Farm machinery sales remain strong despite the financial crisis, according to the latest figures to emerge from the AEA.

Total machinery sales (including tractors) amount to just over £1bn in the period from January to June 2009, roughly similar to what they were in 2008,

Although not matching the highs of 2008, the number of combines sold is set to be second highest in a decade, with well in excess of 900 unit sales assured by the end of the year and self-propelled forager sales show a slight increase on last year, at about 150 units.

Cultivation and soil preparation kit sales are likely to remain strong, while grassland machinery has fallen behind last year’s levels.

On the whole, the outlook for the rest of the year is less strong than last year’s, hardly surprising given the unusually high sales in 2009, thanks to strong incomes from the 2007 harvest.