Case IH's Coffey Talks Sales, Tariffs

SAN ANTONIO (DTN) -- The mood among farmers is better, but not yet optimistic -- and Case IH Vice President Kurt Coffey sees the difference clearly.

Speaking with DTN/Progressive Farmer at the conclusion of the 2026 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Coffey credited the USDA's $11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program -- which began issuing payments last week -- with lifting some of the economic gloom that has weighed on agricultural equipment sales. But he cautioned against reading too much into any mood shift. "I think it's too soon to say that people are optimistic," he said.

Against that backdrop, Case IH arrived at Commodity Classic showcasing new iron, including an upgraded Optum tractor line and the newly unveiled Nutri-Tiller 1000 strip-till tool -- products the company is betting will resonate with cost-conscious farmers focused on return on investment. Coffey also addressed how the company is navigating tariff volatility and why its combine order boards are already full.

Following is DTN/Progressive Farmer's interview with Coffey. It has been edited for clarity and context.

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DTN/Progressive Farmer: Case IH has been introducing new products -- new Optum tractors and the Nutri-Tiller 1000 strip tiller -- in a year pretty difficult for the machinery industry. How did the year 2025 end for Case IH, and what's the outlook for 2026?

Kurt Coffey: We finished well. We finished strong. The year was challenged by declining industry volumes and other headwinds. For 2026, I would say the year is starting similar to how the last year ended. We're looking towards the end of this year, hoping we start to see some upside. But right now, we're operating very tightly ... (controlling) the volume we're producing and tracking how much of it's presold. That's a lead indicator of how the market's going to go. And we feel good about it, sitting two months into 2026.

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DTN/PF: Are you getting any insight from farmers that they are feeling better that, financially, things are starting to turn positively for them?

Coffey: I don't want to say that people are starting to feel good. I think the recent (Farmer Bridge Assistance Program) has them feeling good about that help. But I don't think that people are overly excited. I think (the Bridge Program) is helping (improve) their moods. But I think it's too soon to say that people are optimistic.

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DTN/PF: Within Case IH, what are your customers buying?

Coffey: The product that we're moving well right now would be our harvesting platform. We had a very deliberate and limited early release on the AF 9, 10, and 11 (combines). And now we had a very strong year. Our order boards are completely full. Nearly every one of those production machines has an actual customer name on it. Outside of that, there are a few other platforms that are doing well, and none of them are in really bad shape compared to where we thought we would be here in February of 2026. I would say the other area that looks optimistic are products that have a solid ROI. So, people moving into higher-speed planting, people moving into technology, sense-and-act technology on our sprayers. A lot of this shows a two-year payback for them. It makes sense for some to go ahead and buy technology, instead of picking up the entire new (machine).

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DTN/PF: Would you talk about tariffs and how CNH/Case IH are managing them?

Coffey: We have been meeting as needed, going back many months to (establish) operational command and control. If there's a change (in the tariffs), we adjust immediately. The meetings, sometimes daily, allow us to operationally keep our arms around (tariffs) -- such as, where are we at? What's the climate? And then what does this do to our cost? Early on this was difficult. Now, I would say we're managing well, day to day, week to week, month to month.

Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com

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