As negotiations over U.S.-Canada trade continue, a leading equipment industry association is pressing both governments to lower barriers and deliver predictability for agricultural and heavy machinery dealers.
Associated Equipment Distributors said it sent letters this week to President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Canada’s trade minister, Dominic LeBlanc, urging a swift end to the tariff dispute between the two countries.
The association said the North American equipment sector is tightly linked across the border, and that prolonged uncertainty around U.S.-Canada trade could affect farmers, contractors, dealers, and other businesses that depend on the smooth movement of machinery and parts.
“Free and fair trade between Canada and the U.S. is critical to the economic prospects of the entire economy, our industry, our dealers, and our customers,” AED President and CEO Brian P. McGuire wrote in an Aug. 12 letter to Trump and Carney.
AED represents companies serving agriculture, construction, mining, forestry, transportation, municipal, and infrastructure markets. The association said its U.S. and Canadian members generate more than $100 billion in annual revenue, employ over 140,000 people, and operate more than 7,200 locations.
U.S.-Canada trade and integrated agricultural equipment market
The stakes are especially high for agriculture. AED noted that Canada is the top buyer of American-made heavy and farm machinery, and that Canadian firms are closely tied to U.S. manufacturers and supply chains.
The group cited the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement as the framework that helps keep equipment affordable and accessible for customers across North America.
Manufacturers and dealers often depend on components, finished equipment, and replacement parts moving across borders. Added costs or complications from trade barriers can pass through to farmers and other end users.
The association said months of tariff uncertainty have already made long-term planning harder for businesses.
“This instability limits investment, slows growth, delays projects, and creates challenges as businesses struggle to plan for the future,” McGuire wrote in an Aug. 10 letter to LeBlanc.
Agricultural equipment part of an integrated market
For farmers, trade policy adds to a list of market unknowns that already includes yields, prices, and input costs. Some producers are looking at strategies for managing risk in volatile markets as they weigh major purchases.
AED pushes for negotiated solution
The appeal comes as senior U.S. and Canadian officials continue talks on their bilateral trade relationship.
Instead of allowing tariffs and other obstacles to become a permanent feature, AED is asking both sides to use the negotiations to reestablish stability in U.S.-Canada trade.
“As your senior advisors and cabinet officials meet over the coming days, we encourage you to work towards reduced barriers between our great nations that focus on building our mutual economies as each other’s most important regional ally and trading partner,” McGuire wrote to Trump and Carney.
AED said its position reflects conversations with hundreds of lawmakers on both sides of the border and the practical impacts that trade policy has on dealers and their customers.
The organization offered its senior leadership as a resource to Canadian officials during the talks and said it would back an agreement that restores free and fair trade between the countries.
For farmers and dealers, the outcome reaches beyond the negotiating table. Machinery purchases are among a farm’s largest capital commitments, and reliable access to equipment and parts is especially critical during tight planting and harvest windows.
Many agricultural producers depend on credit and export sales supported by agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and export promotion programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, adding another layer of complexity to trade-dependent planning.