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.

The Rural Mainstreet Index for April stood at growth neutral. The farm equipment-sales index dipped, and the confidence index enjoyed a four-point bump.

U.S. and Japanese trade officials have pledged to accelerate negotiations. They are meeting for the second consecutive week, and President Trump visits Japan in May.

China halted canola shipments from two of Canada’s largest grain shippers last month. Producers and shippers estimate Canada’s canola production could drop about 10 percent this year, reversing a decade of booming growth.

The Association sends a special welcome to companies who recently applied for membership and celebrates the commitment of companies who have been around for decades.
Membership matters. It strengthens the Association’s work to serve as resource and advocate for this industry.

Results of the once-every-five-years ag census show that the numbers of large and small farms are increasing while mid-sized farms are on the decline. Big farms are getting bigger, and we have fewer farmers managing the land. A thin percentage of producers represents a significant majority of all sales. And, as everyone in the industry knows, profits are down. Take a dive into the numbers.

A growing coalition of lawmakers seeks to overhaul bankruptcy rules for farmers to set a debt threshold more in line with the average farm size and farmland values.

Regular members have until next week to complete the 2019 benchmark survey. This no-cost benefit of membership offers a wealth of data to evaluate manufacturing operations and identify opportunities for gains in efficiency and productivity.

Kubota reported increases in consolidated revenue, domestic revenue, and overseas revenue. Operating profit decreased, but because income taxes declined, profit for the year enjoyed a bump.

The company reported improvement in consolidated sales, total equipment sales, and net income. It expects ag equipment revenue to be flat in fiscal year 2020.

AGCO Corp. has announced a commercial and technological partnership with Solinftec, a developer and distributor of digital agriculture solutions. Products will launch in the U.S. by the 2020 crop cycle for corn and soybean growers.

The Association’s Supplier Board of Governors elected new leadership last week. Joe Sampson will serve as chairman. Also filling officer positions will be Scott Moss, Marc Adams, and Mark Czopek.

The supplier section elected Justen Wahl to a seat on the Board of Governors.

MacDon Industries recently broke ground on a project that includes a 15,000-square-foot research-and-development facility in Sun Prairie, Wis.

You should receive a follow-up email this week from the third-party firm conducting a benchmark survey to help manufacturing members evaluate their business operations and financial performance compared to industry peers. The report participants receive provides outstanding data to decide business direction.

Member company K·Coe Isom has announced a program intended to provide entrepreneurs with a more visible platform for their food and ag innovations.

Canada is threatening new retaliatory tariffs on more U.S. exports if the U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum are not ended.

All sections of the five-part braking standard known as X648 received enough votes to be approved, but ASABE must now respond to comments submitted during the process.

A survey of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 shows that a majority do not see trade school as a path to a high-paying job. More than half of respondents thought that the gap between what graduates with college degrees earn compared to graduates of trade schools was far greater than reality.

Elmer’s Welding & Manufacturing Ltd. rolled its first 2019 Haulmaster off its line about two weeks after a fire stalled operations.

The price of iron ore, the main ingredient in steel, is up by 29 percent this year. It surged to its highest level in almost five years. Contributing to the increase are shortfalls in Brazil and Australia, the world’s mining hubs.

New Holland and Kubota dealer Mid South Tractor has closed because the owners of 30 years could not find a buyer.

Damages and losses caused by March floods in the Midwest are expected to cost $12.5 billion. A federal disaster assistance bill is stalled over a partisan issue related to aid to Puerto Rico.

Consolidated corporate sales declined for the most recent quarter. Chairman Marc McConnell said the company is taking steps to improve business, even if present-day circumstances prevent those improvements from translating to the bottom line.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) rolled out an extensive agriculture platform during a recent campaign stop in Iowa. It included a call for a national right-to-repair law.

More than 250 representatives of the shortline farm equipment industry gathered in Myrtle Beach last week at the annual Supply Summit & Product Showcase.

The convention combined informational sessions with time to network and pursue manufacturer-supplier partnerships.

A forthcoming government analysis on the new North American trade pact’s potential economic impact is expected to be influential in shaping how some lawmakers view the deal—and, potentially, how they vote on ratification.

Historic floods have dealt a series of blows to large swaths of an ethanol industry already struggling with high inventories and sluggish domestic demand growth. Ethanol prices on the coasts have spiked due to shortages, but Midwest producers have been unable to take advantage because of washed-out rail lines.

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index for March rose to its highest level since December. The March farm equipment-sales index was unchanged from February.

Concerns about agriculture economic conditions led to a dip in the Ag Economy Barometer from February to March, but the Large Farm Investment Index rebounded.

Freight railroads have operated the same way for more than a century: They wait for cargo and leave when customers are ready. Now railroads want to run more like commercial airlines, where departure times are set. Factories, farms, mines or mills need to be ready or miss their trips.

The Trump administration has advanced a plan meant to expand the U.S. market for corn-based ethanol. The EPA proposal is a first step in fulfilling President Trump’s promise to unleash sales of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol.

Valmont Industries has temporarily closed one of its operations in Nebraska in response to flooding in the state. As of Tuesday, flooding claimed the lives of at least three people in Nebraska, including a farmer who was swept away while using his tractor to try to help stranded motorists. The livestock death toll continues to climb.

U.S. farmers are gearing up to plant what could be their third-largest soybean crop ever despite failing to sell a mountain of beans from their last harvest because of a still-unresolved trade war with China.

The Association has secured a $40 round-trip fee for Summit attendees who use the hotel shuttle, from the airport, but you must book the service by Thursday, March 21.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts visited Orthman Manufacturing last week as part of National Ag Week.

Suppliers seeking to stand out at the meeting may find value in sponsoring a portion of the Summit. Opportunities include speaker sessions, a welcome station, and room deliveries. Benefits of sponsorship vary by level but include product distribution, acknowledgement from the podium, and the opportunity to send a promotional item to attendees’ rooms.

Ag Growth International has acquired Intellifarms. It also has acquired the outstanding shares of Milltec Machinery Limited. And, the company reported record levels of trade sales and earnings before income, tax, depreciation and amortization for 2018.

Our Association, with EDA and AEM, is sponsoring scholarships for teachers who will prepare students for careers in farm equipment. Our hope is that members will connect with scholarship recipients in their areas to cultivate relationships and strengthen the local workforce.

Tomlonovic died at his home last week. He is remembered as “principled and always honest, smart with a big dose of common sense, successful, knowledgeable about our industry, and always willing to do his part and more to help the shortline industry.”

Off-road tire and wheel maker Titan International posted a gain in net sales in 2018.

Member companies Vermeer and Tubeline will partner to expand Vermeer’s full line of hay and forage tools for customers in Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritimes.

Member company ESP International received the 2019 Company of the Year award from the ESOP Association Iowa/Nebraska Chapter. It now competes against 17 others for the national award.

Geoffrey Davies, executive vice president and managing director of Alamo Group’s European Division, will retire at the end of June. He has been with Alamo and its predecessor companies for 34 years.

The company produced four spare parts printed in plastic for use on agricultural equipment and buses. It’s testing the parts now. The company says the shift to 3D printing will maximize efficiency in its aftermarket supply chain.