Deere & Co. reported that its worldwide net sales and revenues decreased 4% in the first quarter of 2020, ended Feb. 2, to $7.63 billion. Net sales of the company’s equipment operations were $6.53 billion for the quarter, compared with $6.94 billion in 2019; a decline of 6%. At the same time, Deere’s net income for the quarter was up 4% to $517 million vs. $498 for the same period in 2019.

2019 saw both AGCO and CNH Industrial finish in the red. Both reported consolidated revenues down for the full year, as well as in 4Q19. AGCO also reported negative impacts from the late harvest and low crop production in the U.S., while CNH Industrial experienced lower industry volumes in North America and Rest of World (RoW) markets.

According to Ag Equipment Intelligence’s January 2020 Dealer Sentiment & Business Conditions Update report, the percentage of dealers reporting their used equipment inventories as “too high” has reached its lowest level since spring of 2012.

Total tractor sales in October fell about 8%, with utility tractors (40-100 horsepower) showing the only growth at up 6%. Compact tractor (under 40 horsepower) sales fell 11% last month and high horsepower tractors (over 100 horsepower) fell 18%.

CNH Industrial reported third quarter consolidated revenues of $6.4 billion, a year-over-year drop of 5%. Net sales of its agricultural segment dropped 7% vs. the third quarter of 2018. The company said that industry volume deceleration coupled with an unfavorable product mix drove sales down, primarily in North America and the Rest of World regions.

AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) reported net sales of approximately $2.1 billion for the third quarter of 2019, a decrease of approximately 4.8% compared to the third quarter of 2018. Excluding unfavorable currency translation impacts of approximately 3.1%, net sales in the third quarter of 2019 decreased approximately 1.7% compared to the third quarter of 2018.

Growth in farm lending activity slowed in the third quarter of 2019. Following 9 consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth and a particularly notable increase a year ago, the volume of total non-real estate farm debt declined nearer to the historical third-quarter average. The primary contributor to the slowdown from sharp increases a year ago was a decline in the average size of farm operating loans. Despite a slowdown in the pace of debt accumulation, weaknesses in the sector persisted, continuing to pressure farm cash flows and agricultural credit conditions.

Faced with more uncertainty than usual, farm equipment dealers are slightly less optimistic than they were a year ago. Spring flooding that hampered, and in some cases prevented, farmers from getting in their fields during planting season, along with stagnant commodity prices are challenges that are not new to farming. The industry has dealt with these bumps in the road time and again. 

Worldwide economic unrest along with political unrest both here and abroad has placed a black cloud over the U.S. agricultural economy and has slowed large equipment sales to almost a crawl.