Beijing is gearing up to use its dominance of rare earths to hit back in its deepening trade war with the U.S. China supplies about 80 percent of U.S. imports of rare earths, which are used in a host of applications from smartphones to electric vehicles and wind turbines.

Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc., has promoted Ross Unverferth to corporate distribution manager and Trevor Langhals to forecast analysis manager.

For the second month in a row, agricultural producer sentiment as measured by the Ag Economy Barometer experienced a significant decline.

Farmers are struggling to find mechanics trained to maintain their 21st-century equipment or workers who understand the complexities of modern farming. Among factors contributing to the problem is a “staggeringly low number” of students graduating with degrees science, technology, engineering, or math.

Allis Roller and HCC, Inc., have begun Allis Roller HCC, which will serve major ag equipment manufacturers in South America.

It has been a few steps forward and potentially a step back in the trade relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. President Trump said Monday that Mexico is sending a delegation to Washington to discuss immigration issues, which could stall a threat of new tariffs. Meanwhile, Secretary Perdue plans to meet with Mexico’s agriculture minister soon.

Titan International reported a 3.5 percent drop in revenue in its first quarter. The company reported revenues in agriculture were down by a little more than 1 percent.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed into law a measure prohibiting local governments in the state from creating right-to-work zones. The act says that only the state can enact laws relating to collective bargaining in Illinois.

The U.S. Congress on Monday approved legislation providing $19.1 billion in emergency funding for disaster recovery efforts throughout the U.S. The president is expected to sign the legislation, which will, among other things, help farmers hit by recent flooding.

Deere lowered its sales projection for fiscal 2019 during its most recent quarterly earnings report. This was the sixth consecutive quarter in which Deere missed on earnings. CEO Sam Allen cited challenges facing the industry as a whole.

Cervus Equipment posted a 6 percent drop in consolidated revenues for the first quarter of 2019 and reported that used equipment sales increased by a record-setting 21 percent.

Check out the latest in acquisitions, expansions, and store openings.

The Trump administration has decided to allow year-round sale of gasoline with a 15 percent mix of ethanol, which has historically been at the pumps for eight months a year. The rule is expected to be effective any day.

Some crop prices are vaulting higher as massive disruption on U.S. farms raises concerns about the size and quality of this year’s harvest. Corn futures leapt more than 14 percent in May, putting them on course for their best month since June 2015. Wheat prices have jumped 13 percent.

While first period numbers were flat, an analyst expects growth at AGI will be weighted toward the second half of 2019. See what’s contributing to the forecast.

President Trump has rolled out a $16 billion plan to help farmers hit by the trade conflict with China. The plan primarily consists of direct payments to U.S. farmers.

“Farmers themselves will tell you they’d rather have trade than aid,” said Ag Secretary Perdue, but in the absence of a deal, “they’ll need some support.”

Presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar has unveiled three agricultural policy priorities: expanding farm loans, helping farmers facing bankruptcy, and overhauling EPA’s process for granting small refineries exemptions from biofuel blending requirements.

Jeff Mounts, marketing coordinator at ESP International has been named the 2019 Employee Owner of the Year by The ESOP Association.

The latest news includes an earnings report, a consolidation, and a relocation.

Deere will pay $1 million for violating air quality standards over a roughly 13-year period at a diesel-engine testing center. Deere did not contest the allegations as part of the settlement with the state of Iowa.

Reports say China’s hog production has dropped 21 percent since the first outbreak of African Swine Fever, but an economist for the American Farm Bureau has heard rumblings that the problem is actually much worse. The disease will reduce demand for soybeans in China and increase demand for pork.

The White House has expressed frustration with China during what many analysts believed would be the final days of trade talks. President Trump plans to increase to 25 percent a set of tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods. He also threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on an additional $325 billion of goods imported from China.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Friday that the U.S. could reach a trade deal with Japan by the end of this month, far exceeding all prior expectations.

Nearly 1,200 Wisconsin dairy farms have stopped milking cows since 2016, with 212 folding this year. Wisconsin herds are below 8,000, or half, compared to 15 years ago.

Alaska saw a 30 percent increase in its number of farms since the 2012 ag census. The state has been characterized as the “wild West” in terms of farm development, and its constant sunlight during peak season gives its fruits and veggies a little something extra.

A quarterly earnings report from AGCO reveals growth in its Europe/Middle East market and the Asia/Pacific/Africa region. North American and South American sales dipped slightly.

Check out the most time-sensitive standards at ASABE. See the more complete list of standards online.

Assembled Products, Inc. has been named an Enterprise Supply Management Supplier of the Year by John Deere.

In both state legislatures and national politics, rural America in general, and farm equipment in particular, is getting attention. That makes this the right time to pay attention and to speak up.

Mechanical engineer Nety Park has been promoted to technical product manager at PEER Chain.

Farmers throughout the Corn Belt are severely behind the five-year average when it comes to planting corn. The delay has farmers weighing their options with alternative crops and evaluating crop insurance coverage “with respect to their opportunities.”

The Association extends a note of gratitude to these new member applicants and member companies celebrating milestone anniversaries in May.

Farm equipment dealers asked to anonymously evaluate the manufacturers whose lines they carry gave favorable ratings to shortline manufacturers. In fact, the shortline group outperformed tractor-makers and full-line manufacturers in every category.

It’s time to stop worrying that robots will take our jobs—and start worrying that they will decide who gets jobs. Millions of low-paid workers’ lives are increasingly governed by software and algorithms.

Alamo Group reported record net income and record net sales for the quarter ended March 31. In spite of a slow start in agriculture, President and CEO Ron Robinson is optimistic the category will show improvement in the second and third quarters.

The U.S. EPA said last week that glyphosate, a chemical in many popular weed killers, is not a carcinogen, contradicting decisions by U.S. juries that found it caused cancer in people.

The USDA released a report that puts at tens of billions of dollars the economic benefit that improvements in rural broadband could have on the U.S. economy.

PepsiCo has sued four farmers in India claiming that they are illegally growing the potato used in Lay’s chips. A farmer forum for India has called for a boycott of PepsiCo products and asked the government to intervene.

While there is agreement on Capitol Hill that it’s time to ratify the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement, differences exist on what has to happen to get to finish line. Representatives from both parties are asking for change.

Brussels last week agreed to launch trade talks with the U.S. but warned it would back out if Trump refuses to lift industrial tariffs or slaps new duties on European exports. Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley shot back his own warning, saying that if the trade talks exclude agriculture, it’s unlikely a final agreement would be ratified.

The New NAFTA would be an overall win for U.S. ag, but it would allow for only “slight increases” in exports of some commodities, according to an analysis from the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Discover what’s new with dealerships in Iowa, Texas, and Kansas, and see who’s been named to a leadership role with a dealer group in Canada.

Kuhn-Krause recently announced plans to furlough 160 employees during May. President Greg Patrus said the company is “re-balancing” while farmers

The federal guest worker program received a record-setting number of requests for seasonal workers in 2018. As the labor shortage continues, farmers turn to automation and consider planting less labor-intensive crops.

Shipments of American soybeans last week were at the lowest level since before the U.S.-China trade war. Some farm groups now fear the administration would accept Chinese purchase target pledges without a promise to lift retaliatory tariffs.

Jack Vassar, who began his tenure as president of Vassar Manufacturing Co. in the late 1960s and was elected as president of this Association in 1972, died Sunday, April 14. He was 92.

The 2018 Farm Bill increased the amount that producers can borrow through USDA’s Farm Service Agency and made changes to other loans. The Fed reported that despite ongoing demand for farm loans and adjustments to lending portfolios, delinquency rates have remained low.