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Phone: 314.878.2304

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ASSOCIATION RELEASES

YRC Is Now YRC Freight 02.01.12

Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association:
A Key Sponsor at AG CONNECT Expo 2013 02.01.12

Death of George Schumacher, Former President of this Association  01.20.2012

Kimball Elected As The 60th President Of The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association

Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association Signs Multi-Industry Letter regarding Budget Savings to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association Supports Efforts of the “Coalition to Save Our GPS”

New Tax Law: Just In Time

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YRC Is Now YRC Freight
A new company, a new culture: The introduction of YRC Freight is more than a name and logo change — it's a new company. Although we are just now rolling out the new brand to the market, we have already built a solid foundation for our new service culture by focusing on the basics.
This internal change in focus has already improved service performance and customer perceptions. In the last four months with new leadership in place, we have recorded consecutive month-over-month improvements in:

• On-time service reliability
• Customer satisfaction
• Market share position

Moving freight is our heritage, what we do best and the key to our future. Our new name, logo and branding program publicly demonstrate the unification of a new company and culture that aligns perfectly with our strategy moving forward.

Confidence Delivered.®
We are the original LTL Experts and we intend to regain our leadership position. We'll do it by delivering flexibility and reliability to your supply chain through our comprehensive North American coverage and broad portfolio of expedited and specialized LTL services.

Our new name reflects our passion, our purpose and our commitment to regain our role as leaders in the industry. Freight is our business and now it is in our name. We will work to keep our brand promise of “Confidence Delivered” with every shipment, every day.

Members of this Association receive discounts with YRC Freight. To find out more about this program, go to yrc.com/forms/YRC/femaMbrSvc.

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Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association:
A Key Sponsor at AG CONNECT Expo 2013

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association has again given its endorsement to AG CONNECT Expo and is a key sponsor of the 2013 AG CONNECT Expo, which is the international agricultural event of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

AG CONNECT Expo 2013 is scheduled for January 29-31 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The event is a world-class trade show, offering not only the latest innovations, products, services and technology and access to industry experts, but also quality learning and networking opportunities.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, based in St. Louis, Missouri, represents specialized manufacturers of agricultural equipment and has been a key sponsor of AG CONNECT Expo since its inception.

Vernon Schmidt, executive vice president of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, said the association is "proud to continue its role as a key sponsor" of AG CONNECT Expo.
"Our Innovation Square Pavilion at AG CONNECT in Kansas City will once again offer the end user a great opportunity to see the many choices of equipment designed specifically to meet their needs. With the widespread dealer consolidation we have seen in recent years, the Innovation Square Pavilion provides our member companies a great chance to visit directly with end-users and to develop the needed additional local demand for dealers to provide competing product lines," Schmidt said.

"From the first moldboard plow to the latest in Global Positioning Systems, member companies of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association have a long history of bringing innovation to the market, providing the needed competition that brings farmers and ranchers true value," Schmidt added.

Tim Merrett, vice president region 4 marketing for Deere & Company in Moline, Illinois, and the 2013 AG CONNECT Expo chairman, said, "The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association plays a very important role with AG CONNECT Expo and we are very pleased to have such support from them. Their leadership participates on the show's management committee as a key sponsor to provide important strategic direction for the show. AG CONNECT Expo has even more value to offer agriculture producers coming to Kansas City in January of 2013 because of the support of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association."

About Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association -www.FarmEquip.org 
The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association is an international not-for-profit trade organization focused exclusively on representing more than 600 manufacturers of specialized farm equipment, industry supplier companies and marketing firms. Founded in 1950, the association is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

About Association of Equipment Manufacturers - www.aem.org
AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing the off-road equipment manufacturing industry. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with offices in the capitals of Washington, D.C., Ottawa, Beijing and a European presence in Brussels. It represents more than 850 companies in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors.

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Death of George Schumacher, Former President of this Association

ST LOUIS - January 21, 2012  The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association regrets to report the death of one of our most beloved former presidents, George D. Schumacher. George was elected to our Board of Directors in 1972 and served through 1981. 

Our condolences go out to his family and many friends.  Vernon Schmidt, Executive VP of the Association, said, "Our Association and the farm equipment industry are better today because of his willingness to give of his time and God-given talents. He will be remembered as one of our very best leaders, as he always had a special place in his heart for our group of manufacturers."

The Schumacher family released the following information to local media.

George Davis Schumacher, age 93, died peacefully January 19, 2012. He was born July 26, 1918 in Lyons, Kansas to George and Ethel Davis Schumacher.

