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.

A labor shortage in small Midwestern communities has become an opportunity for Puerto Ricans fleeing their island’s struggling economy. A Puerto Rican administrator said about 200 companies have been authorized to recruit in the U.S. territory, and they have hired more than 2,000 workers.

Domestic sales of Mahindra & Mahindra tractors declined by 6.9 percent in February. Tractor sales that include exports declined by 8 percent for the month.

Deere recently appointed four executives to new posts. The positions cover operations, finance, information, harvesting and turf platforms, and ag solutions.

Lawmakers and ag industry groups on Capitol Hill last week discussed a legislative package to ease the chronic farm labor shortage by legalizing undocumented workers and supporting laborers from other countries.

Alamo Group recently reported a record-breaking quarter and year. Group President and CEO Ron Robinson characterized ag sales as “up modestly” and said “margins held steady despite the market challenges.”

News this week includes a fire in Wisconsin and an expansion in Mississippi.

Experience Workforce Training – Test your welding skills in Myrtle Beach in a simulated experience that blends the real with the automated for a firing-on-all-senses virtual experience.

Fastline Media Group has named Jeff Rushton as the company’s vice president of marketing. He will oversee advertising, marketing, digital and PR for Fastline’s national products.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association is among more than 200 organizations from U.S. manufacturing, farming and other industries calling on Congress to ratify a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. The coalition has built an online resource with great information about the impact of the trade deal.

An EPA proposal allowing year-round sales of higher ethanol blends went to the White House on Monday. After administration review, the rule will be available for public comment. The EPA is hopeful the rule can be made final by June 1 and in effect for the peak driving season.

President Trump on Friday asked China to lift its tariffs on American agriculture. Meanwhile, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue said negotiators asked China to reduce tariffs on U.S. ethanol. He named a handful of other commodities being discussed, too.

New analysis from the Farm Foundation and Purdue University estimates U.S. exports would improve from a loss of $1.8 billion to a gain of $2.9 billion per year if Washington moves to re-enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Lawmakers in South Dakota have passed a lemon law covering farm machinery. It awaits the governor’s signature. Take a look at the bones of the law here and find a link to the full text.

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue told the House Agriculture Committee last week that “firm land values” are helping to sustain farmers who are leveraging their land to continue to invest.

You have seen bits and pieces of the speaker programming planned for Myrtle Beach, but here it is all in one place. The Summit is your one-stop destination to hear from pros on the ag economy, trade, lean principles, cybersecurity, tillage markets, and much more.

At the product showcase, a manufacturer can meet a supplier and say, ‘That’s the sort of thing we were looking for, but it needs to be like this. Can you make it like this?’

More than 100 of you intend to join the fun during the final evening of the Summit for the Myrtle Beach Crawl. If you are among the few who haven’t yet signed up, there’s still time.

Andy Theisen from Kondex was selected as the Most Valuable Player at this year’s Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference. The award celebrates outstanding work in supporting the conference.

A panel of World Trade Organization judges found that China has provided trade-distorting domestic support to its grain producers well in excess of its commitments under WTO rules. The decision is a significant victory for the U.S. and potential ammunition in trade negotiations with Beijing.

Creighton University’s Rural Mainstreet Index declined from January to February, although it still indicated subtle growth in rural communities.

In 2018, U.S. companies saw a 15 percent increase in the number of robots shipped into workplaces. Shipments declined in the automotive sector but rose substantially elsewhere.

Alamo Group Inc. plans to build a facility to house its Super Products vacuum trucks operation. The plant is expected to be operating in early 2020.

The final day of Supply Summit 2019 will feature a candid conversation with Don Landoll, who founded Landoll Corp. Attendees can expect to hear his thoughts on leadership, building a happy workforce, and more. Mike Kloster from Worksaver will join Landoll to offer his perspective from a smaller operation.

The spring issue offers tips on evaluating transfers when dealers consolidate, responding to emerging social media marketing trends, applying lean principles outside your core operations, and more. Your copy will arrive soon.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says success in ratifying the new NAFTA may depend upon lifting steel and aluminum tariffs with Canada and Mexico, and sooner is better to avoid conflicts with Canada’s election season.

German company Lemken grew its business last year, despite what it describes as “generally difficult conditions.”

Farmers who participate in the monthly Ag Economy Barometer survey have been expressing more favorable views toward investing in farm operations. In January, the index that measures their interest in investing in equipment climbed 11 points from December. Since September, it’s risen by 20 points.

The state of Iowa has awarded Montag Manufacturing for its work to develop innovative products that help farmers be more profitable while also being better stewards of land.

As the EPA races the clock to complete a rule allowing year-round E15 sales ahead of the summer driving season, the USDA has pitched the idea of relaxing enforcement in the absence of a new rule.

The Toro Company will acquire The Charles Machine Works, Inc., the privately held parent company of Ditch Witch, for $700 million. The deal is expected to be final by the end of Toro’s third quarter.

Gov. Pete Ricketts calls the Green New Deal the “new raw deal,” and Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson says it is a “blatant and unscientific attack on livestock production …”

Check out who’s merging, who’s acquiring, and who’s expanding in this issue’s dealer updates.

CNH Industrial showed a year-over-year sales gain in 2018. Net sales in the ag equipment segment increased by 9 percent.

ASABE has initiated the adoption of three recently published ISO standards for front-mounted agricultural equipment.

An appeals court held that an employee was not entitled to workers compensation benefits for the serious leg injury he sustained because he violated a known–and enforced–safety rule.

CNH Industrial has appointed Brad Crews as brand president of Case IH. The appointment is effective March 4.

The Trump administration has distributed nearly $7.1 billion of the $9.6 billion allocated for direct trade-relief payments to farmers, which means $2.5 billion remained on the table on the last day to apply.

The company said profit was squeezed by rising costs for steel and other materials, as well as transportation for components. Deere’s expenses rose 43 percent during the quarter compared to the same period last year.

More than a half-dozen companies are building out to add 16 tons of steelmaking capacity in the U.S., which is an 18 percent increase from 2017.

The EPA and Army Corps have issued a new proposal defining waters of the U.S. Find out how to review the proposal, and comment on it, before the April 15 deadline.

Manufacturing members will receive an email March 1 inviting them to participate in a survey that will yield data on the efficiency of their operations and their financial performance compared to industry standards.

Spouses and guests at the Supply Summit are invited to explore Brookgreen Gardens, take an exclusive tour aboard a pontoon, and lunch at the trendy Market Common. The events are the centerpiece of the week for spouses and guests, who are invited to take part in all Summit activities.

The Association welcomes five new member applicants this month and sends a special thanks to nine companies celebrating milestone anniversaries.

A new round of talks between the U.S. and China is underway this week in Washington. Officials have been vague about progress, defaulting to phrases such as “very productive.” President Trump has expressed a willingness to extend the March 1 deadline before imposing higher tariffs.

Ag industry leaders will join with manufacturers and other business representatives on Capitol Hill later this week to deliver a message to lawmakers that the time is now to increase pressure on Trump and his administration to end the trade war.

When AFBF President Zippy Duvall took the state recently at an agribusiness and farm expo in South Carolina, he did not mince words about challenges such as the labor shortage and farmers’ struggling bottom lines. In spite of the challenges, he is encouraged that ag has “a seat the table” in Washington.

Walmart is adjusting its pay structure to bring the average trucker salary to $87,500. It’s tossing in a couple of other incentives, too.

OSHA has eliminated requirements for businesses to electronically submit two forms related to injuries and illnesses. The move comes amid concerns that information on the forms could compromise employees’ privacy.