Farm and Garden Machinery Wholesalers

The 4,500 farm and garden machinery wholesalers in the US distribute machinery, equipment, and related parts used in the agricultural, farm, lawn, and garden industries. Major product categories include farm tractors; lawn and garden machinery; harvesting machinery; new land preparation, planting, and cultivating machinery; and irrigation machinery. Firms may sell new and used equipment or rent equipment. They also offer warranty, maintenance, and repair services.

Variability In Commodity Prices

Fluctuations in commodity prices -- driven by global market conditions -- affect farm income and farmers' ability to purchase new equipment.

Highly-Seasonal Demand

Demand for farm and garden machinery is highly seasonal and affected by weather and climate.

Sep 6, 2026 - Canada Exempts Most Farm Equipment From Retaliatory Tariffs

• Canada's retaliatory tariffs on US goods will have a more limited impact on US farm machinery than initially feared, Realagriculture reports. Effective September 8, 2026, Canada will impose tariffs of 15% to 50% on $27.6 billion of US imports in response to new US tariffs on Canadian goods. Although agricultural equipment is among the targeted sectors, most major farm machinery, including tractors, combines, and many implements, was excluded. Tariffs will instead affect selected products and components, including combine headers, baler parts, some mowing equipment, trailers, truck parts, engine components, and conveyors. US wholesalers exporting these products to Canada could face weaker demand, higher landed costs, and disrupted cross-border supply chains. However, the exclusion of most major equipment reduces the potential impact on US wholesalers. Shipments already in transit before September 8 are exempt.
• The settlement announced in July by the Federal Trade Commission with John Deere over right-to-repair lawsuits in five states could create significant business risks for farm equipment dealers by increasing competition for their most profitable service work, Farm Equipment reports. Dealers interviewed by Farm Equipment warned that giving farmers and independent repair shops greater access to diagnostic software and repair resources could reduce high-margin service and parts revenue, weaken service absorption rates, and encourage experienced technicians to leave dealerships to start independent repair businesses. Smaller dealerships could be especially vulnerable if declining service income makes it harder to cover overhead or secure financing. Dealers also expressed concern that broader software access could erode dealership valuations, slow manufacturers' rollout of new diagnostic tools, and force dealers to rely more on parts sales, e-commerce, and other value-added services to offset lost repair business.
• North America's 100 largest farm equipment dealer groups operated 2,001 agricultural equipment stores in 2026, down 11 from 2025, but still accounted for nearly one-third of all ag equipment dealership locations on the continent, according to the latest Farm Equipment 100 report. Together, the dealers generated an estimated $48.4 billion in annual revenue and employed more than 53,200 people. The average dealer group operated 20.1 ag stores, employed 532 workers, and carried 15 product lines. Dealers with 20 or more locations continued to expand their footprint, increasing their ag stores by 1.9% to 1,156. Executives cited workforce shortages, particularly for technicians, among their top concerns, while many plan to add employees, modernize facilities, build new locations, or acquire additional dealerships over the next 12 months. More than three quarters of the largest dealers cited technicians as their top employment need.
• Producer prices for machinery and supply wholesalers rose 10% in July compared to a year ago, after rising 6.9% in the previous July-to-July annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Industry producer prices are near all-time highs, having risen sharply since November 2025 due to higher machinery prices, supply chain pressures, and pricing behavior at the wholesale level. Employment by farm and garden machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers shrank 2.3% year over year in June, while the average industry wage rose 0.8% over the same period to $32.32 per hour, easing from its peak in February, BLS data show. Employment and wages at farm and garden machinery wholesalers are trending in opposite directions as companies look to control labor costs.

Industry size & Structure

The average farm and garden machinery wholesaler operates from a single location, employs about 25 workers, and generates $31.6 million in annual revenue.

• The farm and garden machinery wholesaling industry comprises about 4,500 firms, employs about 111,335 workers, and generates $142.1 billion annually.
• The industry is concentrated at the top and fragmented at the bottom; the top 50 companies account for 55% of industry revenue.
• Wholesalers include independent dealers for major machinery manufacturers, such as John Deere and Case New Holland Industrial. A dealership group operates multiple retail locations.
• The largest farm dealership groups include Titan Machinery (Case, New Holland), RDO John Deere, Rocky Mountain Equipment (Case), and James River Equipment (John Deere).
• According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, 2WD sub-40 horsepower tractors represented 69% of total farm tractor sales in May 2025, followed by 2WD 40-100 hp tractors (21%), and 2WD 100+ hp (8.5%). 4WD farm tractors represented about 1% of sales. Overall, there are 3.4 million tractors in operation in the US, with about 90% of farms reporting owning at least one tractor, according to the USDA.