(NewsDakota.com/AEM) – Combine harvesters in the U.S. and Canada continue to grow while total tractor unit sales declined below the 5-year average, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

Total U.S. ag tractor unit sales decreased in April 2023, down 16 percent year-over-year, with unit sales increasing in the 4WD farm tractor segment (up 54.1 percent) and in the +100hp tractor sales segment (up 5 percent). U.S. self-propelled combine sales grew 23.1 percent for the month, leading to the year-to-date gain of 71.9 percent. Sales decreased in both the sub-40hp segment (down 20.1 percent) and the 40-100hp segment (down 13.7 percent) for the month of April.

In Canada, combine harvesters continue to increase, up 50.9 percent for the month, and 132.5 percent year-to-date. Total unit sales in tractors finished the month down 25.5 percent due to continued losses in all tractor segments, the sub-40 hp (down 34.4%), the 40-100hp segments (down 5.2 percent), and the 100+hp segment (down 24.9 percent). Sales of 4WD farm tractors increased 36.6 percent, with a year-to-date gain of 52 percent.

“In April we saw an increase in sales of the 100+hp farm tractors, but a decline in both the smaller tractor units, which is likely due to sub-compact market decline, which represents a large volume of units and had record sales in 2020 through 2022,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president, industry sectors and product leadership at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “And because commodity markets for agriculture products remain strong, we continue to see increases in sales of the larger, more expensive segments of 4WD tractors and self-propelled harvesters.”