George, a long-time resident of Great Bend, Kansas, was the founder and CEO of Great Bend Manufacturing Company from 1962 to 1993. He lived a long and rich life, respected as an elder in the Presbyterian Church and as a participant in many community activities such as Rotary, Elks, American Legion, and Masonic Lodge. Of his many accomplishments, George was president of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association from 1979-80, a Great Bend city councilman, and an active supporter of his beloved Kansas State University. He was a WWII veteran and served stateside.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Alice; daughter Martha Ann and husband Meir Shillor; son Douglas Schumacher and wife Ellen, his granddaughter Sara Schumacher and grandson Andrew Schumacher and wife Heather; daughter Peggy Schumacher; brother Clifford Schumacher and wife Patsy.

A memorial service is planned to honor the life of George at Butterfield Trail Village in Fayetteville, Arkansas at 10 am on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.

He will be buried in the Fayetteville National Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas under the direction of Moore's Chapel Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions can be made to First United Presbyterian Church, 695 E. Calvin Street, Fayetteville, AR 72703.

Online condolences may be offered at www.mooresfuneralchapel.com. 

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KIMBALL ELECTED AS THE 60TH PRESIDENT
OF THE FARM EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

During the 61st Annual Fall Convention, October 26-29, in St. Louis, Missouri the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association elected Von “Sandy” Kimball, of Bigham Brothers, Inc., as the 60th President of the Association. Kimball has served on the Association's Board since 2003 and has been a member of the Association's Dealer Relations Committee since 2006.

Kimball is the President of Bigham Brothers, Inc., located in Lubbock, Texas. Bigham Brothers manufactures and markets a wide range of agricultural tillage and cultivating equipment designed to assist the farmer in gaining maximum crop production while conserving valuable resources. The company markets its products in the U.S. through its dealer network, and to other countries in cooperation with partner firms.
(Download 600dpi image )

Kimball, along with his wife Annette, will host the Association's upcoming Spring Management Clinic in Biloxi, Mississippi, March 28-30, 2012 and the 2012 Fall Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, October 31-November 3, where his term as President will conclude.

Also during the annual Fall Convention the following were elected to serve as the 2011-2012 Executive Committee: Andrew Cummings, T.G. Schmeiser Co., Inc., 1st Vice President; Marc McConnell, Art's-Way Manufacturing Co., 2nd Vice President; Robert Atkinson, W & A Manufacturing Company, Treasurer; Mike Kloster, Worksaver Inc., Secretary; and John Malinowski, Leon's Mfg. Company Inc, as an Ex Officio member.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association is an international not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 300 manufacturers of specialized farm equipment, more than 250 industry supplier companies and 35 marketing firms.

Founded in 1950, the Association is headquarted at 1000 Executive Parkway, Suite 100, St. Louis, Missouri. For more information about the Association, please visit FarmEquip.org. ###

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Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association Signs Multi-Industry Letter regarding Budget Savings to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association
Supports Efforts of the “Coalition to Save Our GPS”

Association urges members to add their support & calls on Congress to insist on an impartial FCC review process.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association today has joined a wide variety of industries and companies supporting the efforts of the “Coalition to Save Our GPS”, in an effort to resolve a serious threat to Global Positioning Systems (GPS) — a national utility upon which farmers and their equipment rely on more everyday.

The threat stems from a recent and highly unusual decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a conditional waiver that allows the dramatic expansion of terrestrial use of the satellite spectrum, immediately neighboring that of GPS, potentially causing severe interference to millions of GPS receivers. The conditional waiver was granted to a company called LightSquared.

The “Coalition to Save our GPS” includes representatives from a broad range of industries, including agriculture, aviation, construction, transportation, engineering and surveying, as well as GPS-based equipment manufacturers and service providers. The Coalition's website is www.SaveOurGPS.org.

On March 11, 2011, a founding member of the Coalition told a House subcommittee that the recent action by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could cause “consequences of disruption” to GPS that will be “far reaching, likely to affect large portions of the population and the federal government.”

In testimony prepared for delivery before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science of the House Appropriations Committee, Vice President and General Counsel Jim Kirkland of Trimble, a GPS equipment manufacturer, stated that a recent and highly unusual FCC decision creates a serious risk of severe interference to millions of GPS receivers.

The unusual waiver granted in January to LightSquared by the FCC, allows it to use its satellite spectrum for high-powered, ground-based broadband transmissions, if the company can demonstrate that harmful interference could be avoided. The usual FCC process of conducting extensive testing followed by approvals was not followed in this instance. Instead, the process was approved first, then tested.

