AMC Names New Executive Director
Donna Boyd, who has roots in Winnepeg and leadership experience with non-profit organizations, has been named executive director of AMC.
Read moreAuthor: Kristi Ruggles
Dealer News
Check out the latest in dealer news, which includes a new CFO, an expansion, and a store closure.
Read moreGoodman Recognized for Leadership, Service
Andy Goodman, president and CEO of the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association, recently was recognized for his 25 years of service representing equipment dealers. He retires at year’s end.
Read moreSen. Booker Introduces Farm Reform Bill
Sen. Cory Booker this week unveiled a proposed moratorium on expanding large factory farms in a bill aimed at reforming the agriculture system, breaking up monopolistic practices in the industry and holding corporate farms responsible for environmental impacts.
Read moreCorn Yield Contest: Friendly Fun, Innovation
Despite adverse growing conditions that impacted most farmers, improved seed varieties, advanced production techniques and innovative growing practices allowed corn growers to achieve record yields.
Read more
Manufacturers Will Spend Less in 2020
Factory executives forecast capital expenditures will decrease 2.1 percent in 2020, which if realized would be the first annual decline in 11 years. That compares to a reported increase of 6.4 percent in 2019.
Read moreTransportation Insights Acquires FreightPros
Transportation Insight has acquired Meridian Logistics LLC of Austin, Texas, which does business as FreightPros. FreightPros brings “deep expertise” in the LTL brokerage market.
Read more
Ag Industry Engages More in Climate Conversation
Historic weather episodes may be contributing to a shift in thinking among farmers on climate change. “Everybody I talk to, including farmers, they say ‘Yeah, we need to talk about this. … We’re seeing things we’re not used to seeing,” says an Iowa farmer and Trump advisor.
Read more
Groups Launch Program to Battle Farmers’ Stress
The American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, and Farm Credit have introduced a program to train people who work with farmers and ranchers to recognize signs of stress and connect those farmers with professional help.
Read more
Cows Go to Happy Place Using Virtual Reality
A team of developers in Russia has fitted a herd of cows with their own virtual reality glasses. It is an attempt to determine if creating a virtual idyllic setting improves milk production.
Read moreMore Weird News About Cows: A Floating Farm
A company aptly named Floating Farm has created a dairy operation aboard a three-story barge in the Netherlands. The cows live on the top floor and are managed largely by robots.
Read more
Farmers’ Willingness to Invest in Capital Hits 21-Month High
Agricultural economy sentiment in November matched its highest reading of 2019, which included a big bump in how willing farmers are to invest in equipment and other capital.
Read moreTrade Aid Helps Farmers’ Balance Sheets
Nearly one-third of projected U.S. net farm income this year will come from government aid and federally funded commodity insurance payments, according to a forecast issued last week by the USDA.
Read more
Pork Producers Put Dollars to Potential in China
U.S. pork producers see a potential $24.5 billion annual market in China within 10 years if the Trump administration can gain unrestricted trade access after the Asian country’s hog herd has been devastated by disease.
Read more
Ahoy, Soy: Beans Arrive on China’s Shore
American soybeans that were once stranded on ships along China’s coast are now coming ashore. The beans were stranded because although a 30 percent retaliatory tariff had been waived, buyers still had to pay a deposit.
Read moreNet Sales Rise, Forecast Falls for Deere
Deere’s net sales in agriculture and turf increased for the fourth quarter and the year while operating profit fell. The company attributed the dip in operating profit to, among other things, higher production costs and an increase in research-and-development spending.
Read moreDeere Offers Employees Voluntary Separation
Deere rolled out a volunteer employee buyout program last week ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings call.
Read more
Leadership Change at Sukup Manufacturing
Charles Sukup will step down as CEO. His brother, Steve Sukup, the company’s CFO, will take the helm of the family business.
Read moreAGI Reports Rise in Trade Sales
Ag Growth International reported a 7 percent increase in total trade sales for the third quarter of 2019.
Read more
Cattle Ranchers Fight Fake Meat Movement
Cattle ranchers and their allies are pushing regulators to scrutinize alternative meat-makers, recruiting food scientists to test plant-based products for potential health risks, and ramping up counter-campaigns to highlight beef’s nutritional benefits. They’ve even drafted responses to questions posed to digital assistants.
Read moreSummit Details Taking Shape, Dates Shift Slightly
Association staff members are in Albuquerque this week exploring the city on behalf of Supply Summit attendees and examining how our group can best use space in the hotel. As the schedule has taken shape, we have tweaked the dates of the meeting to extend it by one day.
Read more
White House Restores Metals Tariffs in South America
President Donald Trump on Monday said he would restore tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina. He said the countries have been “presiding over a massive devaluation of their currencies, which is not good for our farmers.”
Read moreChina Deal (and Tariff Deadline) Are Close
President Trump told reporters Monday that China wants to find common ground in trade negotiations. Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Trump, said a trade deal with China is possible by year’s end. New tariffs are scheduled to take effect Dec. 15.
Read more
USMCA Pact Nears Finish Line
It is down to the details in passing USMCA. A coalition to which the Association belongs says the agreement pays unprecedented attention to small businesses and boosts opportunities for ag.
