With U.S. farm income increasing last year and commodity prices rising to near record levels, farmers are investing in the future of their farm life operations by purchasing tractors at record levels.

John Deere tractor sales surged in the fourth quarter of 2010 as farmers replaced their used tractors with new ones. Ryan Harbur, a farm equipment salesman at Nebraska-based Kearney Implement, told the Kearney Hub that "late 2010 was potentially some of the best business we've ever seen," affirming that they "haven't had that kind of activity for awhile."

Moreover, other farm equipment dealers reported big earnings last year, with sales rising as the year went on. Harbur and other dealers affirmed that the rise in tractor sales was mostly caused by the surge in commodity prices, particularly in wheat and soybeans - the two biggest U.S. crops.

The best sellers at Harbur's store are John Deere tractors that range in power from 250- to 280-horsepower, he said. With depleted inventories of the John Deere model tractors, many farm equipment stores plan to build up their stockpiles again as sales don't show signs of slowing: John McCoy, the president of a farm equipment manufacturing firm, declared that "the beginning of our fiscal 2011 is ahead of 2010."