A Profile of the Farm Machinery Industry

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

1.1 What is the Farm Machinery Industry?

There are many ways to define the farm machinery industry. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) defines it broadly as any firm that primarily produces equipment for use in commercial agriculture. This equipment includes everything from self- propelled machines such as tractors, combines, sprayers, and windrowers (Figure 1.1) to implements such as mowers (but not the lawn-and- garden type), balers, and tillage equipment (Figure 1.2). It also includes agriculturally related items such as milking machines, feed grinders, and grain delivery systems (Figure 1.3).¹ Over 2,000 firms worldwide and more than 1,000 in the United States fit this definition. They range ...