The United States, an agricultural powerhouse, is the world’s largest exporter of agricultural products,^*1 and is known as the breadbasket of the world. Using large agricultural machinery on vast farmlands, the USA produces large quantities of crops suited to the climate and soil of each region. In order to achieve its stated goal of helping solve the global food crisis, it was vital for Kubota to enter the dry-field farming market, said to be about four times as large as the rice farming market, and the USA promised the most favorable odds for success. However, even in the USA, the number of farmers is decreasing due to a shortage of labor and successors, while at the same time, the sheer scale of farms is increasing due to corporate acquisitions. This situation required not only powerful and large agricultural machinery, but also more efficient production without incurring wasteful expenses.

Kubota continued its efforts to produce larger, more powerful tractors, and in 2015 launched its 170-horsepower M7 series of large tractors for dry-field farming in North America as a means of making a full-scale entry into the US dry-field farming market. In 2019, we introduced the more powerful M8 series, a 210-horsepower tractor, also for dry-field farming. In order to shorten the development period and optimize local specifications, we entered into a strategic partnership with Buhler Industries Inc. and adopted a custom OEM for this M8 series tractor, the first of its kind for Kubota. In addition, in order to provide multifunctionality in a single tractor, Kubota’s unique strategy is to develop and enhance a variety of implements (tractor-mounted work equipment), including those for hay.

In 2017, Kubota moved the headquarters of its local subsidiary, Kubota Tractor Corporation (KTC), from California to Texas. The Midwest is the main area in the USA for dry-field farming, and KTC made the necessary decision to move into the vicinity of this key area in order to fully promote its large tractor business for dry-field farming. Along with the advantage of easy access to the entire country, the main goal of this relocation is to further expand the North American business by strengthening ties with Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc., an implement manufacturer acquired in 2016, along with production sites in other parts of the USA. Kubota’s foray into the dry-field farming market in the country has only just begun.