Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — When Linamar announced it was purchasing MacDon Industries at the end of last year, there was trade uncertainty for Canada. Since then, the issues have ballooned, but Linamar isn’t panicking. “We’re trying to look past (the trade uncertainty) a little bit because there’s a lot going on there and we don’t know […] Read more
Amid trade uncertainties, Linamar builds up ag unit
Deere plans price increases to offset rising costs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Shares of Deere and Co. soared Friday after the U.S. tractor maker revised up its full-year earnings estimate on stronger equipment demand and shared its plans to increase prices to offset increased costs. The company’s stock was up 6.4 per cent at $156.24 in early afternoon trading on the New York […] Read more
Keeping the place up
Manufacturers offer new yard care machines for 2018
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the warm weather comes on, a job on every farm is to pull the yard care equipment out of storage and get it running again. If that’s getting to be a nuisance, you might want to look at some of the new offerings in the lawn and sub-compact tractor segments that manufacturers have introduced […] Read more
Lift and load
Three new loaders designed for on-farm handling
Reading Time: 3 minutes In late January, John Deere introduced the new 344L compact wheel loader at an industry show in Las Vegas. Although this machine comes out of the green brand’s yellow construction side, it is also being marketed as an ideal fit for an on-farm fleet. “The 344L is a quick, nimble machine that is optimized for […] Read more
Steel tariff shrapnel hits U.S. farmers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Kane County, Ill. | Reuters — Lucas Strom, who runs a century-old family farm in rural Illinois, canceled an order to buy a new US$71,000 grain bin last month — after the seller raised the price five per cent in a day. The reason: steel prices jumped right after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs. […] Read more
Farm equipment sales evolve for 2018
Rocky Mountain Equipment exec Jim Wood talks about Canadian ag machinery sales trends
Reading Time: 4 minutes As U.S. and Canadian farm equipment dealerships wrestled with their hangover from the half-decade of hyper sales activity that ended a couple of years ago, the job of finding new homes for a large number of used machines may have been their biggest problem. For the most part, that trouble has now faded from view, […] Read more
The heart of the deal
How significant is the local dealer in determining what you buy?
Reading Time: 5 minutes One evening a year or so ago I sat in a hotel lounge in rural England with a couple of other ag machinery writers. We were gathered there for a machinery event and were all staying in the same hotel. We spent part of that evening discussing the differences between farmer perceptions of machinery in […] Read more
Deere strengthens its tractor promise
More models and a unique fuel guarantee to boost Deere’s European presence
Reading Time: 3 minutes Several years ago, John Deere was one of the earliest brands to give the digital component of its equipment a strong emphasis. Without a doubt they were ahead of all the major brands, which have since recognized the growing importance of that technology. Now, Deere is again getting ahead of curve by using the data […] Read more
Deere upgrades 2018 outlook on improving equipment demand
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. farm equipment maker Deere and Co. on Friday boosted its sales outlook for fiscal 2018, citing strengthening conditions in agricultural and construction markets, sending its shares higher. For the past four years, Deere has been battling weak demand for farm equipment as a global grain glut pushed down prices, sending U.S. farm […] Read more
It’s a new market
Get ready for some repair bills, says Case IH vice-president Jim Walker, who predicts farmers are going to have to change how quickly they cycle new machinery through their operations
Reading Time: 5 minutes When Case IH invited farm writers to Ames, Iowa to see their new line of equipment for 2018, the company’s vice-president Jim Walker was also there. At an evening dinner on the last day of the event, he presented his thoughts on the state of the ag equipment industry, and hinted at his strategy for […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
