In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we have details on Case IH dealer Ritchie Implement adding the AGCO line to its offering, and what the additional will mean for their business. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman highlights Ag Leaders’s new AgFiniti platform live maps. Also in this episode, Linimar reports marketshare gains for its ag products, including MacDon, Bourgault and Salford and highlights from the 2026 Strip-Till Farmer benchmark study.
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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.
Get ready for a powerful start to the year with AED’s packed lineup of Q1 and Q2 events designed to connect, educate, and energize industry professionals. From high-impact conferences and hands-on training sessions to exclusive member gatherings and strategic leadership programs, AED is bringing together top experts and forward-thinking dealers to share insights that drive growth. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your team’s skills, stay ahead of emerging trends, or expand your network, our first-half-of-the-year events deliver unmatched opportunities to elevate your business and strengthen your competitive edge. Visit www.aednet.org/ for more information.
TRANSCRIPT
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- Wisconsin Dealer Ritchie Implement Takes on AGCO Line
- Commodity Ticker
- New Ag Leader Tool Allows You to Monitor the Planter from Anywhere
- Linamar Exec Reports Dealer Reluctance to Stock Wholegoods
- Strip-Till Market Continues to Expand
- DataPoint: Percentage of Farms Using Precision Ag
Wisconsin Dealer Ritchie Implement Takes on AGCO Line
Ritchie Implement, a 4-store dealer in Wisconsin, has signed on as a full-line AGCO dealer at its Barneveld, Wis., store.
AGCO's addition of Ritchie Implement as a dealer fills a void in southern Wisconsin, left by Ziegler exiting the ag market in the area and Scott Implement, a Massey Ferguson and New Holland dealer closing due to retirement in February.
Ritchie Implement will continue on as a Case IH dealership.
Tony Ritchie says they are firm believers in CNH and the Case IH line, but this move was something they needed to do both for the customers and to take their business to the next level and continue to grow.
The Lancaster location will operate as part of AGCO's FarmerCore strategy, utilizing a hub-and-spoke model that combines streamlined locations with expanded on-farm support.
Ritchie Implement also plans to deploy dedicated service trucks to provide on-farm maintenance and repair across its territory, further improving uptime and convenience for local farmers.
“The ag industry is changing,” president Ron Ritchie says.”You no longer need a dealer every 30 miles.”
He says this move could be industry changing.
He says, quote, “Look at car dealerships. One owner sells all the brands. I’ve been in this for over 50 years and I’ve watched what can happen. Before we carried Case IH, we started as an Allis-Chalmers dealer. As a family-owned business, we need to protect ourselves, and we want to protect the farmers around here, too.”
The Ritchies said the addition of AGCO should help bolster their business for all the brands carried, including Case IH and Claas.
Tony Ritchie said the move is positive not only for AGCO but for CNH and the dealership to be able to get on more farms. He expects it should help the dealership sell more CNH products, as well. That was the case when Ritchie took on Claas.
Ron Ritchie added, when the dealership took on Claas, the dealership grew its Case business and the Claas business to be industry leaders in both in our area.
Commodity Ticker
As of March 16, corn prices were $4.54, up 27 cents from our last episode. Soybeans closed at $11.55, up 16 cents. Wheat closed at $6.97, up $1.30 nd Class III milk prices closed at $16.80, up 43 cents.
New Ag Leader Tool Allows You to Monitor the Planter from Anywhere
There was plenty of new technology on display at Commodity Classic a couple weeks ago in San Antonio, Texas. We stopped by Ag Leader’s booth to check out the company’s new AgFiniti cloud platform, which allows dealers and farmers to access live maps for faster, more responsive service. Luke James, Ag Leader Dealer Success Manager, shows us how it works.
“We’re introducing live maps on any device. This is a planting operation, which we’re showing here. You’re able to see that live map from that planting display on this iPad device here or mobile device. From a farm manage standpoint, if you’re the operator but you’re not in the cab, and you want to check in and see how progress is going in that operation, through live maps you can pull out your phone and see exactly what’s happening in that planter. You can see row by row detail on what’s happening across the planter. It gives you the insight and confidence that everything is working as it should. I don’t have to call them; I can see it right on my phone. It allows me if there is an issue, I can address it and move from there.”
