Three weeks ago we ran down many of the positive comments we were getting through our monthly Dealer Sentiments & Business Conditions Update survey. I’m happy to report nothing much has changed in the most recent Dealer Sentiments survey just completed last week.
According to Ag Equipment Intelligence’s monthly Dealer Sentiments survey, since the start of 2017, farm equipment dealers’ year-over-year level of optimism has varied by as much as 42% from one month to the next compared to the prior year.
While ag equipment sales continue to be soft, both farmers and dealers seem to be feeling a bit more positive about things than they have over the last few years.
Take a wild guess. Over the past 3 decades (1985-2015), the average sales of high horsepower tractors were right around 30,000 units per year. How many years during this period were sales above average? How many were below average? How many were about average?
I can’t say I’m a big fan of this time of the year. While farmers are anxious to get in the fields and dealers are busy helping them get ready, I’m reading all of the speculation that industry pundits tend to toss around just before planting season. Most of it doesn’t say much.
Of the 12 product categories included in Ag Equipment Intelligence’s monthly Dealer Sentiments survey, only one has consistently shown positive results during the past 12 months when it comes to dealer sales — commercial and consumer equipment.
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