Read more
Mainstreet Index Rises to Highest Level of 2019
The Rural Mainstreet Index for November climbed above growth neutral for the fourth time in the past five months. The confidence index also improved.
Read more
RCI to Buy Ag-Bag from CNHi
RCI has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Ag-Bag product line from CNH Industrial America. The products will be marketed under the Ag-Bag by RCI brand name.
Read moreCommentary: In Spite of Headlines, the World is Not Getting Worse
There is a natural human bias toward bad news. Frequently, however, the bad-news bias gives us a highly inaccurate picture of the world. The truth is that while there is plenty to worry about on any given day, the world is generally getting better.
Read more
Overtime Rule Takes Effect Soon
The Department of Labor’s new overtime rule takes effect Jan. 1. Find out what it means for your business and take these steps to prepare.
Read moreCanadian Rail Strike Ends, Ag Hopes for Quick Recovery
Canada’s longest railroad strike in a decade ended last week. “Now we can hope that things can get back to normal in quick fashion. It’s cost a lot of money to farmers already,” said Markus Haerle, chairman of the Grain Farmers of Ontario.
Read more
Comments Close on Biofuels Rule, NCGA Persists
The comment period closed last week on the EPA’s supplemental proposed rule for the 2020 biofuels blending mandate. The NCGA said the proposal would provide half of what President Trump committed to farm-state senators.
Read moreDeal Expands U.S. Rice Market in South Korea
The White House has struck a deal with South Korea that offers steadier access to the Korean market for U.S. rice growers.
Read more
French Farmers Protest: ‘We’re the New Scapegoat’
French farmers angered by government policies that they say threaten their livelihoods drove convoys of tractors into Paris last week and threw hay across Champs-Elysees Avenue.
Read more
EMDA Elects New Leadership
Members of the Equipment Marketing & Distribution Association elected new leadership at their 2019 Fall Convention in St. Louis.
Read moreUSDA: Harvest Lags Behind Historic Average
Harvests for corn, soybeans, and cotton is not as far along as the average of previous years.
Read moreMember News: Vermeer’s Mary Andringa Honored for Leadership, Innovation
Mary Andringa of Vermeer Corp. has been named as the newest inductee into the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Hall of Fame.
Read more
Save the Date!
Read more
A Special Thanks to These Members
The Association enjoyed the financial partnership of several of its member companies at the 2019 Marketing & Distribution Convention. Their
Read moreNew Directors & Officers Elected at Convention
Janea Danuser will lead the Association in 2020. Members of the Board of Directors elected her as president last week. They also elected Ben Hellbusch to an officer’s role. At a separate meeting, regular members elected four new executives to the Board of Directors. Meet them here.
Read more
China Lifts Ban on U.S. Chicken, Opens Market Amid Pork Shortage
The opportunity to fill China’s pork gap with chicken has U.S. poultry executives salivating. China has lifted a ban put in place after the avian flu outbreak in 2015. With the country losing much of its swine herd, it is hungry for protein and importing chicken again.
Read more
Uncertainty Lingers Over Pact with China
President Donald Trump said that the U.S. hasn’t agreed to roll back all tariffs on China, muddying hopes raised by China and even some of the president’s own aides that the U.S. was ready to lift some tariffs to secure a trade deal.
Read more
Scenes from the Marketing & Distribution Convention
More than 400 executives from the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association and the Equipment Marketing & Distribution Association gathered in St.
Read moreAlamo Group Releases Q3 Earnings
Alamo Group President and CEO Ron Robinson characterized the quarterly results as a “mixed bag.” In spite of record-setting net sales, net income fell for the quarter.
Read moreTitan International Reports Drop in Net Sales
Titan International reports that net sales for the third quarter are down by 10 percent. For the first nine months of the fiscal year, net sales are down by 7.4 percent.
Read moreRaven Acquires Two Autonomous Ag Technologies
Raven Industries has acquired a majority interest in Dot Technologies and Smart Ag. The moves are part of Raven’s five-year plan to invest more heavily in autonomous ag.
Read more
USDA Sends Hurricane Aid to Southern Farmers
The USDA is providing up to $800 million in block grants to states hit by Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018. A spokesperson said $381 million will go to Florida, $337 million to Georgia and $25 million to Alabama.
Read more
More Trade Aid On Its Way to Farmers
USDA is moving forward with a second batch of direct payments for farmers and ranchers burned by retaliatory tariffs.
Read more
Farmers Show Greater Willingness to Make Big Purchases
Producers who responded to the Purdue University survey in October thought more favorably about making big investments. The index rose to within eight points of its peak.
Read moreNew Interface Enables Different Brands of Equipment to Share Data
Farmers and contractors operating fleets of machinery from different brands soon will be able to securely exchange and view machine data through a common interface. The tool enables the seamless, automatic and real-time exchange of machine data between the various machine brand platforms.
Read moreCNH Announces Earnings, Acquisitions
Net sales in industrial activities for CNH were down by 6 percent compared to the third quarter of 2018. CNH Industrial also recently announced the acquisition of K-Line Ag and ATI, Inc.
Read more
These Are Tough Days for Ag, But Not the Toughest
The ERS notes that agriculture is”in a less prosperous and potentially vulnerable period,” but conditions still are not as bad as the 1980s farm crisis, primarily because of farmland values.
Read more