Sustainability is serious business.
It’s something every farming operation struggles with every season. Input costs are soaring. Margins are razor thin Reconditioned farming equipment. And new equipment prices have never felt more expensive.
Except there’s one piece of the puzzle that few are talking about…
Cheap tillage equipment that has been reconditioned could be one of the best sustainable agriculture decisions a farmer makes this year.
You’ll Learn:
- What is Reconditioned Equipment?
- The True Cost of New Equipment
- The Sustainability Argument No One Else Is Making
- Dig into the Environmental Benefits
- Things to Inspect Before Purchasing
- Final Thoughts
What Is Reconditioned Equipment?
One thing needs to be clear — reconditioned does NOT mean rolling the dice on a beat-up machine found in a private sale.
Equipment that has been properly reconditioned has been inspected, repaired, serviced, and tested before being offered for resale. Worn components are replaced. Hydraulic systems are checked. It’s a machine that is ready to roll.
That’s important because shopping for cheap tillage equipment through a trusted dealer who specializes in quality used tillage equipment, versus taking your chances at auction, is night and day. You don’t have to worry about doing your own due diligence because a reputable dealer does it for you.
But here’s the thing about tillage equipment specifically…
It’s simple. Chisel plows, disc harrows, subsoilers, field cultivators – they’re simply tools. There are no software updates. No subscription fees Reconditioned farming equipment. No firmware lockouts on independent repairs. They’re made of steel and are built to do the same job year after year.
The True Cost of New Equipment
Take a look at this number…
Between 2021 and 2023, equipment prices rose over 20%, putting serious pressure on every farm machinery budget in the country. And it’s not just the sticker price that hurts. Depreciation, interest, and insur costs all inflate along with it…for as long as you own the machine.
A new entry-level utility tractor can start at $20,000 and go up to $50,000 easy. Tillage implements and planters quickly climb higher from there. That cost quickly stops making sense for small and medium-sized producers.
Which is why there’s been a rebound in demand for quality used equipment. Farmers have less room for financial error than they used to, and reconditioned machines offer a real way out of that dilemma.
The Sustainability Argument No One Else Is Making
When conversations around sustainability come up, people like to focus on soil health, decreased chemical usage, and carbon offsets.
All great topics. But the financial health of the operation itself is worthy of conversation too.
If a farm can’t control costs, it isn’t a sustainable farm Reconditioned farming equipment. Full stop.
That’s where reconditioned equipment comes in.
By choosing quality used tillage implements over brand new models producers can:
- Extend the lifespan of their current equipment rather than creating demand for new production
- Decrease the embodied carbon of their equipment fleet by a significant margin
- Spend less up front capital to remain competitive
- Support regenerative agriculture by practicing key tenets of the circular economy
Regenerative agriculture is a global $9.98 billion industry expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. At its core are principles about doing more with less and restoration instead of extraction. Used equipment is absolutely built into that mindset.
When a farmer purchases a quality used tillage implement that has been reconditioned, they aren’t just making a decision that benefits their operation Reconditioned farming equipment. They are making a choice that benefits the agriculture industry as a whole.
Sounds pretty good.
Dig into the Environmental Benefits
Here’s a deeper look at the real-world environmental benefits that come from buying used instead of new.
Every time a new tractor, planter, sprayer, or piece of heavy equipment rolls off the production line, resources are used to create it. Metal gets mined. Foreign parts get shipped across oceans. Energy-intensive factories operate for weeks just to build one single machine.
When a farmer buys used, they are skipping all of that environmental cost. Several studies have been done on the cost savings and reductions of switching to less intensive tillage practices, and when you combine those dollars with the affordability of used equipment, the savings grow even larger.
Check out these findings from research conducted by the University of Minnesota:
Decreased tillage leads to…:
- Lowered soil erosion
- Less fuel usage
- Decreased equipment costs when compared to conventional tillage practices
And just how much money is at stake when used equipment is thrown into the equation? Older equipment was shown to operate at $20.40 less per acre than its newer counterparts. That’s nearly $10,000 saved on a 500-acre farm.
And that is the difference between breaking even and taking home a profit.
Things to Inspect Before Purchasing
Alright – before going out and buying the first tillage implement available, there are some things worth knowing how to look for.
It’s not as intimidating as it sounds. Check out this quick checklist:
- Service records – clear history of repairs and maintenance
- Frame & welds – look for cracks in corners and along hinges
- Wear parts – disc blades, shanks, cutting edges, sweeps, you get the idea
- Hydraulics – pump and test all cylinders and hoses while under pressure
- Seller history – buy from a dealer that specializes in reconditioning equipment over someone that just sprays everything down with soap
Pay close attention to the wear parts when inspecting potential purchases. They’ll tell you the true story of how much life an implement has left in it. And when buying from a quality dealer that specializes in reconditioning equipment? They’ll walk you through it.
Final Thoughts
Used equipment isn’t for everyone. But it shouldn’t be dismissed by any farmer who is serious about sustainable agriculture practices either.
Used tillage equipment that has been properly reconditioned gives farmers access to the same quality tools they need to farm sustainably at a fraction of the cost Reconditioned farming equipment. When inputs are expensive and margins are thin…who wouldn’t want a chance to reduce some overhead?
Here’s a quick recap:
- Equipment prices are not coming down. They’ve risen 20%+ in recent years and show no sign of slowing down
- Reconditioned means the equipment was inspected, repaired, serviced, and tested by a professional before being offered for sale
- Farmers can easily save thousands of dollars on equipment costs over the course of a full season
- By reducing tillage frequency and using used equipment, farmers can do their part to positively impact their soil health AND bottom line
- Dealing with a trusted retailer that specializes in reconditioning equipment removes the risk involved with buying used
The next sustainable thing on a farm doesn’t need to be brand new.
Odds are, it was made before today too.
