Reading Time: 5 minutes Have you ever seen an International Harvester refrigerator, or a Massey-Ferguson cream separator? They were farmyard fixtures at one time. Farmers bought them from their local farm machinery dealership while buying a wide variety of other essentials too. Over time, those equipment dealers evolved from that “everything-you-need-we’ve-got” business model to become machinery specialists, strictly purveyors […] Read more
Shifting borders in the farm machinery business
Get ready to buy a whole lot more from your equipment dealer than just equipment
Manufacturing talent
Executives at the major equipment manufacturers know their brands can’t succeed without the right people on the payroll
Reading Time: 5 minutes Among the Big Four farm equipment brands, John Deere owns the largest slice of the North American market, and the bosses at its world headquarters in Moline, Illinois, have no intention of letting that change any time soon. In December they revealed their updated, long-term corporate strategy to investors, outlining how they intend to keep […] Read more
Farm equipment to help speed up your day
Machinery Guide looks at innovative equipment from Bobcat, Sunflower, Yetter and Brandt
Reading Time: 4 minutes With spring on the horizon, Country Guide is providing a quick update on new equipment that doesn’t plant or harvest, or haul or spray. Even so, these are innovative designs that can prove just as valuable in the broader scope of all that’s happening on the farm these days. So have a look, and if […] Read more
Self-propelled crop sprayers see upgrades
Machinery Guide takes a quick look at the Hardi Alpha Evo 4100, Hagie STS 2015, John Deere R4045, and the New Holland Guardian SP.400F
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s February and the itch to get into the shop and get things ready to put some seed in the ground is growing a little stronger every day. On many farms, the job that comes first, however, is spraying. Increasingly, this a job where it’s important to control the controllable and take full advantage when […] Read more
To the South Pole and back, on a Massey Ferguson
A modified MF 5610 and its crew gets a chance to prove their stuff, retracing the route of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic 1958 adventure to the Antarctic
Reading Time: 4 minutes At the North Pole, it was December 9, and the jolly old elf in the bright red suit was preparing as usual for his annual Christmas Eve sleigh ride. A world away, meanwhile, and even more incredibly, an expedition aboard a bright red Massey Ferguson 5610 tractor was powering its way to the geographic South […] Read more
A new colour in farm tractors
Kubota moves toward its goal of being a major player in the ag equipment market
Reading Time: 5 minutes The rumours had been building for months. There were even spy pictures posted on the Internet as possible proof. Then in September, Kubota’s global headquarters made it official. The company is taking direct aim at the farm market. More specifically, Kubota launched a new, powerful line of M-7 Series tractors, and these new tractors are […] Read more
New planters offer speed, greater precision
Machinery Guide looks at three new models ready to dive into the 2015 crop year
Reading Time: 3 minutes Spring seems to come faster every year, which is all right on the farm because speed is also the focus of today’s newest planter designs. Getting the job done faster, and with greater precision and improved seed singulation are the hallmarks of this year’s newest models, which are embracing enhanced electronics and some incredibly innovative […] Read more
It won’t be easy being green — or red, or blue
Tough decisions lie ahead, with all the major brands needing to throttle back production but still keep up with changing market demand
Reading Time: 5 minutes What a difference a year makes. The heady days of overfilled order books at ag equipment assembly plants have faded into history. By the end of September, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) was reporting year-to-date sales of four-wheel-drive tractors in Canada were down by 19.8 per cent. Combine sales had slumped even further, dipping […] Read more
A lean year ahead for combine sales
Innovation, improvement is making for the best new combines ever
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s said that yield is the ultimate measure of a growing season, and if that’s true, then the combine is the ultimate device for measuring success. Sales of combines, like most farm machines, are admittedly finding the going tough these days. In its most recent assessment, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) reported that North […] Read more
Cautiously aggressive
What does it take to be inducted into a business hall of fame? CG asked Gavin Semple, the first inductee into the new Saskatchewan Manufacturing Hall of Fame
Reading Time: 5 minutes At first, the comment seemed counter-intuitive. I was sitting across a small table from Gavin Semple, chair of the Saskatchewan-based Brandt Group of Companies, during Canada’s Farm Progress Show in Regina in June. Semple had just been recognized as the first-ever inductee into the newly created Saskatchewan Manufacturing Hall of Fame, and I wanted to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
