MOUNT JOY, Pa. — As the Port of Baltimore remains closed for the time being, farm equipment dealers further north are keeping an eye on the cleanup process.
“A lot of our machinery will be roll-in, roll-off out of Baltimore," said Neil Messick, the owner of Messick's Farm Equipment. "It’s how our inventory gets here.”
The Port of Baltimore is one of the biggest entry and exit points in the U.S., especially for things like farm equipment. Messick's gets its inventory from the port each week.
So far, few of Messick's customers have been affected, with the dealership having enough equipment on the lot to last at least six to nine months.
“We have a couple of people who are waiting on some tractors or telehandlers that are built in Europe that they need for this production season," said Messick. "But by my count, only a handful of people, less than ten, can be impacted.”
Tim Wentz with the Northeast Equipment Dealers Association says most farm equipment dealers will be in good shape short-term. However, the impact of the port’s closure will be determined by how long it takes to open back up.
Wentz said the market for used equipment could potentially go up if dealers and customers can’t access new inventory.
“It’s obvious that the longshoremen want to get back to work," said Wentz. "So, the wild card is what needs to be done to open the channel up.”
A timetable to reopen the port remains unknown—and any delays could cause further issues outside of Baltimore.
“If that recovery effort does drag on, it could cause us to run short of some equipment," said Messick.