The strike that was mentioned earlier was by 1,100 workers at the CNH production facilities in Racine, Wis., and Burlington, Iowa. The Burlington plant produces rough-terrain forklifts and tractor loader backhoes for Case Construction. The Racine plant, produces parts for Case's axial flow combines, cotton pickers and articulated tractors, but also the Magnum Series of Case tractor, a big player in the row-crop market, and the New Holland T-8 tractor which competes there as well. All models of both tractors are over 150 horsepower and are primarily used by crop farmers. So, the strike will have minimal impact on rural lifestylers.

What may impact smaller tractor enthusiasts, is the drop in tractor demand. In March, (and these numbers are courtesy of the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers) we saw the total tractor sales down 21.1% from last year, the first drop year-over-year since July of 2021. Tractors under 40 hp were down 25.5% from last year, 40-100 horsepower were down 14.1%, but tractors over 100 horsepower were up 7%. While those numbers are pointing toward the market returning to normal after Covid, part of the drop may do to a lack of inventory. Tractor stocks at dealerships were down 10% from last year.

If you're wondering why big tractor sales are up, that's likely a function of expected rising prices for commodities. The Ukraine is a major farming area, and since they're at war with Russia, there's not much farming, and no exporting going on. Tractor sales are rising as producers in North and South America gear up to replace production lost from the war.

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