Krone Group Earnings Drop Despite Stable Farm Machinery Sales
While turnover was back slightly at €2.3 billion in 2024/2025 (previous year €2.4 billion), the German Krone Group saw earnings fall from €107 million to €40.1 million.
Recently visiting New Zealand was Krone general manager of sales and marketing Willhelm Voss, who was passing the baton, after 22 years, to his successor Martin Eyning.
Voss commented on Krone's arrival 10 years ago in the market for self-propelled forage harvesters, and its increasing market share of around 300 machines in a global market of 2700 units.
Rural News asked where they saw future growth in their turnover of Euro 564 million.
Voss and Eyning said recent growth from the anaerobic digestion industry had now largely stopped, but they still see scope for growth in the sub-500hp category that makes up about 40% of all harvester sales.
Krone spends about 7% of its turnover on R&D and has a large focus on electronics for data management and communications in farm and machine applications, offering opportunities to further increase its current 70% export ratio.
In advance of the Budget, Finance Minister Nicola Willis put a clear damper on expectations and delivered accordingly.
Farmers should be cautiously optimistic as the 2026/27 season kicks off, says DairyNZ.
RaboResearch senior analyst Emma Higgins expects the 2026/27 dairy season to be another profitable one.
The new dairy season is kicking off with plenty of risks to the forecast farmgate price, both upside and downside, says ANZ agricultural economist Matt Dilly.
A potential showdown between the top two Federated Farmers leaders looms at the farmer lobby's annual meeting later this month.
FarmIQ Systems has developed a free land management app to help remove barriers to New Zealand farmers and growers adopting digital tools.

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