The German Engineering Association (VDMA) blames falling milk prices for the 11% slide in sales of new grassland equipment – mowers, rakes and tedders – to the country’s farmers to 17,740 units during the first six months of this year. The only positive news is with forage wagons, the numbers of which increased by 16% to 900 units. As to trends, the VDMA confirms the increasing shift towards machines with a wider working width. Sales of 5m+ mowers continue to rise, and 10m+ tedders are popular. By Steven Vale