The latest report from the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers shows unit sales declines in October for under 40 horsepower 2WD tractors in the U.S. and Canada compared to last year. Sales of 40-100 horsepower 2WD tractors were down in the U.S. and up in Canada compared to last year.

Catch up on what you might have missed with this round-up of trending stories.

Times are tough for producers, and dealers need a silver lining. Between the chaos caused by late planting, followed by the cloud of uncertainty created by the trade disputes with China, equipment dealers’ sentiment came in lower in this year’s Ag Equipment Intelligence 2020 Business Outlook & Trends Farm Equipment Forecast.

Sales of engines and turf products serving commercial applications increased by double digits, partially offset by lower job site sales due to timing of certain shipments.

About 40% of North American farm equipment dealers expect revenue from sales of new machinery to improve in 2020, while 37% forecast little or no change compared to 2019, according to Ag Equipment Intelligence’s 2020 Dealer Business Outlook & Trends survey.

Net sales were at approximately $2.1 billion for the third quarter of 2019, a decrease of approximately 4.8% compared to the third quarter of 2018.

“As we look to 2020, we’re predicting equipment shipments to post gains of 2-5%, depending on the category,” says Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI.

Read this post by Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics about 3 steps dealers can take to prepare for the near-term economy.

According to the latest data from the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers, U.S. sales of under 40 HP 2WD tractors increased 2.1%, while sales of 40-100 HP tractors decreased 1.4%. For Canada, sales of under 40 HP 2WD tractors increased 9.1%, while sales for 40-100 HP decreased 4.2%.