In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we take a look at the FTC and USDA’s announcement that they are seeking public comment on farm equipment manufacturing and distribution practices. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman examines Greeneye Technology’s recently announced expansion. Also in this episode, a look at how the stripper header market is expanding and Art’s Way reports growth in its ag segment during the third quarter.

      Associated Equipment Distributors

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.  

Ready to connect with industry leaders, discover new opportunities and prepare your dealership for what’s ahead? Join the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) January 25–27 at the 2027 AED Summit at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando. The Summit brings equipment dealers, manufacturers, and industry partners together for three days of networking, education, business insights and relationship-building. Attendees can explore the latest products and services in CONDEX, connect one-on-one with manufacturers and peers, and gain valuable perspectives on the issues impacting equipment distribution. Don’t miss the opportunity to grow your business network, gain new ideas and help shape the future of the industry. Make plans to join AED in Orlando for the 2027 AED Summit! Learn more and register at www.aedsummit.com.


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FTC & USDA Seek Public Comment on Ag Equipment Manufacturing & Distribution Market Practices

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a joint public inquiry on Oct. 7, 2026, regarding issues affecting ag equipment manufacturing and distribution markets, including potential anticompetitive conduct.

The joint request for information is a part of what the FTC says is ongoing work to preserve competition in the agricultural sector. This work includes the commission’s recent settlement, joined by 12 states, enjoining Corteva Inc.'s alleged anticompetitive conduct in pesticides markets. It also includes the FTC’s settlement, joined by 5 states, of an antitrust action challenging repair restrictions imposed by farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Company.

According to the FTC news release, the joint RFI seeks to address the growing number of complaints received by USDA that farmers across the country face other barriers to acquiring ag equipment and the services required to keep equipment operating. 

The request for comments specifically asks for responses to questions that relate to “Dealer Network Structure, Consolidation and Conduct.” A number of those questions are related to sales territories. 

As of Oct. 14, only 5 comments had been submitted, 3 of which are anonymous and 1 from someone who identifies themself as a dealer. 

The dealer said they have 3 stores in the Midwest, and sell 74% of their parts to customers directly over the country for them to do their own repair work. Just 26% of customer parts sales are installed in the dealership’s service department by its technicians. They also noted that they stock $6.5 million in parts for their customers, which equates to over $450,000 in interest for carrying costs each year. 

Comments can be submitted at Regulations.gov and must be received by Dec. 7, by 11:59 p.m. The information will be used by the FTC and USDA to inform enforcement and regulatory priorities and future actions.  

Dealers on the Move

This week’s Dealer on the Move is Brothers Machinery Co. 

Timberline Holdings has acquired Gulf Coast Bobcat from Lyle Machinery. The transaction establishes Brothers Machinery, a Bobcat dealer serving the Gulf Coast with 7 locations across Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. 

Greeneye Technology GM Discusses Big Move to Salina, Kansas 

Greeneye Technology has picked Salina, Kan., as the spot for its North American headquarters. It’s a big move after a big year for the AI-powered targeted spraying tech company. 

In 2026, Greeneye-equipped machines sprayed more than 500,000 acres across 12 states. Greeneye also recently expanded its dealer network across the Upper Midwest and is looking to add more dealers in the coming months. We caught up with Keith Crow, Greeneye general manager for North America, to talk about how the move to Salina will increase their capacity to serve a growing customer base in the U.S.

“For phase one, we’re really focused on operations — increasing our operational capacity prior to the spring of 2027. That’s both installation work and also inventory management. One of the nice things about Salina, you can get to 80% of the U.S. within 2 days from an inventory perspective. The ability to get service parts out quickly to our field technicians, to our dealer partners as well as growers directly, that’s certainly a meaningful impact for us. The other piece of phase one is going to be engineering. We’ve started to work with local farmers in the area to get access to land where we can do testing, and we’ll begin to hire engineering resources in Salina, but also our intention is to consolidate our engineering resources in the U.S. to Salina to build out our testing protocols and also speed up our iterations for future development.”

Crow says the company also selected Salina for its proximity to university talent.  

