Takeaways

  • The 2026 outlook for dealers and manufacturers can be summed up as cautiously optimistic.
  • Precision technology remains uniquely positioned to thrive in a challenging market as farmers look for new ways to maximize inputs and efficiency.
  • Strip-till and biologicals continue to gain momentum.

We just got back from the 60th annual National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky. The Lessiter Media editorial team joined forces to cover the event for both our grower (No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer, Cover Crop Strategies) and dealer (Farm Equipment, Precision Farming Dealer, Rural Lifestyle Dealer) publications.

Here are some of the top things I saw — and heard — while racking up over 20,000 steps at the Kentucky Expo Center in just 2 days.

Optimism for 2026

There’s no doubt 2025 was a challenging year for many in the ag industry, but the farmers, dealers and manufacturers I talked with are cautiously optimistic about 2026, even in the face of familiar obstacles. 

“There’s more optimism, but I don’t know if it’s entirely based on reality or it’s more because we’ve been in this dip for a while now and people have been holding off on buying new equipment,” says Dustin Friesen, sales director for Harvest International. “Over the last 2 years, a lot of farmers have tried to get through one more season (without buying upgrades). There have been a lot of delayed decisions. But at a certain point, guys are going to have to make some choices. In the meantime, we’ve been doing more custom work. It’s been an interesting market, and we’ve had to get creative.”  

“It will still be a bit of a challenging year, but if you show value and ROI, people will make those purchases,” says Dru Egli, eastern corn belt territory manager for SurePoint Ag. “They’re not thinking about the ‘cool factor’ anymore. It’s all about, ‘Is this going to add value to my operation and bottom line?’

“We’ve gotten a mixed bag (from dealers), with some doom and gloom and some very optimistic ones,” he adds. “Overall, the sentiment is people are buying stuff, they’re just watching those dollars a little closer and making sure it makes sense, not just buying the shiny, cool new thing.”

“I was surprised at some positivity with the farmer comments I’ve heard,” says Tony Wisker, vice president of sales for Great Plains Manufacturing ag division. “It’s not that they’re looking to spend a bunch of money, but they’re managing through it (challenging times) like us, finding ways to get more efficient and delay some upgrades. It hasn’t been overly negative in the conversations I’ve had.

“From a retail perspective, 2026 is going to have the same challenges we faced in 2025. Until we get some commodity prices that sustainably go up, we’ll continue to struggle in the equipment business. When we finish 2026, we’ll be in about the same place sales wise as we were in 2025. There will be some ups and downs. It’s all going to come out in pretty much a wash compared to what we did in 2025.

“Inventory is a big challenge. We’ve done a lot at Great Plains to help drive dealer inventory down, from reducing production on the manufacturing side to running incentives to help them retail product. All the manufacturers are doing the same. I think in the next 5 years, inventory management is going to be top of mind for dealers. How do they have the right amount of stuff on the lot, and not too much? In the last couple years, they’ve had too much and now they’re paying for it. Going forward, they’re going to be more careful managing it, which is going to increase the challenge for us as the manufacturer to have the right stuff available at the right time.”

AI & Precision 

Precision technology was also at the forefront as farmers look for new ways to maximize inputs and boost efficiency.

PTx/Precision Planting showcased a bevy of cutting-edge planter, sprayer and harvest technologies including the brand-new ArrowTube delivery system. It’s going through another round of beta testing this spring but could be available on a limited basis later this year.

“The ultimate goal of ArrowTube is to orient seeds, trying to stick them tip down in the furrow for better, more consistent emergence,” says Caleb Stuber from PTx/Precision Planting. “It’s also a high-speed system, so not only are we able to orient the seeds as they come out, but we’re spacing very well.”

Meanwhile at the Beck’s Hybrids booth, we got our first look at SeedIQ, an AI-driven platform that delivers insights from Beck’s Root Reveal and Practical Farm Research (PFR) data.

“SeedIQ brings together decades of research and real-world performance data into one easy-to-use platform,” says Scott Beck, president of Beck’s. “Our goal is to give every product the opportunity to perform at its best by helping farmers make confident, informed decisions.”

Beck’s started working on the tool about a year and a half ago, launched it internally in December, and now it’s live for all farmers (including non-Beck’s customers) to use. 

Strip-Till Spotlight

Strip-till iron was on display almost everywhere you looked. Harvest International, Kuhn Krause, Land Luvr, Lynx, Unverferth, Vulcan, Yetter and Zimmerman were among the several manufacturers showcasing the latest strip-till toolbars and row units.

We also came across the brand-new VERTISTRIP from Landoll. Check out some of the unique features in the video below.

“It’s been tested and proven in the field over the last few years in anticipation of this launch,” says Ryan Hulme from Landoll. “One of the things that makes this machine unique is the functionality and how friendly it is for users. We’re trying to control everything we can from the cab. We’re running row cleaners from the cab just like the planter. We come back with downpressure controlled from the cab. We also control our finishing with pneumatic baskets. Everything on here (the row unit) is adjustable without tools.”

Legendary Knowledge 

Yes, the shiny, new equipment and Sci-Fi-esque technology are always highlights, but so is being in the same building as some of the brightest minds in agriculture.

I enjoyed memorable conversations with No-Till Legends like Marion Calmer and Phil Needham. Both shared some practical harvest and residue management insights in the videos below.

Over in the action-packed West Wing, nutrient management specialist Brad Forkner was schooling people on an array of micronutrient and biological solutions he’s developed over the years (stay tuned for our 12-minute crash course video with Brad coming soon).

The Cherry, Ill., native also gave us the scoop on a new squid-based fertilizer called Squid Juice, a concentrate repurposed from calamari consumption that’s billed as an all-purpose NPK liquid product.

“Think about the calamari in your restaurant — 48% of the squid goes there, 52% is left behind,” Forkner says. “Because it was a live animal, it has omega oils. There’s enough blood left in there, blood is protein and protein is nitrogen. There are amino acids in there and it’s a natural pest and fungal deterrent.”

I’ve heard of farmers using ocean water, crabs and oysters (thanks to Mt. Pulaski, Ill., strip-tiller/no-tiller Jeff Martin, more on that here!), and now we can add squids to the list!

That’s all for now, as I continue to process everything captured at the Kentucky Expo Center over the last 48 hours. We’ll have more coverage from the show in the coming days. In the meantime, if you were there, I’d love to hear from you. Email me the best things you saw at NNewman@LessiterMedia.com.