As 2026 begins, many producers face negative farm profitability due to severely depressed commodity prices, high input costs, reduced export opportunities, labor shortages and uncertainty over key support programs like the Farm Bill. These pressures strain farm financial viability, challenge producers' mental health, and weigh heavily on the communities that depend on agriculture.
The Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) Summit, held Jan.19–21, 2026, in Dallas, Texas, brought equipment industry leaders together to address today's farming challenges. Dealers from across the U.S. and Canada, representing diverse brands, united around a shared mission to ensure policy conversations reflect what farmers experience every day.
A key component of the Summit was a roundtable discussion, moderated by BJ Knutson, CEO of Titan Machinery, featuring Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation. The conversation focused on the economic pressures facing producers and how coordinated advocacy is needed now more than ever to influence policy outcomes impacting growers.
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