Members Gather in OKC
The convention drew a lighter crowd than fall conventions before the pandemic but showed significant gains from the 2021 Supply Summit in Kansas City.
Read moreAuthor: Kristi Ruggles
UAW Members to Vote on Third Deere Contract Offer
Union members will vote on the contract Wednesday. The latest agreement is Deere’s “last, best and final offer,” a UAW spokesperson said.
Read more
Steel Companies See Hot Market Extending to 2022
The extended boom in the $180 billion U.S. steel industry that began last year following pandemic-related shutdowns of mills is giving steelmakers more time to bring new plants into service and renew customer contracts at higher prices, executives said.
Read more
What’s Inside the Nation’s Infrastructure Bill?
The new spending bill is an investment that the president has compared to the building of the transcontinental railroad and Interstate Highway System.
Read moreEMDA Elects Leadership
Members of the Equipment Marketing & Distribution Association elected new officers during the convention in Oklahoma City.
Read moreAGI’s Backlog Triples on Farm Equipment Orders
Farm segment trade sales grew 11 percent. Farm backlog is up 202 percent over prior year as of Sept. 30.
Read moreTractor/Combine Sales
Combine sales in the U.S. and Canada in October recorded 73 percent and 44 percent gains, respectively, compared to October 2020.
Read more
Fear of Cost-Prize Squeeze Weakens Farmers’ Moods
Rising input costs are on most producers’ minds.
Read moreDealer News
See the latest in personnel news at Koenig Equipment and a joint venture pending between AgriVision and PrairieLand.
Read more
Association Elects New Leaders
The Board of Directors of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association elected officers at a meeting in Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Read more
Guest Editorial: Is It Better to Hire Wokesters or Felons?
Many U.S. employers said they were willing to hire someone with a record, with more than 28 percent of respondents even willing to hire those with prior records of violent crimes. Good for them. People can be rehabilitated.
Read more
President’s Column: Time, Effort Today Lead to Big Gains
Time is in short supply, which calls on you to use it wisely. Start by tapping into resources available through your membership.
Read more
Truckers: ‘Lazy’ Crane Operators Exacerbate Port Delays
Crane operators who belong to a powerful union and earn up to $250,000 a year are worsening the supply chain crisis by goofing off on the job, frustrated truckers told reporters.
Read more
Art’s Way Reports 27 Percent Sales Increase in Q3
The company saw a 71 percent increase in grinder mixer sales, a 60 percent increase in beet equipment sales, and a 13 percent rise in manure spreader sales for the year to date.
Read more
Fall Convention: Big Enough to Create Buzz, Do Business
“We see a dip in attendance among our Canadian members, which we understand, but of course their presence will be missed,” Executive Vice President Vernon Schmidt said.
Read more
California Bans Gas-Powered Landscaping Equipment
The law requires all newly sold small-motor equipment primarily used for landscaping to be zero-emissions—essentially to be battery operated or plug-in—as early as 2024.
Read more
Dealers Dig Out GPS Units from 2004 for Farmers
“It’s the perfect storm of Tylenol moments,” said AGCO’s Greg Toornman. “It’s one headache after another.”
Read moreChip Shortage Forces Plant Closures at CNH
The shutdowns in Europe will not exceed eight days and will conclude by month’s end.
Read moreTractor Dealer Gets Prison Time for Fraud
The owner of a south Georgia tractor dealership will serve 63 months in prison for bank fraud. He also was ordered to pay $6.3 million in restitution to banks and creditors.
Read moreTractor/Combine Sales
Sales of combines in the U.S. and Canada posted 35 percent and 24 percent gains, respectively, compared to September 2020.
Read more
Kubota to Buy AgJunction
The AgJunction board said the sale “represents the best alternative available for AgJunction to create substantial value for our respective stakeholders …”
Read moreTrouble Begets Trouble: Port Jams Claim Capacity
An analysis shows that the amount of additional capacity required to meet demand is being outstripped by the amount of capacity being held up out of service as it awaits berthing slots.
Read more
Bottlenecks at China Ports More Massive Than In U.S.
“We can expect these growing backlogs across Chinese manufacturers and ports to exacerbate imbalances at U.S. and European ports,” an analyst said. “The challenge is less about achieving full inventory—that ship has sailed—and more about adapting to, and planning for, future disruption.”
Read more
Negotiations Continue Between Deere, Union
The terms of the rejected deal included raises of 5 to 6 percent this year, based on job duties; 3 percent raises in 2023 and 2025; and lump-sum bonuses in three other years.
