RB Global Inc. announced last Wednesday (March 4) it will buy Nebraska-based BigIron for an undisclosed sum, expecting to close the deal in the second half of this year.

BigIron, whose roots in the auction business date back to 1984, is now billed as “a scaled, agriculture-focused online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of agricultural equipment, land, livestock, and other farm and ranch assets.”

According to RB Global, BigIron processed about $885 million in gross transaction value in the 12 months ending last Sept. 30, including about $520 million worth of farm assets and vehicles and about $365 million in farmland and real estate transactions (all figures US$).

“BigIron brings a talented team with deep ag sector knowledge and an established sales footprint that will continue operating as a stand-alone brand while being complemented by the Ritchie Bros. industrial footprint,” RB Global CEO Jim Kessler said in a release. “This will create opportunities to serve even more customers through a combination of onsite, offsite, and digital channels and solutions.”

BigIron co-founder Ron Stock noted BigIron will remain a stand-alone operation within RB Global, with he and co-founder Mark Stock “involved in the business as usual.”

“Through this combination, we gain a larger platform and additional resources, which is expected to help us deliver even greater choice and liquidity to all the sellers we serve,” Mark Stock said in the same release.

RB Global dates back to the founding of Ritchie Bros. in Kelowna in 1958, from which it expanded its services into the U.S. and overseas and bought several Canadian and U.S. auction firms, becoming publicly traded in 1998. Its corporate headquarters has since moved to the Chicago area.

In its last fiscal year ending Dec. 31, RB Global booked $412.8 million in net income on total revenue of $4.28 billion, handling a gross transaction value of $15.9 billion.

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“With a dedicated presence in Ottawa, AEM will be a more effective advocate and convener, ensuring equipment manufacturers get a seat at the table during critical policy discussions about the future of the Canadian economy,” said the association’s president and CEO Megan Tanel in a news release this week.

The association has hired Alexandre Mattard-Michaud as director of government affairs in Canada. Mattard-Michaud will be responsible for representing association members and industry interests to lawmakers.

A presence in Ottawa will help the association advocate for “pro-growth policies that help the Canadian men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry better build, power, and feed the world,” as Parliament looks at long-term economic and industrial policy, it said.

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“I’ve never been to an outdoor show like this before,” said Sara Wilshaw on Wednesday afternoon, after touring the show site and speaking to equipment manufacturers. “This is amazing. Incredible. And the live demonstrations are so important, I think.”

Follow all of our Ag in Motion coverage at the Western Producer.

In her role Wilshaw is responsible for helping Canadian businesses secure and explore international markets, find new customers and partners and grow Canadian exports.

Wilshaw told the Western Producer that buyers she met at the event welcomed the opportunity to escape the meeting room, observe equipment in the field and touch and test it.

“The feedback I’ve gotten has been so positive,” she said.

Wilshaw said the current volatile trade environment means it’s more important than ever to take a systematic approach to growing trade and exports.

“This is why we need partnerships, and why you’re hearing folks talking about our trading partners,” she said.

She noted Canada currently has 15 trade agreements, covering 51 different countries and spanning the globe. She also noted that CUSMA remains in effect in North America and trade continues to flow between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. even in the face of tariff threats.

“It is still working, there’s a lot going in CUSMA-compliant to the United States,” she said. “It is still, and always, going to be an extremely important trading partner for us.”

When asked about Canada’s canola trade to China, she noted she’s not directly involved in it, but that the entire Canadian government is aware of the issue and working on it.

“The government, and ministers, are acutely aware of it, up to the Prime Minister,” she said.

For more stories on international trade from Ag In Motion, see future issues of Glacier FarmMedia publications.

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His answer was a definitive “yes.”

A couple of hours later, the White House announced that was not correct, and all existing tariffs on Canada and Mexico will remain unchanged and in place. But most of the exact details surrounding the so-called “pause” in the U.S. tariffs remained murky.

Heightened uncertainty

This latest pause and reduction follows on a string of similar proclamations from the White House over the past three months. It’s the kind of yes-no-maybe approach to international trade that is something seemingly more suited to an old Marx Brothers movie than the strategic actions of a competent administration.

While that temporary lowering of tariffs on some countries was welcomed by the stock market, which saw significant gains following the announcement, it only heightens the uncertainty surrounding international trade and business in the U.S.

As a result, ag equipment brands who have to ship high-value machines across borders have a lot to lose if a major shipment gets caught in the midst of a policy change.

AGCO to stop delivery to U.S.

So far, however, only one manufacturer, AGCO, has publicly stated its intention to pause equipment deliveries into the U.S. It manufactures some Fendt and Massey-Ferguson branded equipment in Germany and France, among other locations, for the North American market.

“The U.S. and reciprocal tariff landscape remains very fluid,” AGCO stated in a press release, “While we assess potential impacts, finished equipment from non-U.S. production facilities intended for the U.S. will be temporarily held at their current locations outside the U.S. The shipment of parts into or from the U.S. is not currently impacted by this action.”

