Why Used Specialty Machinery Is Trending Right Now

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:56:35 GMT

Right now is the time to sell used hay equipment and versatile loader tractors at auction. That’s because farmer interest in both of those machine segments has likely hit its ceiling for the year, according to a recent episode of the “Moving Iron” podcast.

Another trend in the market is spiking farmer demand for economically priced machines.

“You’re looking at that $50,000 to $150,000 [range], that’s like the peak thing right now,” says Casey Seymour, host of the podcast. ”And you know, if you look at the cattle side of the business, there’s a lot of cash out there right now and a lot of things moving.”

With fall auction season right around the corner, Machinery Pete thinks dealers should monitor the volume of units that flow into the auction world, because he thinks the used market can go either way at this point.

“I wonder if there’s going to be some dealers that wish they would have sold at the end of the first quarter, or early second quarter,” Pete says. “We’ll see how the market holds up for the rest of the summer here.”

Seymour expects we’ll see a lot of auctions booked for November and December, and Pete agrees.

“Q4 has been an optimal time since 2003 or 2004 basically, with the Bush tax cuts that happened so long ago,” Pete says. “Last year was only the second year I saw a dip in the fourth quarter, and the only reason it dipped was sheer volume. That’s why I still think it pays to steer clear of when everybody else is selling.”

And all of you classic tractor fans out there will just love this fun little story that Machinery Pete shared on Facebook:

The rest of the episode

Rich Posson, business cycles analyst, Critical Point, joins the podcast to talk about implications of a recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report and Federal Reserve meeting.

“The CPI came out at 2.7% this morning annualized, and that was shocking to Wall Street. First they bought and then sold, and now they’re back buying today under the idea that it’s lower than what we thought – therefore lower interest rates are coming,” he says. “But that 2.7% was actually unchanged (from last month). Years ago I learned from watching USDA data that when the government gives you an unchanged number, it basically means they don’t know what to do next.”

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist, 21^st Century Equipment, also joins this week to talk about how unique, specialty used farm equipment, like sugar beet harvesters, dry bean Pickett headers and hay steamers, are all “right on the cusp” of taking off on the High Plains.

“My biggest thing with keeping machinery moving is ‘Lot Rot’. On the sugar beet equipment, that’s the beauty – it’s nonexistent,” Fintel says. “In that specialty equipment (market) it’s pretty much ‘We’re upgrading to get bigger.’ or ‘We’re upgrading because we have to.’ That’s a world where a bigger percentage of your trade-ins are past their (useful) life.”

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode. Hit the “Thumbs Up” button to “Like” the video and click on the “Subscribe” button to get a notification when a new episode drops.

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Can Pulse Crops Double Acreage by 2030? The Push to Include More Pulses in the MAHA Movement

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 17:12:40 GMT

You’ve probably eaten a pulse crop and not even realized it. Whether it’s hummus, made from chickpeas, or lentils in soups or salads, the edible legumes might be small in size, but are packed with powerful nutrients. And there’s now a push to include more pulses in the Trump administration’s movement to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).

Pulse crops are grown on just over 4 million acres today, but growers hope they could be the future of healthier diets.

“We consume so little of these crops in the United States, it’s between 11 lb. and 12 lb. per person,” says Tim McGreevy, a farmer and CEO of USA Pulses. “We have to bump that up.”

From dry beans, to lentils to chickpeas, pulse crops are the dry, edible seeds of legume plants. They are harvested for their dried seeds, but according to McGreevy, it’s these crops that are a valuable source of protein and fiber as well as a way for farmers to improve soil health.

“Farmers can raise these crops all over the country,” McGreevy says. “Our issue is we’ve got to raise demand. And if we’re going to be serious about feeding our school kids and reducing obesity and their chronic diseases that are cropping up, we have to feed them healthy foods like pulses or at least increase their consumption of these really terrific foods.”

Last week during the USA Pulses Summit in Spokane, Wash., the group set a lofty goal: to double production and demand by the year 2030.

“And frankly, it’s a needed goal,” McGreevy says. “I mean, we have to turn things around. When over 70% of our population has a chronic disease or is facing obesity, I’m telling you, we have a problem. So we are all in with the Make America Healthy Again movement, because if we can do that, and lower chronic diseases, we feel pretty confident that we’re going to increase consumption of pulses because they have high dietary fiber. They have resistant starch, they’re good for your gut health. These crops are a huge solution to making America healthy again and actually lowering chronic diseases in this country.”

These crops are mainly grown in the northern Plains, as well as the pacific Northwest today. But McGreevy says the crops can be grown across the country. And with prices for crops like corn, soybeans and wheat so low today, pulse crops could be a good option for farmers searching to try something new.

What does McGreevy want traditional row crop farmers to know? He says prices for pulse crops are surprisingly good. If farmers across the Midwest who are struggling with low corn, soybean and wheat prices are looking for a crop to add to their rotation, pulse crops may be worth a try.

“You don’t have to grow a 100% of your acres, but whether it’s peas or lentils or chickpeas or beans on your acreage, you should try a little bit,” he says. “It should be part of your cropping system. And that’s really what our aim is when we increase consumption, we know acreage is going to follow.”

He says their newest member of USA Pulses is actually from Nebraska, and is a farmer who’s traditionally grown mostly corn and soybeans.

“But there are a lot of farmers that are trying it, the acreage is small in Nebraska, but they’re growing and they’re seeing that the crop diversity that they have on their farms is really important. And pulses are entering into that.”

Beans

Why Used Specialty Machinery Is Trending Right Now

The rest of the episode

Can Pulse Crops Double Acreage by 2030? The Push to Include More Pulses in the MAHA Movement