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Waikato farmers led the way in tractor buying in New Zealand during 2014, and tractor sales approached record highs.
A total of 4061 tractors were bought January-December, including 3419 at least 40hp, the most common measure for farm tractors. In 2013 sales of 40hp and bigger were 3065.
Ian Massicks, president of the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) which gathers sales data, says record dairy payouts last year and good growing conditions got farmers spending.
“The July-September sales figures were the highest in a decade,” says Massicks. “They then continued steadily for the remainder of the year though stopping short of the 2005 record when 3515 tractors of at least 40hp were purchased.
“2014 was a healthy year for tractor sales and we expect 2015 to be a good year too, though with some reduction due to forecast lower dairy payouts.”
Of the 684 tractors bought in Waikato, 614 were over 40hp, followed by Southland with 418 over 40hp from a total of 430. Otago farmers bought the next-highest number – 249 40hp-plus from 291 sales.
This January’s purchases nationwide were 210 – at least 161 of them 4hp or bigger. Waikato again led the way with 25 purchases: 23 of them were at least 40hp, followed by Southland with 20, 19 of them 40hp or over.
Massicks says farmers prefer to buy from New Zealand machinery dealers rather than risk buying online from overseas suppliers.
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