Happy Anniversary, and Thanks for Joining
We publish these company names each month as a reminder that the Association continues to build upon its strength as an organization with fresh ideas and long-standing wisdom.
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Members Can Sell, Buy Surplus Supplies
Unverferth has more than 1,000 bolts and nuts for sale to other member companies. They are selling the supplies through the Association as part of a member benefit.
Read morePöttinger Expands in Austria
On the same day that operations began, the company broke ground on a second phase of expansion at the site.
Read moreBrandt Plans to Add 1,000-Plus Jobs
The Brandt Group of Companies plans to hire more than 1,000 new employees this year with the biggest expansions in Hudson, Ill., and two locations in Saskatchewan.
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Louisiana Passes Law on Machinery Repurchases
Legislators in Louisiana recently passed changes to a law that relates to the repurchase of certain machinery by a wholesaler or manufacturer.
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112 Percent Increase in Open Jobs
Some 1.4 million people were laid off or furloughed from February to April 2020. But as of May, manufacturers were trying to fill 851,000 positions—a record high for the industry and a 112 percent increase since last February.
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Commodity, Consumer Prices May Prompt Fed Rate Hike
The world hasn’t seen such across-the-board commodity-price increases since the beginning of the global financial crisis, and before that, the 1970s. Corn, soybeans and wheat have jumped to their highest levels in eight years.
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Shipping Costs Create Pricing Problems in Every Sector
The surge is the cost of freight is threatening to boost the price of products across virtually all sectors. One analyst suggests that the longer these extreme shipping freight rates last, the more companies will take measures to shorten their supply chains.
Read moreSpread of Virus Further Jams Freight in China
Amid a surge in COVID cases, ports issued notices suspending vessels from entering ports without reservations. The ports are only accepting bookings for export-bound containers.
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Half of States Stop Unemployment Boost
The U.S. Chamber has argued that one in four recipients of unemployment compensation are making more than they earned while working.
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Tractor/Combine Sales
Sales of big machines saw big growth in May.
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Equipment Dealer Cheats Lenders, Manufacturers
In total, three banks, the SBA and manufacturer financing divisions lost $6.4 million because of the fraud.
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White House to Launch Supply Chain Task Force
The task force will address the bottlenecks in the agriculture, construction, transportation and semiconductor sectors.
Read moreWhite House Pitches 15 Percent Minimum Corporate Tax
It is a response to situations in which companies have avoided paying federal income taxes despite turning a profit.
Read moreIt’s Back: Obama-Era Clean Water Rule Revisited
In response, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said that “clean water and clarity are paramount, and that is why farmers shouldn’t need a team of lawyers and consultants to farm.”
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Association Webinar: Tax Credits for Manufacturers
Participants will learn about the Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit and Employee Retention Credit. The webinar is 9 to 10 a.m. Central on Tuesday, June 29. Go to FarmEquip.org/taxwebinar.
Read moreHow Do You Take Your News?
In the spirit of helping you manage the pile of papers on your desk and the number of emails in your inbox, the Association invites you to tell us how you prefer to receive this publication.
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Dealer News
A Florida dealership has expanded, and a former Deere exec joins All States Ag Parts.
Read moreHappy Anniversary, and Thanks for Joining
Every company strengthens our presence in the industry and enriches our opportunities to learn from one another, influence policy, and solve problems together. Your membership matters.
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Manufacturers Not Part of OSHA’s New COVID Order
Initial communication on the order suggested it would apply to all industries, but White House officials said the science didn’t call for that.
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Employers Step Up Vaccine Push
Employers are becoming more assertive in their quest to get employees vaccinated, emboldened by guidance from the EEOC.
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JBS Paid $11 Million Ransom in Cyberattack
JBS reports that the hackers do not appear to have gotten away with company, customer or employee data. The White House has linked Russia to the episode.
Read moreStellar Industries Buys MD Products and Solutions
Employee-owned Stellar Industries has acquired MD Products and Solutions, which makes ag and utility trailer products.
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Leverage Government Support to Strengthen Workforce
Pandemic stimulus programs offer a few great opportunities to recruit and retain employees in this labor market, and they are not all based on demonstrating hardship.
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Stay Ahead of Google Updates
and In Front of Customers
How well your website ranks on Google’s search engine results pages will now be impacted by how well your website performs for users.
