Ag equipment sales have dropped over the past year, and analysts expect that trend to continue. However, one economist is more concerned about another area that remains vulnerable as tariffs persist.
“If you move upstream to the agricultural input industries, the John Deeres, the Cases, and so on, that’s a huge concern. We will probably create exemptions or cutouts for most of the higher-value, higher-cost elements in agriculture, but I think it is really straightforward. It’s corn and soybeans. It’s apples. It’s almonds. It’s pistachios. It is some version of processed and canned and easily shipped things,” said Bruce Sherrick with the University of Illinois.
Ag inputs, like feed ingredients and fertilizers, are exempt from higher tariffs for now, but ag equipment makers are feeling the effects. AgCo and CNH both reported double-digit sales drops last quarter. Leaders at AgCO say they are staying nimble amid the uncertainty.
