Deere Pauses Production, Lays Off Workers
The pause in production is expected to last 15 days. It is the result of disruption in the supply chain and weakened demand.
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Majority of States Begin to Reopen
At least 30 states have started to allow some businesses to operate or announced plans to do so in May. Find the status of every state on the Association’s web site.
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Trade Groups Want to Delay Start of USMCA
The much-celebrated USMCA has become a worry for some as the July 1 start date approaches while the world responds to COVID-19.
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Hemp Appears Immune to Coronavirus
Upheaval in the supply chain has been less disruptive to hemp growers than more traditional producers. Pandemic restrictions may even be driving up CBD sales.
Read moreBenchmark Survey Deadline Extended to Due May 22
The company report includes a one-page summary and breaks out 17 key criteria such as net profit margin, payroll as a percent of net sales, and cash cycle. Participants also get a data comparison to participating companies of similar size.
Read moreMember Resources Bring Added Value During Virus
As member companies continue to face a new reality, the Association wants to remind you of a service always available to regular members and a new, virus-specific service.
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Missing Mailed Shortliner? It Will Be Back.
The past several issues of Shortliner have been digital-only. That will change when more of us are again working in offices.
Read moreDealer News
A group in Idaho has expanded its footprint throughout the northern part of the state.
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Your Local Talent Pipeline May Be Gaining Strength
The Association has contributed $28,000 over two years to support teachers pursuing training that will help them equip high school students with skills for careers in farm equipment. See the list of winners, and let us know if we can make an introduction.
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Employers Must Now Use New I-9 Form
Employers had until last week to completely transition to the revised form. Find the new form here.
Read moreBKT Adopts Mitigation Plan, Resumes Production in India
The company has introduced a series of safety protocols, including providing housing to workers.
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Sales Fall at Rocky Mountain
Sales decreased 24.7 percent compared to the same quarter last year. Among challenges: China’s canola embargo, rail protests, farmer hesitation, and COVID-19.
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ASABE Revises Standard for Ladders, Walkways
The revisions bring the standard into alignment with an update from OSHA and modern ladder requirements.
Read moreNebraska, Iowa Farm Shows Get New Names
Show Director Tom Junge said the names “better reflect the evolution of agriculture and our farm shows.”
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Farmers’ Moods Reflect National Mood of Caution
Data released Tuesday shows that the optimism farmers felt after the 2016 election has all but faded as a result of uncertainty around COVID-19.
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Deadline Extended. Benchmark Data Due May 22.
The survey is a benefit of membership that offers respondents insights into plant profitability, productivity, and financial management. Participants receive a customized company report that offers comparisons to participating companies of similar size. Your information is completely confidential.
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Cut Out the Noise Using Resources Curated for You.
Workplace rules are changes as more states transition to reopening the economy. Avoid the media filters and find what you need as you navigate employee safety and consider getting your sales team back on the road.
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Payroll Protection Funding to be Replenished Quickly
Analysts anticipate that the new fund could be depleted by early next week. Association members who have not yet pursued the forgivable loans are urged to act quickly. A new member benefit that offers no-cost consultations with experts on the loan process can help.
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Members Receive No-Cost Consults on Payroll Loans
In partnership with KCoe Isom, the Association is offering members no-cost, 60-minute consultations with experts on business and financial questions related to COVID-19.
Read moreKcoe Offers Tips on How to Use Loans, Debt Forgiveness
Kcoe Isom has compiled answers to frequently asked questions related to Payroll Protection Program.
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Farmers to Receive Cash Payments, Mass Purchases
The White House announced a $19 billion economic rescue package for farmers and ranchers. The plan calls for making cash payments to producers as well as mass purchases of commodities to be distributed to food banks.
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Ethanol Industry Excluded from Farm Relief Package
USDA’s $19 billion aid plan doesn’t include any money for ethanol, despite an all-out push by the industry. Secretary Perdue said there simply wasn’t enough money to go around.
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Lawmakers Propose More Workplace Virus Protections
The new standards would require companies to develop protocols for each element of an entire program. The so-called emergency temporary standard would give regulators the power to issue citations or fines.
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Virus Idles Steel Plants
U.S. mills are operating at 56 percent of capacity, down from 80 percent in 2019, and steel output across the country has fallen by a third in three weeks.
