Article: Not all bad: while it's certainly not unaffected by the recession, the agriculture market's fundamentals hold promise for renewed steel sales.(FARM EQUIPMENT MARKET)(Cover story)

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ALTHOUGH DEMAND for agricultural equipment is down somewhat this year, its decline has not been nearly as steep as those in the markets for other types of heavy off-road machinery, such as construction equipment. Good news for steel suppliers, the lion's share of the farm machinery slump has involved smaller, largely foreign-produced machines (under 100 horsepower two-wheel-drive tractors). Demand for larger, more steel-intensive tractors and combines continues to hold its own compared to record sales levels in 2008. Unfortunately, steel mills are not enjoying the full benefit of this trend yet, as farm equipment makers continue to live off ...

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