The company said it is currently evaluating the best way to continue delivery of machines, particularly those made in Europe, to farmers globally.

While Canada has imposed retaliatory tariffs on several imports from the U.S., they are unlikely to cause any disruption to ag equipment imports from American manufacturing plants, at least not yet. The only ag-related machines on the current list of products subject to Canadian tariffs is mowers.

“AGCO continues to ship finished products from the U.S. to other countries where there are currently no applicable tariffs,” the company statement read. “We expect to provide an update on the potential financial impact of tariffs at our next earnings call in early May.”

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Farmers weren’t feeling it this past winter.

Canadian producers bought only 21 new combines in January. That’s down 83 per cent from January of 2024, when farmers purchased 123 self-propelled combines, says a sales report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

American sales data is similar. In January 2024, U.S. farmers bought 460 combines. This January, they only purchased 97.

In more hopeful news, Canadian sales of 4WD farm tractors climbed in January, going from 49 in January 2024 to 59 tractors this year.

Looking at the bigger picture, sales of farm tractors and combines have declined over the last year in North America. That trend may continue in 2025, the AEM said during a presentation at the Commodity Classic farm show March 3.

“AEM data show 2024 shipments of LHP and HHP (low and high HP) equipment have dropped year over year,” says an AEM summary of 2024.

Sales of low HP tractors have seen the steepest decline over the last couple of years. Shipments of higher horsepower tractors have also contracted, but not as much:

• As of December 2024, sales of LHP tractors were down 24 per cent year over year and 13 per cent below the five year average in the United States.
• For HHP, 2024 sales were similar to the five year average and 17 percent below year over year in the U.S.
• “That (high HP) market has been pretty stable over the last few years,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice-president of industry sectors.

“In 2023, we were trending above that line (the five year average)…. (But) in 2024, we were seeing that deceleration of that high HP tractor sales.”

The sales figures for combines followed a similar pattern.

Blades ended the AEM presentation with some key takeaway messages. Sluggish demand for ag equipment will likely persist in 2025 due to weaker grain prices, questions around biofuel policies and trade issues.

“In the ag market right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty,” he said.

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Beginning mid-year 2025, SDF will produce badge-engineered tractors with up to 85 horsepower for most of MF’s global markets.

“Agco and Massey Ferguson’s Farmer-First approach is centered on creating a consistently exceptional experience for our farmers,” MF senior vice-president and general manager Luis Felli said in a release.

“We are extremely proud to have a partner like SDF who shares our passion for serving the world’s farmers. This partnership will strengthen Massey Ferguson’s position in the low-mid horsepower tractor segment globally, allowing us to provide more farmers with straightforward, dependable and high-quality equipment to drive their productivity and maximize profit.”

The new tractor range will be offered with various powertrain options. Agco expects the refreshed Massey Ferguson portfolio to help boost market share in that horsepower segment.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement, which highlights the efficiency of SDF’s vertically integrated production system in all our facilities,” SDF’s chief commercial officer Alessandro Maritano said in the same release. “This confirms the value of our in-house expertise and know-how in designing and manufacturing proprietary core components, ensuring excellence and innovation worldwide.”

SDF was founded in 1927 and is based in Triviglio, Italy. It sells a line of combines, diesel engines, specialized ag equipment and tractors. Its offerings are marketed under several brand names, including Same, Deutz-Fahr, Lamborghini, Trattori, Hurlimann Gregoire and VitiBot.

Agco said the Massey Ferguson global distribution network will begin transitioning to the new models in mid-2025 with a phased approach across most global regions.

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“Farmers are looking for cost saving measures including delaying purchases and planning to further reduce equipment costs,” said FCC senior economist Leigh Anderson in a news release accompanying the report.

“As demand slows and prices adjust, there may be opportunities for producers who are looking to invest in new farm equipment.”

The year began with a surge in demand for machinery, particularly combines and four-wheel-drive (4WD) tractors, Anderson wrote. Slowing sales in the U.S. allowed manufacturers to send pre-orders to Canada earlier.

However, sales are forecast to decline for the remainder of the year and into the next. New equipment sales are expected to be soft as farmers face low commodity prices, high equipment prices and lower profits, though the decline in 2025 is expected to be less severe than in 2024. Sales of 4WD tractors are projected to stay above the five-year average, Anderson said.

Combine sales are expected to decline nearly seven per cent in 2025 compared to the five-year average. Tractors between 40 and 100 horsepower are expected to decline nearly 21 per cent, sales of those below 40 horsepower are expected to drop nearly 29 per cent, and those above 100 horsepower a bit more than six per cent, according to FCC calculations.

Early arrival of new equipment has led to more trade-ins. Used equipment sales are down about 20 per cent compared to the same time last year.

American farmers have also struggled with slumping farm income, which has led U.S. machinery manufacturers to cut production. Deere & Co said today it expected net sales to fall about 10 to 15 per cent across all machinery segments. CNH Industrial and AGCO have also trimmed profit expectations.

