Soft Commodity Prices Might Mean Slower Equipment Sales

May 02, 2016

There have been some challenges for farm equipment sales over the last couple of years, according to the CEO of the Western Equipment Dealers Association.

John Schmeiser says there was an incredible run of equipment sales from 2007 to 2014, and a lot of customers have re-invested in their machinery.

"At this point in time, because we've seen some softening in the commodity prices, they don't have to make that reinvestment," he says, "but having said that, in areas where there are lentils being grown — where the commodity price is still fairly strong — we are seeing a lot of sales activity. And what's really promising for us is we're still seeing a lot of quoting on deals."

On the manufacturing side, Schmeiser says they are seeing more new products rolling out to meet consumer demands for more production and better technology.

Source : Portageonline

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.