Ag machinery industry healthy despite COVID-19 pandemic

The Australian economy may be suffering under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there’s one industry well placed to thrive.

Up close: Crop Gear takes a close look at the Case IH AFS Connect Magnum.

WHILE the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the planet, the ag machinery industry in Australia has benefited.

Who would have thought at the time of publishing our May issue of Crop Gear that machinery sales for June would be the highest in 40 years?

Of course there were external influences, such as the Government’s increase of the instant asset write-off to $150,000 and strong autumn rain, which saw a rush to buy equipment and empty dealers’ yards.

In this issue we take a look at how the industry is coping with demand for spare parts and supplies with disruption to freight and manufacturing worldwide.

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This bodes well for operators who will need spares, and fast, as harvest season looms.

The August edition of Crop Gear can be read online.

Case IH and Fendt have new machines slotted to hit paddocks here in September, with both offering technology designed to reduce downtime and increase yields.

Case IH’s AFS Connect Magnum allows operators and farm managers to monitor the machine and gives remote access to technicians who can diagnose issues, and even fix them, before sending replacement parts out.

The Fendt Momentum is marketed as the world’s first truly global planter, with parent company Agco tapping into its wealth of expertise to create a seeder for broadacre farmers worldwide.

We take a look at both machines in this issue.

The importance of the ag industry has never been more prominent as farmers work to feed a world restricted by a virus without a vaccine.