EMDA Elects New Leadership
Members of the Equipment Marketing & Distribution Association elected new leadership at their 2019 Fall Convention in St. Louis.
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USDA: Harvest Lags Behind Historic Average
Harvests for corn, soybeans, and cotton is not as far along as the average of previous years.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Alamo 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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New 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.
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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 moreDealer Release News of Earnings, Expansion
Earnings reports show farmers continue to be conservative in choosing to invest in equipment.
Read moreEDA Announces New Board Chairman
The Equipment Dealers Association has elected a new chairman for its board.
Read moreFABTECH Changes Dates for Chicago Event
Beginning in 2021, FABTECH Chicago will shift its dates to September.
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PEER Chain Appoints National Sales Manager
Kevin Shrout has been named national sales manager of PEER Chain. He brings 29 years of distribution experience to the role.
Read moreAg Group Offers Lobbying Resource to Encourage Passage of USMCA
The Agriculture Retailers Association has created a tool that helps proponents of the new NAFTA reach out to lawmakers to urge passage of the trade deal.
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See Compensation for Manufacturing Workforce in These States
Take a look at the annual compensation for manufacturing employees in these states, plus the states’ percentage of workforce employed by manufacturing and the sector’s economic output.
Read moreEmployers’ Legal Responsibilities Around Marijuana
As more states legalize marijuana, employers seek guidance on their workplace policies. That guidance is available to members on this issue and many others.
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Projected Ag Exports to China Would Shatter Previous Amounts
China wants a rollback in tariffs in the trade war before it can feasibly agree to buy as much as $50 billion of American agriculture products.
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Custom Products of Litchfield 60th Anniversary
This month Custom Products of Litchfield hosted an open house to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Association president Nick Jensen made
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Fine Print on Ethanol Proposal Disappoints
Details released last week as part of the Trump administration’s proposal to boost ethanol are getting low marks from corn farmers and ethanol advocates.
Read moreFarm Equipment Index Moves Toward Growth
The October farm equipment-sales index improved to 39.7 from September’s 35.9. This reading is the highest it has been since June, although at the below-50 mark, it does not yet represent growth in the market.
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Hemp’s THC Levels Critical, Unpredictable
Factors such as elevation, rain, and temperature can affect the THC level of the hemp plant. If the THC creeps too high, the plant becomes marijuana, which is illegal.
Read moreHemp Production Outpaces Infrastructure
A company that manufactures extraction machines used to make CBD estimates that as much as $7.5 billion in hemp may rot on farms.
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Art’s Way Sees Top-Line Growth, Ag Sales Dip
Despite an overall sales decrease, Art’s Way saw increased sales for the nine-month period in land maintenance equipment, plows, beet equipment, bale processors and dump boxes.
Read moreDealer News
Check out this merger in Missouri and Illinois and an acquisition in Arkansas.
Read moreDot Technology Establishes Subsidiary
Dot Technology Corp. has established a subsidiary to focus on computer vision, machine learning optimization, and intelligent navigation.
Read moreDeere Reduces Workforce
Deere recently announced indefinite layoffs amid demand woes.
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Farmers Feel Better About Tomorrow, Worry More About Today
Although the Ag Economy Barometer dipped only slightly, there was a relatively large sentiment shift among ag producers as they were noticeably more pessimistic about current conditions but somewhat more optimistic about future economic conditions.
Read moreU.S. Pork Exports Spike
Export sales of American pork soared earlier this month as buyers stocked up in anticipation of a widening protein gap created by the spread of a pig-killing disease in Asia.
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Beef Prices Rise in Response to Demand in Asia
Cattle prices in the U.S. have risen since September as a protein shortage in Asia drives bets that livestock will be in increasingly high demand.
Read moreReal ID: What Travelers Need to Know
Nearly 40 percent of Americans do not have a form of identification that will be accepted by airport security beginning Oct. 1, 2020.
Read moreEU’s Wine, Whiskey, Cheese Facing Tariffs
The U.S. will impose tariffs on about $7.5 million worth of products imported from the European Union.
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Succession: Clues to Know if Your Planning Falls Short
Have you spent the last 40 years building your company just to hand it over to the highest bidder? Take a look at these five indicators.
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Prepare for Changes to W-4
New employees must complete the new W-4 form in 2020, as will employees who wish to adjust their withholding.
Read moreNews from ASABE
See the latest from ASABE related to lighting and marking, speed identification signs, braking for towed equipment, and more.
Read moreWeird News: Angry Farmers Beat, Drag Mayor
Angry farmers were arrested in southern Mexico recently after they allegedly dragged the village mayor out of his office, beat him, and then tied him to a pickup truck and dragged him through the streets of the town.
Read moreEgg Glut Hurts Ag Economy
Too many hens laying too many eggs are pushing down prices for the consumer staple, hurting sales at producers and adding more stress to the farm economy.
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September 2019 Tractor & Combine Sales
Highlights of tractor/combine sales for September 2019 are from the AEM – Flash Reports.
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Association Partners with ASABE to Provide Resources, Advocacy for Members
Manufacturing members of this Association who do not belong to ASABE are entitled to a CD or USB card that contains 275 current ASAE/ASABE standards, engineering practices, and data. This is a $650 value, and it is only part of what the Association offers members in standards advocacy and resources.
Read moreFederal Crop Insurance to Increase Payments
Farmers who could not plant a crop this year because of flooding will receive extra assistance from the federal crop insurance program. An economist from the U of I said the payment “is more generous than I expected.”
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U.S., Japan Reach Agreement on Trade
A limited trade deal between the U.S. and Japan will deliver similar access to Japan’s agricultural market that Tokyo was offering under the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It also will help producers keep pace with competing nations that are now benefiting from their own trade agreements with Japan.
Read moreWhite House Seeks Solution for Corn Growers, Ethanol
The White House is putting together a deal to mitigate damage done to corn growers and the ethanol industry as a result of waivers being granted to small oil refineries. Ethanol advocates are asking for the administration to remain committed to the 15-million gallons a year called for in the Renewal Fuel Standard.
Read moreDeere Turns to U.S. After Growth Overseas Stalls
John May, Deere’s incoming chief executive, will narrow the company’s focus to enhancing technology and growing the U.S. market. This is a pivot from CEO Sam Allen’s emphasis on selling more equipment in developing markets overseas.
Read moreAfrican Swine Fever Advances in Asia
South Korea has now been hit with African swine fever. A veterinarian with the National Pork Board said the global outlook continues to worsen.
Read moreChina Buys Ag Products of ‘Considerable Scale’
Chinese buyers have “completed deals to buy soybeans and pork of considerable scale.” Negotiators are due to resume talks this month in Washington.
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