CSS—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 5,1980
Farm equipment manufacturers see slight sales slippage
CHICAGO, IL Despite
the recent severe downturn
in sales of certain farm
machinery, manufacturers
say they remain confident
that dollar sales volume of
all farm equipment will be
off as little as 5 percent for
1980.
This optimism was
reflected m a survey taken of
its members by the Farm
and Industrial Equipment
Institute and reported at its
Marketing and Management
Conference by H. J. Head.
In predicting the slight
drop m sales, member
companies cited the easing
of credit restraints, lower
interest costs and the less
than expected decline in
farm commodity exports as
positive factors.
Detrimental factors cited
included continued credit
restrictions by rural bankers
and lenders, high costs in
general, energy in par
ticular, and low commodity
prices.
While members saw some
difficult days ahead, their
Lehigh County youth
attend PFA conference
Cheryl Wessner, left, 17
year old daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Harlan Wessner, New
Tripoli, and Beth Ann
Knauss, 16, daughter of Mrs.
r Please send me color catalog on the Cherokee horse stock trailers and GN flatbeds
Please send me literature on Silo-Matic Feeding Systems
NAME
| ADDRESS
! PHONE
long-range look at the rest of
the 19S0’s indicates greater
opportunities than anytime
since the expansion period
following the Korean War.
They see great challenges to
increase productivity and
create new breakthroughs in
technology to aid American
agriculture in the continuing
battle adequately to feed this
nation and ease world
hunger.
In the forecast for trac
tors, all tractor sales are
expected to be 10.7 percent
below last year’s unit sales,
a marked change from the
bullish sales outlook in the
survey taken near the end of
last year.
Specifically - two-wheel
drive tractors under 30
horsepower are expected to
be down 7.6 percent, a more
than 9 percent decrease
from the prediction in the
earlier survey.
Two-wheel drive tractors,
30 to 99 horsepower, are now
forecast to decline 10.2
percent to 65,100 from last
year’s 72,477 units while two
wheel drive over 100 hor-
Dianne M. Knauss are shown
with Donald Trimmer, Na
tional Vice-President of the
FFA during the recent
Washington Conference.
STATE
Farm Business
News
sepower are expected to
drop 13.6 percent to 54,000
units.
Four-wheel drive tractors
are forecast to decrease 10.5
percent from last year’s
very good 11,455 unit sales.
Turning to self-propelled
combmes, where previously
virtually no changes were
predicted, members are now
unanimous in forecasting a
decline of 6.0 percent to
30,325 units, with cornheads
expected to fall off 7.3
percent.
Among tillage equipment,
moldboard plow sales are
forecasted to dip 10.2 percent
to 28,500 units in 1980; disc
harrows off 8.4 percent; field
cultivators down 5.6 percent
to 16,000 units; and chisel
plows a slight 2.3 percent
decline.
Hay balers over 200
pounds capacity are ex
pected to decrease 6.3
percent while the smaller
ones are estimated to drop
13.1 percent to 16,300 units.
Forage harvesters will be
down 6.4 percent to the 11,650
range, and mower
conditioners should decline
to the 23,000 level, a 9.4
percent drop.
The median forecast of a
4.1 percent decline in wm
drowers and swathers is not
as bad as the 16.5 percent
decrease expected for
grinder-mixers.
The one positive note in the
forecasts for field
machinery sales is for cotton
strippers where a 4.3 percent
increase to 1850 units is
predicted. This optimism is
based on the expectation
that cotton prices will
remain strong.
Farmstead equipment
manufacturers predict their
dollar sales volume will be
down 12 percent from 1979
levels lead by equipment
used in hog production
declining some 30 percent.
No doubt the outlook for pork
prices is the culprit here.
Sales for equipment used in
dairy and beef production is
expected to remain level.
Sales for portable augers
T
ZIP
and elevators as well as bin
type crop dryers is forecast
to drop 15 percent but three
manufacturers in both
categories predict slight
increases. Batch and con
tinuous-flowv crop dryers
should decline 10 percent.
FISHER AND STOLTZFUS TRAILER SALES
Call 717-768-3832 between 7 a.m. & 9 a.m.
or call 717-354-0723
East of New Holland, Pa.
CHECK OUR PRICES BEFORE YOU BUY
• Small Utility Trailers
• Flatbed Trailers
m
*
16' long by 8' wide body
has 40" sides, a grain door
in rear, flotation tires for
field work or 10,000 lbs.,
axles with dual wheels,
electric hoist carrying
capacity 300-350 bu.
CUSTOM BUILT FEED BINS
FEATURING:
High quality 14 gauge
steel
Solid Welded Seams
Making it Water and
Rodent Proof
Long Taper and Large
Opening for Easier
Flow
Can be installed
inside or outside
building
Most Installations Can Be Made Without Auger!
WILL DELIVER AND INSTILL ANYWHERE
MEL’S WELDING SERVICE
R 1 Kennedyville, Md. 301-348-2179
If no answer 301-348-5028
Sales and Service - Grain Equipment, Bucket Elevators,
Distributors, Pipes and Accessories
Another positive note is for
sales of milking machines
where a 5 percent increase is
predicted, a slight change
from the 9 percent increase
forecasted earlier.
All in all, this Update
report indicates a more
conservative outlook on the
part of our manufacturing
company members who are
now taking a wait-and-see
attitude as to what effect
declining interest rates and
improved commodity prices
will have on equipment
sales. Only time will tell the
accuracy of these forecasts.
The State of the Industry
report and its Update are
prepared from statistical
surveys taken of members of
the Farm and Industrial
Equipment T nstitute, the
national trade association
for manufacturers, founded
m 1893 to provide services in
such areas as engineering
standards, statistics, safety,
legislative and govern
mental relations.
• Equipment Trailer
• Tilt-Bed Trailer
Standard Livestock trailer
with metal top sleeper
van. Comes in
16.20,24,28 ft. lengths,
brakes on all wheels.