New tractor and combine sales stayed weak through September, extending a slide that dealers and manufacturers have watched build for more than a year. The figures, reported by 980 CJME, mark another month in which the farm equipment market failed to find a floor.

No reversal, then. Just more of the same, which is itself the story: September is a hinge month for equipment demand, sitting between late-season harvesting decisions and the winter ordering window for next year's machinery. Weakness here doesn't stay contained in September.

What does this change for farmers?

If you were waiting for proof of a demand recovery before committing to a machinery purchase, this isn't it. Continued soft sales typically work in buyers' favour on the dealer lot — slower turnover means more negotiating room on both new and used inventory, and dealers with aging stock tend to get creative on financing terms.

The flip side is the trade-in. A weak new-market almost always drags used values down with it, because dealers price the second-hand line against what they can't shift new. Anyone rolling a combine or high-horsepower tractor into a deal this autumn should expect a harder conversation on valuation than they'd have had two seasons ago.

Why the sales slide keeps running

Equipment cycles turn on farm income, credit conditions and the age of the fleet already sitting in sheds. When commodity margins are tight, machinery is the deferrable line item — a tractor that's paid for and running is cheaper than one that isn't. Deferred replacement builds for a while, then releases in a burst when incomes recover.

The September numbers say the release hasn't started. Until it does, manufacturers keep production disciplined, dealers carry inventory longer, and the aftermarket — parts, service, rebuilds — picks up the work that new iron would otherwise absorb.

What to watch next

The next batch of monthly sales data will show whether the autumn harvest period nudges demand at all, and early-winter order books will be the truer test of how dealers expect 2025 to open. Watch discounting language in dealer advertising, too — widening incentives are usually the first visible sign that the sales trough is deepening rather than bottoming out. For now, the market has voted with its wallet. Again.

By Priya Raman