Two of North America's largest equipment dealer trade groups will operate under one roof beginning January 2027, after the North American Equipment Dealers Association and Associated Equipment Distributors announced plans to merge on September 24.

The combined organization will operate as Associated Equipment Dealers, headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., with a Canadian office retained in Calgary, Alberta. Brian McGuire, current president and CEO of AED, will continue leading the merged group; Brett Davis, NAEDA's CEO, will oversee manufacturer relations.

How will members approve the merger?

Dealer members of the two associations will vote on the merger and amended bylaws between approximately October 15 and November 15. Affiliate, associate, manufacturer and other non-dealer members carry no voting rights, according to NAEDA.

A transition board combining both former AED and NAEDA boards will run the new group in 2027. After that, governance shifts to a permanent 27-member structure designed for industry parity. The two groups gave no public estimate of combined membership, dues changes, or annual budget, leaving room for further disclosure before the bylaws vote closes.

How did commodities close the week?

As of September 29:

• Corn: $5.22 per bushel, down 11 cents
• Soybeans: $12.97, down 19 cents
• Wheat: $6.91, down 56 cents
• Class III milk: $14.90 per hundredweight, down $1.29

What does Carbon Robotics' new autonomy program offer?

The Seattle-based LaserWeeder maker is moving beyond the row-crop weeding niche. Carbon Robotics launched Carbon Autonomy Ready, a program that allows implement manufacturers to optimize their equipment for the company's autonomy retrofit kits. Great Plains is the first launch partner.

Brett Goodwin, Carbon Robotics' VP of marketing, framed the technical rationale: "As we move to more autonomous tractors, we need to have smart implements that communicate with that autonomy so that the combined solution is working optimally." Implement-mounted sensors feed readings on depth, pressure and leveling to Carbon Autonomy, where the operator can adjust settings through a mobile app.

Who topped this year's dealer relations survey?

Kubota Canada earned the highest average mean score — 5.72 on a 1–7 scale — among full-line manufacturers in NAEDA's annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations survey, leading in 10 of 11 measured categories. The catch: scores fell versus 2025 across the board, with the steepest slide in Product Availability at –19.78%.

Kubota U.S. averaged 4.88, fourth among seven full-line OEMs, with Parts Quality (5.72) its strongest category. Combined, Kubota Canada and Kubota U.S. post an average mean of 5.3, second only to Claas at 5.35. The combined entity led or tied for the top score in Parts Availability (5.68), Parts Quality (5.9), Warranty Procedure (5.35), Warranty Payment (5.5) and Marketing & Advertising (5.36).

What did the Fed do, and what comes next?

On September 16, the Federal Reserve lifted its benchmark rate a quarter point to a target range of 3.75–4.00% — the first hike since July 2023.

Cory Nordhausen, VP of sales with AgDirect, sees more movement ahead: "We saw the Fed last week raise their federal fund rates by 25 basis points. Looking out in the forecast, the Fed next meets October 28th. Just looked this morning, it looks like there's probably about a 65% chance that the Fed could increase." Nordhausen pegged the odds of another move in December or January near fifty-fifty.

CME Group's FedWatch tool now puts the probability of an October rate cut at 58.5%, down from 65%, with December odds still near 55%.

Where do farmers see AI paying off?

Farmdoc Daily compared U.S. and Argentine farmer survey data on perceived benefits of AI and data-driven tools:

• U.S.: 23% cited increased production, 14% reduced labor, 11% reduced risk, and 52% reported no meaningful benefit.
• Argentina: 37% cited increased production, 28% reduced risk, 14% reduced labor, and 21% reported no meaningful benefit.

Argentine respondents reported stronger production and risk-management upside than their U.S. counterparts, a gap that Farmdoc attributed to differing farm structures and adoption pacing.

The October 28 Federal Reserve decision will set the tone for year-end equipment financing margins as dealers and growers weigh fixed versus variable rates against a dealer-association merger vote closing November 15.