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China Still Expected to Dial Up Soy Purchases
China’s hog herd is recovering well from African swine fever. The country is expected to accelerate soybean purchases from the U.S. between May and August.
Read moreACI Opens Tennessee Facility
The new facility will better serve ACI’s East Coast and southeastern U.S. customers.
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More Funding for Small Business Certain But Stalled
Lawmakers agree that small business businesses need more in a COVID-19 rescue package, but negotiations stalled over details. Resolution is expected this week.
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Opinion: Unemployment Pay Hike May Drive Up Wages
The extra $600 benefit enacted by Congress is overkill for many workers, leading to perverse incentives.
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Resource Recap: Programs for Small Businesses
Small businesses have a number of resources to consider as part of a massive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Forbes has developed a list of state, federal and community services and updates it frequently. Find it here.
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Q1 Sales Rise at Art’s Way
The company enjoyed top-line growth in every segment during the quarter that ended Feb. 29, but COVID-19 has dashed optimism for a strong 2020.
Read moreVermeer Announces Intermittent Shutdowns
Vermeer plans to schedule intermittent shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting reduction in product demand.
Read moreBridgestone Reopens North American Plants
Bridgestone Americas reopened its North American manufacturing plants after temporarily shutting down in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
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CDC: How to Handle Workers Who Have Been Exposed
Essential workers who have been exposed to the coronavirus can continue to come to work but must observe this practices.
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Trump Calls for Additional Support for Farmers
The White House wants the USDA to move quickly in distributing a new $16 billion aid package to U.S. producers.
Read moreCanada Reports Sobering Unemployment Data
Employment in Canada cratered in March, wiping away more than three years of job creation in a month and underlining the economic pain the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered in North America.
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Protein Processing Plants Hit Hard by Virus
Smithfield Foods, which processes about 5 percent of U.S. pork, has closed indefinitely in response to a significant number of COVID-19 cases at the plant.
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Tips from the EPA on Disinfecting Your Plant
Check out this list of
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Capacity for Raw Steel Falls
The current week production represents a 33.6 percent decrease from the same week last year
Read moreSIMA Reschedules Next Show
The COVID-19 outbreak made the fall show difficult to plan. SIMA returns to its new fall schedule in 2022.
Read moreIn Memoriam: Floyd Steinman
Steinman is survived by his wife of 61 years–Anna Mae.
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Borrowers, Bankers Hit Glitches in SBA Loan Kickoff
By Monday morning, the SBA had approved more than 100,000 loans totaling $30 billion in spite of glitches in the application process. Find a link to the loan application here.
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Shift in Consumer Dining Habits Hits Farmers
The COVID-19 pandemic has left restaurants shuttered and created a frenetic pace at grocery stores, which has led to a shift in the food supply chain that stands to reshape agriculture in the short-term.
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Commentary: Consider This an Opportunity to Reset
A crisis offers an opportunity to reset the business and to raise the internal sense of urgency to make changes. Consider these strategies during this drama
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Industry Moves
Find out what’s been happening with Kubota, CNH Industrial, Raven Industries, and DOT Technology.
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USMCA Delayed, Tariff Relief Anticipated
Lawmakers and business groups have ramped up pressure on the administration to grant tariff relief to companies reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. The virus also has forced a delay in the start date for USMCA.
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Dealer News
Find out who has acquired whom in deals that include a New Holland dealership in Alberta and Deere operations in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Read moreBraking Standard to Affect Towed Implement Makers
A years-long industry project to develop five new braking standards for agriculture equipment is complete. ASABE also recently published a revised standard for lighting and marketing requirements on field equipment.
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Pandemic Sends Ag Economy Barometer Downward
The survey by Purdue University and the CME Group captured an anxiety among farmers that is indicative of the national mood.
Read moreStimulus Offers Loans with Option for Forgiveness
The $2.2 trillion response deal allows small businesses to acquire grants and loans up to 125 percent of their payroll with the opportunity for loan forgiveness for businesses that can quickly ramp up or sustain their workforces.
Read moreDOL Clarifies Questions on New Families First Act
Clarifications issued Friday help employers make sense of the intermittent leave policy and how FFCRA works for businesses affected by closures or stay-at-home orders.
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