The number of farm tractors sold in Canada in 2016 was down 8.6 per cent from 2015, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
The association said 22,143 farm tractors were sold last year, down from 24,220 the year before. Combine sales were down 8 per cent, with 1,791 units sold last year compared to 1,946 in 2015.
The 2016 numbers are below the five-year average for new machinery sales. Industry observers say the decline was because prices increased thanks to a strong U.S. dollar and a weaker Canadian loonie. Other factors included low crop prices.
Farm Credit Canada released a report in late 2015 that said overall, new farm equipment sales increased 82 per cent from 1999 to 2014, reaching a high in 2013-14. The FCC predicted last summer that tractor sales would increase in 2017.
Meanwhile, U.S. tractor sales were up 2.9 per cent last year. According to AEM, 211,245 tractors were sold in 2016 and 205,223 were sold in 2015. However, combine sales were down from 5,376 in 2015 to 3,972 in 2016, a 26.1 per cent decline.
