The loyalty that farmers hold for their preferred brand of ag equipment took a sharp turn downward in 2020. Is this a reflection of how they feel today about the equipment itself or are their changing attitudes based on the general malaise in the ag industry?

Former International Harvester (IH) executive/dealer Paul Wallem & Case IH North America vice president Scott Harris reflected on the IH and Case merger of 33 years ago and contrasted today’s ag cycle with the early 1980s during a sit-down at the Case IH Experience Center in Racine, Wis. The last time Wallem was in Racine 33 years ago, the ag economy was still reeling after a confluence of stacked-up woes precipitated by President Jimmy Carter’s Russian grain embargo, 22% interest rates, a 6-month IH labor strike and factory-pumping equipment inventories that took dealers 4 years to unload.