Sales of agricultural tractors and combines in March dipped, compared to the same month last year, as farmers and equipment companies grapple with the impacts of an inconsistent supply chain.
According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, sales of agricultural tractors and combines fell over 21% and 10%, respectively, from last March to the same month this year.
This is the first time sales have declined in eight months, the group said.
"This is a sales report we expected," Curt Blades, the senior vice president of industry sectors and product leadership at AEM, said in a release. "Inventory levels are down more than 10 percent in the U.S. and Canada, and this is the result of supply chain difficulties catching up with this segment of the manufacturing industry."
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Manufacturers sold 24,516 two-wheel-drive farm tractors and 199 four-wheel-drive farm tractors in March. They also sold 343 self-propelled combines.
This year's overall sales have also declined from the same period last year. Customers bought 58,342 farm tractors between January and March, a 7.9% decline from last year. During that period, they purchased 748 combines, a 19.2% decline from the year prior.
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