Additional safeguards are needed, the GPS Coalition says. The Coalition recommends the following:

• The FCC must make clear, and the NTIA must ensure, that LightSquared's license modification is contingent on the outcome of the mandated study. The study must be comprehensive, objective and based on correct assumptions about existing GPS uses rather than theoretical possibilities. The views of LightSquared, as an interested party, are entitled to no special weight in this process.
• The FCC should make clear that LightSquared and its investors should not proceed to make any investment in operating facilities prior to a final FCC decision (or at least make it explicit that they do so at their own risk). While this is the FCC's established policy, it failed to make this explicit in its order.
• Further, the FCC's, and NTIA's, finding that “harmful interference concerns have been resolved” must mean “resolved to the satisfaction of preexisting GPS providers and users.”
• Resolution of interference has to be the obligation of LightSquared, not the extensive GPS user community of millions of citizens. LightSquared must bear the costs of preventing interference of any kind resulting from operations in LightSquared's frequencies. GPS users or providers should not have to bear any of the consequences of LightSquared's actions.
• This is a matter of critical national interest. There must be a reasonable opportunity for public comment of at least 45 days on the report produced by the working group.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association adds its name to an impressive group of Coalition members which include: Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Aeronautical Repair Stations Association, Air Transport Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, Case New Holland, Caterpillar Inc., Edison Electric Institute, Esri, Garmin, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Deere & Company, National Association of Manufacturers, OmniSTAR, and Trimble. Additional members are expected to join in the near future.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association is an international not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 300 manufacturers of specialized farm equipment, more than 260 industry supplier companies and 40 marketing firms. Founded in 1950, the Association is headquarted at 1000 Executive Parkway, Suite 100, St. Louis, Missouri. For more information about the Association, please visit www.FarmEquip.org. ###

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New Tax Law: Just In Time

There is no question that many of the provisions contained in the tax bill signed by President Obama last week are a victory for the manufacturers of specialized farm equipment.

While we believe a repeal of the estate tax and making the Bush-era tax rates permanent would have been more beneficial, this two year relief for small, family owned manufacturers is far better than the 55 percent tax that would have destroyed many family businesses.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association was in part created by multi-generational family manufacturing businesses. The estate tax provisions in this bill will help many of our members, who want to pass down the family businesses to the next generation, without having to sell their assets just to be able to afford this tax.  If the estate tax had been allowed to revert back to the pre-2001 level of 55 percent, on property valued at $1 million, there would have been little, if any chance of family run businesses surviving for the next generation.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association is not alone in praise of the legislation which extended many of the Bush-era tax rates and incentives for renewable fuels. "Securing meaningful estate tax reform for farm and ranch families has been a top priority for the American Farm Bureau Federation," Bob Stallman, the group's president, said. "It offers considerable relief that will help farmers, ranchers and rural communities in these difficult economic times."

The bill raises the threshold for the estate tax to $5 million from $3.5 million in 2009 and reduces the estate tax rate to 35 percent from 45 percent. Couples will be allowed to pass up to $10 million from an estate to their heirs tax free, with assets above $10 million to be taxed at 35 percent.

We are pleased to see many of the provisions in the law that will effect our members and the thousands of workers they employ.

• A two year estate tax with a $5 million per person ($10 million per couple) exemption (indexed for inflation) and a 35 percent rate beyond that.
• Allows businesses to expense 100 percent of the cost of qualified property placed in service after Sept. 8, 2010, and before Jan. 1, 2012. It provides for a 50 percent first year additional depreciation deduction for qualified property placed in service in 2012.
• A two year "patch" to prevent the alternative minimum tax from affecting 25 million
• taxpayers. For 2010, the measure sets the exemption amounts (i.e., the income not subject to taxes under the AMT) at $47,450 for individuals, and $72,450 for couples filing jointly. It increases the exemption amounts for 2011 to $48,450 and $74,450, respectively. It allows various nonrefundable personal credits to be claimed against the AMT in both years.
• A two year extension of the expiring 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for taxpayers at all income levels. An extension for two years of the reduced 15 percent maximum tax rate for capital gains and dividends, as well as the 0 percent rate for those in the lowest two tax brackets.
• Extends through 2012 the maximum child tax credit of $1,000 as well as provisions that expand eligibility for the refundable credit.
• Extends for two years the size of the 15 percent tax bracket and the standard deduction for married couples filing a joint tax return intended to prevent the "marriage penalty" that led some joint filers to pay more than they would as unmarried individuals filing separately.
• Extends through 2012 the rules that simplified and expanded eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and increases the income range at which the credit phases out for married couples.
• A one year extension of the ethanol blender credit at 45 cents (at a cost of $4.9 billion), and the 54 cents import tariff. In addition, the bill extends for one year the 10 cent a gallon, small producer ethanol credit.
• The biodiesel tax credit would be made retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010, and extended through the end of 2011, at a cost of $2 billion over 10 years. The bill extends the $1.00 per gallon production tax credit for biodiesel, as well as the small agri-biodiesel producer credit of 10 cents per gallon. The bill also extends through 2011 the $1.00 per gallon production tax credit for diesel fuel created from biomass.