recapture has been less than the previous 5 years.

As we head into the New Year, here's a recap of what dealers told us in our most recent "Dealer Trends & Business Outlook" survey conducted by Ag Equipment Intelligence and Cleveland Research Co. in December.