Changing of the guard at TAMA
Deere NZ territory manager Jaiden Drought was elected new president of the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) at its August annual meeting.
The world's tractor market looked healthy in 2017, with 2.1 million sales – up about 13% on the 2016 total of 1.9 million units.
This data comes from Agrievolution Alliance, representing 14 industry bodies and 6000 agricultural machinery makers.
The high-volume markets of China and India had at least 1 million sales -- 490,000 and 600,000 respectively. And Europe, with large markets in France and Germany, had 190,000 sales.
The US market saw 4% more sales than in 2016 -- 220,000 tractors sold. In first-half 2018, US tractor sales totalled 123,316 – up 6.5% on the same period in 2017. Interestingly, at least 84,000 were tractors less than 40hp – lifestyle-block machines.
In New Zealand, first-half 2018 also had healthy sales -- 1876 versus 1448 in 2017, a rise of 26.1%.
Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) president John Tulloch says sales are back near 2014 levels, seen in such sectors as lifestyle, viticulture and agriculture, rather than only agriculture, which four years ago accounted for most tractor sales.
“It’s rare to see every sector relatively buoyant at the same time,” Tulloch told Rural News.
“Customers appear to be cautiously optimistic rather than big-spending, probably because of healthy scepticism about forecast payouts.”
He says TAMA members reported that Fieldays was largely positive, but actual sales prospects were down.
“We believe it might be a record year for sales.
“However, like our customers we remain cautiously optimistic.”
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
The latest report from ANZ isn’t good news for sheep farmers: lamb returns are forecast to remain low.
Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand-new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho.
In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.