FCC predicts that as sales slow, machinery inventory will build up and prices will continue to adjust throughout next year. Lowering interest rates may also ease financial pressure and make it easier for farmers to buy equipment.

While crop prices are expected to remain low next year, cattle prices have been strong. This could encourage cattle producers to upgrade equipment, however many of those operations are still recovering from drought years and high feed costs.

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According to a recent news release from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, higher combine prices do not yet appear to have affected their sales in Canada. Increased market demand has driven higher sales each year since 2020. However, it noted, recent data suggests that combine sales, while strong on a year-to-date basis, tell a different story when measured year-over-year.

Good crop prices and record-high farm income may have previously buffered the effect of growing combine prices on buyer behaviour, the province said. That gravy train has since hit the brakes.

“Surprisingly, recent data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers show combine sales in Canada up 5.7 per cent year-to-date in July, while U.S. sales are down nearly 18 per cent year-to-date,” read the release.

“Sales in Canada for the month of July 2024, however, are nearly 28 per cent lower compared to July 2023. This may indicate tougher market conditions ahead.”

The release also noted the technology-rich nature of newer combines, which may be playing into consumer demand.

“The level of technology has increased dramatically and newer machines are equipped with GPS, computer sensors and a range of automatic features,” it noted.

Inflation, unsurprisingly, is also playing a major role. Although the price of a combine has increased in real terms, general inflation has also “contributed substantially” to increasing sticker prices, said the department.

The release also referenced the effect of the exchange rate between Canada and the U.S. As of Aug. 29, the Canadian dollar is worth 74 cents of a U.S. dollar, according to Google Finance.

“Many combines sold in Canada are manufactured in the U.S., and so the exchange rate has an effect on prices as well,” the release noted. “Combine prices seem to be more suppressed when the Canadian dollar is strong vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar, such as the period from 2010 to 2012, than when the Canadian dollar is weak.”

The post Combine market holding, for now appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Typically though, its a technology more commonly applied on the dairy farm. Now though, that interest is spreading more onto beef farms and feedlots, and Ag in Motion attendees got a chance to compare and contrast models that they might want to add to their own equipment fleets.

Four companies, Penta Equipment, Jaylor, Highline and Trioliet, demonstrated their TMR mixers at the outdoor farm show. Event attendees watched as forage, silage and grains were dumped into each unit, processed and then sent out the conveyor in the form of feedable TMR. Attendees were then able to get a closer look at each result.

Glenn Buurma, president of Penta, said TMR mixers are a versatile product.

“Vertical feed mixers, if they’re set up correctly, every mouthful is the same,” he said. “And there’s really nothing that a vertical feed mixer will say no to.”

“We can go from the toughest hay to the nicest hay, we can go from big round bales … to big squares that are all falling apart,” Buurma added. “We can take a not-so-great bale and add it with a nicer bale and get a great ration. We can take corn stalks and add some wet feed … and have an awesome ration.”

Buurma has seen significant interest from the beef sector. In fact, he said, their list of beef customers is increasing more than their dairy buyers.

“There’s nothing that’s going to have a quicker payback for a beef farmer than a feed mixer,” he said.

The post Total mixed ration mixers go head to head at AIM appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The piece of equipment’s first production model was released in December 2022 and the first pieces for purchase rolled off the line in February 2023.

It was received with such intrigue that even though Schulte didn’t have one at Ag in Motion or on their Saskatchewan lot in 2023, an out-of-province farmer who’d seen it online approached them at AIM 2023 and asked for the first one they got, said Mike Siroski, Schulte’s Saskatchewan and United States territory manager.

Siroski added that the man didn’t care that it wouldn’t come off the production line until October.

The equipment made in February 2023 was sent to the eastern and midwestern United States. The market is hot there, explained Siroski, as their previous competitor in that area discontinued their product. In Canada, the most interest comes from Alberta and Manitoba.

“It puts two processes into one, eliminating labor,” Siroski said. “It’ll bring in rocks from a width of 19.19 feet wide with this hydraulically-driven wind rower. And then it’s connected directly to the rock picker. It’s got a rock picker built into it with a three and a half cubic yard bucket. So, you’re doing virtually two things at once: you’re preparing the ground by bringing the rocks in, and you’re picking them so you can haul them off.”

There doesn’t need to be two people driving two different units and using twice the fuel. Even though the equipment costs nearly $160,000, it could prove less expensive in the long run. Siroski explained efficiency comes not only from the incorporation of the two individual pieces, but from size. Their largest windrower is only 14 feet wide, making this 19-foot combination a quicker option.

The windrower also cleans off the dirt and levels the ground while pushing the rocks into a 1.5 foot row to be picked up.

The windrower rock picker needs a tractor of at least 150-horsepower, but it’s easy to transport. The windrower sides fold up, making the machine only 10 feet wide. The height to the top of the rock bucket is just over nine feet high, which makes for easy storage.

It has two hydraulic systems, one that attaches to the tractor and the other that the attaches to the PTO to run the windrower. Siroski added that the PTO system is a closed system, with its own filtration system and hydraulic cooling.

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