Read moreLeadership Transitions at Case IH
Brad Crews is now president of the North American region for CNH Industrial, which created a domino effect of other promotions.
Read more
LTL and TL Forecast to Go Higher
Although they’re moving less weight in each parcel, the carriers have hiked their rates to cope with other factors such as labor shortages and capacity restraints.
Read more
Employers Expect Health Care to Rise
Total costs per employee are expected to increase from $12,501 in 2020 to $13,360. Employers are introducing changes to manage costs.
Read moreBiodiesel Gains Market Share, Drives Up Demand for Soy
As bidding gets more aggressive on soybean oil, crushers accelerate production. Before last week’s crop production report, soybean prices hit a 10-year high.
Read moreCorn, Soybean Harvests Ahead of Schedule
The U.S. corn and soybean harvests have passed the halfway mark.
Read more
Case Counts, National Event Research, Suggest Low-Risk, Ordinary Meeting
Research concludes that “you are dramatically less likely to contract COVID-19 at a business event than by simply performing day-to-day activities such as grocery shopping.”
Read moreSpeaker Will Explore Cyber Risk, Member Resource
Josh Linton from Enquiron will join the Association for a breakout session in Oklahoma City to discuss cyber risks and a new, no-cost cyber resource for members.
Read more
Supply Chain Mess Leads to Contract Changes
Companies increasingly are seeking to add provisions to contracts that cover the impact of pandemics or epidemics and accelerating inflation.
Read moreBook Your Flight to OKC
Take a look at the airfares we found Monday to Will Rogers World Airport in OKC.
Read more
Machinery Purchase Plans Affected by Low Inventories
Fewer farmers this month said they planned to increase their machinery purchases than on the August survey. More than half say their farm machinery purchase plans have been impacted by low inventories.
Read moreAssociate Member Sections to Elect Leaders in OKC
The marketing section will hold its traditional fall meeting to elect leadership. The supplier section, which typically elects new board members at Supply Summit, also will elect leaders.
Read moreHere’s to 70 Years! And Five, and 45, and 15 …
Worksaver is celebrating its 70th anniversary as an Association member. Executives there have long optimized their membership through participation.
Read more
Member Resource: Webinars
Get information on researching ERPs, the potential of Manufacturing Extension Partnerships, succession planning, and more.
Read moreTrial Production Begins at New BKT Plant
When the plant begins to operate at capacity, it will employ 500 people and manufacture medium- and small-diameter tires for agricultural and industrial machines.
Read morePower Shortage in China Threatens Food Prices
Among the areas worst hit by the severe energy shortage are northeastern provinces where about half of China’s corn and soybeans are grown.
Read more
Legal Focus: Employee Handbooks Play Critical Role
Employee handbooks are essential for compliance and announce employee expectations. See what the Association’s HR attorneys consider mandatory or near-mandatory policies.
Read more
Cyber Anxiety High, Confidence Low Among Execs
Nearly six in 10 executives say they worry about a cyber attack. One in four has been a victim of such an attack–a 150 percent increase since 2015.
Read moreSupply Chain: Logjams Intensify on East Coast
“We have seen this transition from just-in-time in supply chains to just-in-case, and that is significantly changing our environment,” said Griff Lynch with Georgia Ports Authority.
Read more
Smart Leaders Avoid Saying These Things
Avoid starting a question with “Don’t you agree?” See why, and pick up more tips on phrases to avoid.
Read more
Deere, UAW Reach Tentative Agreement
The current contract expired Friday morning, but a contract extension was approved in the overnight hours so work could continue as negotiations did.
Read moreKubota Expands Operations in U.S. West
“Elk Grove allows us to remain close to our existing employee base while we expand our operations to better serve our dealer network,” said Western Division Manager Kyle Hagen.
Read moreClaas Names New SVP of Americas
Raby joined Claas of America in 2015 and has been president of sales. He now has assumed leadership of Claas sales companies in Brazil and Argentina as well as importer markets throughout Latin America.
Read moreKubota Seeks to Expand in India
This is part of Kubota’s strategy to double down on the growth potential of the tractor market in India.
Read moreEPA Document Suggests Big Hit to Ethanol Demand
U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) denounced the proposal and said on Twitter he would “fight this tooth-and-nail.”
Read moreIowa State Seeks Pros in Ag, Biosystems
Both roles are tenured or tenure-track positions comprised of research, teaching, and professional and institutional service.
Read more
Morsels of Wisdom: Value of Fall Convention
The value of fall convention increases as members return and their networks grow. For those of you who haven’t yet experienced it, consider this.
Read more