Commodity Ticker

As of  October 13, corn prices were $4.82, down 40 cents from our last episode. Soybeans closed at $12.83, down 14 cents. Wheat closed at $6.69, down 22 cents and Class III milk prices closed at $16.53, up $1.63.

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Stripper Header Markets Continues to Expand 

For decades, if farmers wanted to use a stripper header instead of a conventional header on their combine, they bought one from Shelbourne Reynolds. In recent years, new manufacturers including K-Hart Industries and Applequist Manufacturing have entered the market giving farmers more options to choose from.

“Originally, stripper headers were purchased to be used as either disaster recovery tools or to increase combine capacity,” said Daniel Morris, general manager of Shelbourne Reynolds. “Stripper headers have consistently been able to harvest crops damaged by rain, wind, or hail better than conventional headers. By running mostly grain through the combine and not much other material, combine ground speeds can be increased and sometimes two combines with conventional headers could be turned into one combine with a stripper header.”

Interest in stripper headers is on the rise, according to the manufacturers AEI spoke with in part, because of the agronomic problems they help farmers manage or solve. In addition, the specialized headers allow farmers to harvest at faster speeds and under reduced engine load, saving fuel and reducing wear and tear on their combine, while extending their harvest windows so more get harvested per day.

Adam Reid, vice president of sales, marketing & product support at K-Hart Industries, says more farmers are looking at ways to conserve moisture and manage residues, particularly in dry areas.

“Standing stubble helps catch snow and provides some protection from wind for seed emergence in the spring. There are also practical benefits at harvest; farmers can often travel faster because less material is going through the combine, reducing fuel and saving time. The combination of those agronomic and harvest benefits is why more farmers are taking a closer look at stripper headers now.”

Stripper headers tend to be in demand in dryland areas with a heavy rotation of cereals, said Reid, particularly where moisture preservation is a priority, that includes the Prairie provinces in Canada and the Great Plains in the U.S. 

You can find extended coverage on the stripper header market in the October issue of Ag Equipment Intelligence. 

Art’s Way Reports Ag Sales Growth in 3Q 

Art’s-Way Manufacturing announced its financial results for the 3Q and first nine months of fiscal 2026, noting it’s seeing continued strong demand for livestock equipment, and its ag equipment sales have remained above 2025 levels.

Overall Art’s Way said the ag sector outlook remains bleak due to row-crop prices and rising input costs. Despite this, company sales increased compared to fiscal 2025 as heightened dealer inventories from previous years returned to normal stocking levels. In fiscal 2026, Art’s Way has seen increased demand for grinder mixers, manure spreaders, and bale processors from fiscal 2025, attributed mostly to strong livestock prices.

Art’s Way Reports Ag Sales Growth in 3Q Chart.jpg

Ag sales increased $82,000, or 2.7% for the three months and rose $1.24 million, or 12.4% for the nine months ended August 31, 2026, compared to the same periods in 2025. Gross profit in this segment as a percentage of sales increased 4.0% to 28.4% for the nine months ended August 31, 2026, as compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2025. 

The company received an employee retention credit refund during the nine months ending August 31, 2025 that positively impacted net income by $976,000 in this segment.

Marc McConnell, the Company’s President, CEO, and Chairman said the “significant” number of projects in the company’s pipeline are the largest backlog in Art’s Way history, suggesting “strong performance going forward.”

DataPoint: Farm Sector Debt to Reach Record High in 2026

This week’s DataPoint is brought to you by the Precision Farming Dealer Summit, coming to Indianapolis January 11-12. The full event program is now available. To learn more and register, visit PrecisionSummit.com.

DataPoint Farm Sector Debt to Reach Record High in 2026.jpg

U.S. farm sector debt is expected to reach a record high, $605.1 billion in 2026, according to the latest USDA forecast, a 4.5% nominal increase from 2025 and a 1.5% increase when adjusted for inflation.

According to the USDA Farm Income team, farm real estate debt is expected to reach $399 billion in 2026, a 4.6% increase in nominal dollars, or 1.6% in inflation-adjusted dollars. 

Farm non-real estate debt is expected to reach $206.1 billion in 2026, a 4.4% increase in nominal terms or a 1.4%  increase in inflation-adjusted dollars.

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