In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we are closing out the year by dedicating the episode to a preview of the 2026 Dealer Business Outlook & Trends Report. In addition to looking at dealers’ outlook for new and used equipment, we also look at what they expect from the aftermarket business. Each year dealers are asked to provide their unit sales projections for a number of product categories, which is used to determine dealers’ best bets for improving sales in the year ahead. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman pays a visit to longtime Precision Planting dealer Precision Agri Services (2026 PFD MVD) in Minster, Ohio, and discovers 2 keys to their success.
.png){kind=logo}
This episode of On the Record is brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors — the leading association in North America for the equipment distribution industry. Don’t miss the 2026 AED Summit – January 19–21 in Dallas, TX!
This is the premier event built exclusively for the equipment distribution industry. For three action-packed days, thousands of industry leaders come together to connect, collaborate, and unlock new opportunities. Discover hundreds of manufacturers actively seeking distribution and service partners across every area of dealership operations—from financing and software to insurance and beyond. It’s the only event designed by and for equipment dealers that has over 40 education sessions, 4 thought leadership keynote speakers, and over 200 exhibitors to meet with to shape the future of your business — and it’s your chance to be at the center of it all.
Learn more and register today at www.aedsummit.com. Interested in discounted registration options? Contact jcruthers@aednet.org to discover how you can get reduced registration rates to attend this event.
TRANSCRIPT
Jump to a section or scroll for the full episode...
- 2026 Wholegoods Outlook
- Dealers on the Move
- Service & Education Key to Most Valuable Precision Dealer’s Success
- Tracking Crop Prices
- 2026 Aftermarket Outlook Remains Strong
- Best Bets for Increasing Sales
2026 Wholegoods Outlook
The majority of dealers are forecasting 2026 new equipment revenue to be down to flat. However, the percentage calling for flat sales in 2026 grew compared to 2025 — 38% vs. 23.5% — which also translates to an improvement in the percentage expecting sales to improve in the year ahead.
Nearly 18% of dealers are expecting 2026 new equipment revenue to be up at least 2% vs. 12.4% forecasting the same level of growth for 2025. The percentage of dealers forecasting revenues to be down 8% or more dropped to 15.2% vs. 28.4% in 2025. The percentage of dealers calling for new equipment revenues to be down 2-7% dropped by nearly 7 percentage points to 29.1%.
Dealers’ outlook for used equipment revenues is similar to their outlook for new equipment, but with a higher percentage — 24.1% — calling for an increase of at least 2% or for sales to be flat at 43% vs. 2025. Nearly a third of dealers, however, are forecasting their used equipment revenues to be down vs. 2024.
Dealers on the Move
This week’s Dealer on the Move is Premier Equipment in North Carolina. The New Holland dealer acquired Winston Tractor Co. based in Winston-Salem, N.C. The dealership group now has 5 locations.
Service & Education Key to Most Valuable Precision Dealer’s Success
I recently paid a visit to Precision Agri Services in Minster, Ohio, Precision Farming Dealer’s Most Valuable Dealership award recipient for 2026. The longtime Precision Planting dealer had a big year — adding Horsch equipment and new PTx Trimble tech to their arsenal. They’ve been going strong since 1994. Owner Bill Lehmkuhl says service and education are two big keys to their success.
“We do in-house training in the winter time, monitor training before spring starts and we host field days where it is hands on, boots out in the field. Customers will be out there digging, pulling plants, counting growth stages, learning about the ins and outs of proper and improper planting settings and different things to do with agronomy. Education is our main focus. By doing it hands on, they can take that back home and put it to work in their own operation.”
Bill will share more of the Precision Agri Services playbook during a presentation at the upcoming Precision Farming Dealer Summit, Jan. 5 in St. Louis. Register at PrecisionSummit.com. And we’ll have the full story on Precision Agri Services soon on PrecisionFarmingDealer.com.
Tracking Crop Prices
As of December 22, corn prices were $4.47, up 3 cents from our last episode. Soybeans closed at $10.53, down 38 cents. And wheat closed at $5.15, down 14 cents.
2026 Aftermarket Outlook Remains Strong
Looking at the aftermarket business, a year ago nearly half of dealers were forecasting parts revenue to increase over 2024 with another 43.2% of dealers calling for flat sales. In the latest survey, the percentage of dealers reporting an increase over 2024 fell to 45% and the dealers who are reporting flat revenues dropped to 32.5%.
For 2026, dealers are once again largely anticipating their aftermarket business to stay steady.
More than half of dealers are forecasting their service revenues to be up over 2025. 53.2% are expecting revenues to be up 2-7%, while another 8.9% anticipate service revenue being up 8% or more over 2025. No dealers are forecasting service revenue to be down 8% or more, and 7.6% expect revenues to be down 2-7%.
On the parts side of the business, the outlook is similar. Over half of dealers are forecasting parts revenue to be up vs. 2025. Of that, 51.9% expect an increase of 2-7% while 7.6% are calling for revenues to be 8% or more. Only 7.6% of dealers are expecting parts revenue to be down over 2025.
Best Bets for Increasing Sales
Each year dealers are asked to provide their unit sales projections for a number of product categories. Those projections are used to determine dealers’ best bets for improving sales in the year ahead. For the third year in a row, precision farming equipment & technology topped dealers’ list of best bets for improving unit sales, with 88.24% of dealers forecasting sales to be as good or better than 2025.
With grain prices continuing to remain low, dairy provides a bit of optimism for equipment sales for dealers and manufacturers alike. The “best bets” list confirms that livestock and dairy customers will provide opportunities for dealers in 2026, much like this year. Coming in at No. 2 is feeders/mixers (87.5%) and at No. 3 forage harvesters (86.2%). Both were in the top 5 last year, but it should be noted that for each product, over 70% of dealers are anticipating sales will be flat.
Rounding out the top 5 is lawn & garden equipment at 86.1%, which jumped from No. 7 in 2025 to No. 4, and farm loaders at 85.7%, which jumped from No. 11 last year to No. 5. Utility and compact tractors both made it into the top 10 at No. 7 and No. 9, respectively.
Coming in the bottom of the list were 2WD tractors over 100 horsepower, 4WD tractors and combines. Pull-type sprayers fell from No. 8 on the list in 2025 to No. 12, while self-propelled sprayers jumped 1 spot from No. 14 in 2025 to No. 13 in 2026.
The full 2026 Dealer Business Outlook & Trends report, which includes breakdowns by country, mainline and employee size is now available to subscribers and is also available for purchase on AgEquipmentIntelligence.com.
That’s it for On the Record in 2025! Thanks for joining us. Happy holidays all the best in the new year from all of us at Ag Equipment Intelligence!
On the Record is now available as a podcast! We encourage you to subscribe in iTunes, the Google Play Store, Soundcloud, Stitcher Radio and TuneIn Radio. Or if you have another app you use for listening to podcasts, let us know and we’ll make an effort to get it listed there as well.
We’re interested in getting your feedback. Please feel free to send along any suggestions or story ideas. You can send comments to kschmidt@lessitermedia.com.
