This strong finish to the 2007-08 financial year has seen farmers purchase 11,850 units for the year, maintaining the healthy upwards farm machinery purchasing trend of recent years.

The big lift in tractor sales in autumn this year reflects, in part, the push by farmers into grain cropping, with farmers taking advantage of high grain prices and better rainfall over much of the wheatbelt.

The Tractor and Machinery Association (TMA) says annual tractor sales have averaged 11,534 units a year for the past five years, despite drought in many areas for part of that period.

This compares with an average 8,182 unit sales for the previous five years - an increase of more than 40pc.

Meanwhile, the remarkably strong under 30kW tractor sales segment shows no signs of falling away.

Once steady at about 1000 units a year, compact tractor sales now exceed 3,000 units every 12 months.

Less dramatic, but equally positive, has seen a doubling of sales in the 30 to 45kW power range.

There’s even been some recovery in sales of bread-and-butter small to medium powered machines, with both the 45-60kW and 60-90kW power bands recording 2,700 plus sales respectively, after struggling in recent years.

TMA says sales of the largest tractors grew by only 11pc with only 359 units delivered for the year.