Go to AgLeader.com for more information about AgFiniti.
Linamar Exec Reports Dealer Reluctance to Stock Wholegoods
Linamar President & CEO Jim Jarrell said during the company’s Q4 earnings call that they’ve seen a reluctance from dealers to stock wholegoods as they are “still remaining cautious about their inventory levels given farmer buying intentions.
“This is impacted by the large federal stimulus package, which was expected in 2025 that did not materialize. It was announced very late in '25, but will only begin to flow now in early spring of '26.”
He added that the benefits of the stimulus package are only expected to help the working capital and operating lines required to support spring crop inputs.
According to Jarrell, while dealer inventories and credit lines have receded, they are still elevated.
Linamar is the parent company of MacDon, Salford and Bourgault, and all three brands tracked largely in line with the North American market in 2025, Jarrell said.
While the ag division was down 27%, the company reported marketshare improvements in key segments including combine drapers in the U.S. and Europe, tillage marketshare in the U.S. and air seeder marketshare in the U.S.
Jarrell said, “With a view to the coming year in the ag cycle overall, some peers have stated that '25 was a trough, while others are saying later '26 before the industry turns positive again in '27. We will continue to monitor global trade tensions, government bridge payments and channel inventories to react to those market signals. As always, our focus at Linamar Agriculture will be on maintaining market-leading positions, solutions that drive technology, productivity improvements and global growth.”
CFO Dale Schneider noted that agriculture equipment markets are expected to remain down year-over-year in 2026, with global volumes down mid-single digits. North America, however, is expected to experience a more pronounced double-digit decline, he said.
That said, Schneider said the rate of decline is moderating, and Linamar expects stabilization in the second half vs. 2025.
Strip-Till Market Continues to Expand
The strip-till equipment arena continues to grow; 24 brands were identified in Strip-Till Farmer’s 13th annual Strip-Till Operational Benchmark Study.
Kuhn Krause once again took the top spot as the most popular strip-till brand for the 9th year in a row with just under 34% of survey respondents using its Gladiator in 2025. Dawn Equipment, (11.8%), Environmental Tillage Systems (10.3%), Case IH/DMI (10.3%), Orthman (7.4%), Yetter (4.4%), Vulcan (4.4%) and Unverferth/Blu-Jet (4.4%) rounded out the top 8.
There will be even more brands to choose from in next year’s survey after companies like Landoll released new toolbars in 2026. The Marysville, Kan.-based company was one of several manufacturers showcasing new strip-till offerings at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky. Other companies displaying equipment at the show included Harvest International, Kuhn Krause, LandLuvr, Lynx, Unverferth, Vulcan, Yetter and Zimmerman.
At 2026 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas, Case IH unveiled its Nutri-Tiller 1000 strip-till unit and Environmental Tillage Systems debuted its new dry/liquid fertilizer system.
Sixteen-row toolbars supplanted 12-row toolbars as the size of choice in 2025, as 38% used 16-row bars compared to the 33% who used them in 2024. About 35% use 12-row toolbars, down 2 percentage points from 2024. Almost 17% use 12-row bars toolbars, 5.6% 6-rows and 4.2% go big with 24 rows.
DataPoint: Percentage of Farms Using Precision Ag
This week’s DataPoint is brought to you by the 2026 Dealership Minds Summit. Coming to Springfield, Illinois, Aug 4-5 with a theme of Maximizing Operational ROI, visit DealershipMindsSummit.com to learn more and to register.
U.S. Agronomy Manager for FarmersEdge Sarah Oyloe says precision isn’t the future of agriculture, it’s the present. This map shows the percentage of farmers using precision ag practices to manage crops or livestock. Nearly every state in the continental U.S. has farmers who have adopted precision tech. The Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois lead the way with 50% or more of farmers use precision technology.
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