Read moreRaven Enters Agreement with AGCO, Others
Raven’s Dominic Walkes said the “expertise of each organization will undoubtedly provide industry changing solutions for some of agriculture’s greatest challenges.”
Read moreVaderstad Acquires AGCO-AMITY JV
The acquisition offers the Väderstad Group access to distribution outlets in the U.S., as well as a U.S. manufacturing facility and the “benefit from the heritage and strong reputation of the Wil-Rich, Wishek and Concord brands.”
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Farmers Receive 14 Cents of Each Dollar Spent on Food
A decade ago, farmers received 17.6 cents of each dollar spent on food by Americans.
Read moreDeere Sees Upswing in Sales of Larger Models
The sale of farm and turf equipment climbed 8 percent in the second quarter, Deere said, and the company expects sales for the year to climb by up to 15 percent.
Read moreNew Alamo CEO Joins Company’s Board
Jeffery Leonard succeeded Ron Robinson on Monday and was appointed to the board of directors on the same day.
Read moreRecommend a Member Exec for Board of Directors
Nominees should serve in leadership positions in their companies and have a history of engagement in Association work and the farm equipment industry.
Read moreIn Memoriam: Ward McConnell
The elder McConnell’s tenure at Art’s Way is a single chapter in a career narrative like no other.
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U.S. Initiates Trade Dispute Against Canadian Dairy
The U.S. alleges that Canada is not upholding the terms of USMCA and using a system to set aside a s hare of the dairy market exclusively for Canadian processors.
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Demand from China Leads to Surge in U.S. Ag Exports
Analysts forecast that China, reclaiming its spot as the No. 1 customer, will account for $1 of every $5 in overseas sales this year.
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Cyberattack Closes Meat Plants
The attack on JBS threatens to disrupt food supply chains and further inflate food prices.
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Barometer: Farmers Reluctant to Build
A drop in the Capital Investment Index for May is weighted by producers’ reluctance to invest in construction, which took a harder hit than their willingness to invest in equipment.
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Mainstreet Index Soars to New High
The May farm equipment-sales index rose to its highest level since 2013, and the confidence index expanded.
Read moreAg Revenue Up Nearly 19 Percent at Titan Machinery
The agriculture segment generated pre-tax income growth of 82 percent during the three months that ended April 30.
Read moreDealers Plan Construction, Expansions
Dealers in Louisiana, Montana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky are expanding their footprints in the equipment industry.
Read moreIn Memoriam: Ben Overholser, Stephen Jay White
Both men had lifetime careers in the farm equipment sales industry.
Read moreJudge Rules Against Bayer
The company stands by the safety of glyphosate and is committed to keeping it available for farmers.
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GOP Counteroffers on Infrastructure Proposal
President Biden looks to fund the infrastructure bill in part by raising the U.S. corporate tax rate to 28 percent. GOP proposals call for sourcing money from unused funds for expanded COVID-19 benefits.
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PPP Applications End, Reviews on Apps Continue
The federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program closed to new applications Friday as funding was on track to be exhausted. The SBA said the program received 125,000 loan requests in its last 24 hours.
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Build Your Workforce, Connect with Gen Z
When organizations create an atmosphere where people love to work, it’s a gamechanger.
Read moreCLAAS Begins Operations at ‘Future Factory’
The company characterizes the investment as a “complete renewal of assembly equipment and digital transformation of the plant” and a “rethink of many complex processes.”
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Need Help Getting Workers? Use This Tax Credit.
Some larger employers have been offering hiring bonuses. But can small businesses afford the same? Thanks to a little-known federal tax program, the answer could be yes.
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‘No Company Safe’ from Cybercrime, Sentry Offers Help
“Cybersecurity will be the issue of this decade in terms of how much worse it is going to get,” according to the CEO of IBM. Association partner Sentry has a resource to help.
Read moreTitan Expects Hot Market to Continue
CEO Paul Reitz said he expects upward trends in the agricultural sector to continue, “ and in some cases even improve throughout 2021 into 2022.”
Read moreValmont to Acquire Prospera
The announcement said the transaction will create the largest global, vertically-integrated AI company in agriculture.
Read moreFormer Deere Exec Joins Sukup
John Teeple’s professional experience includes more than 23 years at John Deere in leadership positions.
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