Early Orders for Ag Machinery Are Down vs. Last Year

Final results from Farm Equipment’s “2015 Dealer Business Outlook & Trends” survey indicate that equipment early orders are down compared to what North American farm equipment dealers have seen over the past few years. Just over 300 dealers responded to the question, “How do your pre-sells or early orders this year compare with early orders last year at this time?” and 60% said their early orders are down. In last year’s survey, 27.2% of dealers reported their early orders were down compared to the previous year.

Slightly less than 10% of dealers say their early equipment orders are higher than last year’s. A year ago, slightly over 27% of dealers reported their pre-sells were up compared with the previous year.

This year, just under 32% of dealers responding to the survey reported that their early orders are about the same as the year earlier. In the 2014 survey, 45% of dealers indicated their pre-sells were the same as the previous year. Several dealers noted that the uncertainty surrounding Section 179 and bonus depreciation is causing farmers to postpone commitments to purchase big ticket items. S