As dealers turn their attention to the new year, 2019 looks to be a relatively strong one for precision sales. According to Ag Equipment Intelligence’s 2019 Dealer Business Outlook & Trends report, some 40% of North American dealers cited precision farming products as their best bet for improving unit sales this year.
About 38% of U.S. dealers forecast unit sales growth of at least 2% this year. Canadian dealers are more optimistic, with more than 52% projecting growth of at least 2% in 2019.
Breaking down precision sales forecasts by OEM, John Deere dealers are the most optimistic, with nearly two-thirds projecting unit sales growth of at least 2%. About one-third of Deere dealers expect little or no change in precision sales, and none forecast a decline of at least 2%.
Other noteworthy results of the report included half of AGCO dealers forecasting at least 2% unit sales growth in precision products in 2019 However, more than 21% project a sales decline of at least 2% this year, the highest total among OEM dealers.
Some 46% of Kubota dealers project unit sales growth of at least 2%, and none forecast a decline of at least 2% in 2019. Case IH dealers were the least optimistic this year, with just over one-quarter projecting precision sales growth of at least 2%.
