While order books fatten and industrial outputs rise, manufacturers contend with near-record-low unemployment of about 4 percent, which is driving up wage bills and leaving some companies short of workers, holding back production.

U.S. almond farmers crunched from all sides as they head into what is likely to be a record harvest season.

“A person’s location should not determine whether he or she has access to modern communications infrastructure,” says Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue.

The Board of Directors has scheduled the Association’s annual business meeting for Wednesday, Oct. 31, during the Marketing & Distribution Convention at the Hilton Minneapolis. Membership will elect directors at this time.

With this issue of Shortliner, we turn it over to members who are long-standing participants in meetings. Take their words for it: You need to be there.

“The returns from the fall meeting far exceed the small investment in time and money. We cannot afford to not be there.”

“All around, just being with other people who are part of the Association—as peers, or suppliers, or as part of your sales network, it’s a tremendous value. I can’t think of any better way of getting that done during the year.”

Jacto Inc. has changed its distribution approach for its tractor-mounted sprayers. It is no longer a two-step distribution system supported by a domestic warehouse but rather three direct importers/distributors.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, held a roundtable discussion on trade and tariffs.

A sad fact emerged during discussion: The beneficiaries of current trade battles are the global competitors of Wisconsin businesses, including competitors in China.

The U.S. Department of Labor has rescinded the “persuader rule.” Deregulation has been central to President Trump’s policy strategy, particularly in labor law, so the decision was not unexpected.

The July farm equipment-sales index increased to 38.8 from June’s 36.3. The overall index slid to 53.8 from 56.1 in June. This is the sixth consecutive month the index has been above growth neutral, which is the longest run in that position since July 2014.

President Trump signed an executive order last week aimed at spurring new investments in job training. The White House expects the initiative to lead to more than 500,000 new career opportunities for students and employees.

More than 15 companies and associations signed a pledge to educate and train U.S. students and workers during a White House ceremony to launch the initiative

A truck driver shortage that’s plaguing American businesses could be solved with the passage of legislation that lowers to 18 the legal age for driving commercial vehicles across state lines. Current law requires drivers to be 21.

The House has appointed representatives to a conference committee to hammer out differences between its version of the 2018 farm bill and the Senate’s version.

The Senate is expected to appoint its representatives this week. It seems improbable that a bill will be to the president’s desk when the current law expires September 30.

We bring together some of the best minds in the industry this fall to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing shortline manufacturers. We intend to send you home from Minneapolis with new ideas and renewed energy around getting your products into the marketplace.

Writer Gene Marks was the keynote speaker at our Supply Summit & Showcase in Little Rock last year. Here’s the advice he gave in a column which appeared in Inc.com.

Perdue said he told President Trump, “I can’t lie to you. It’s a little bit like a weight loss program. It’s painful when you’re going through it, but we think there’s going to be better days ahead.”

An Association member company has become the face of an issue in the shortline industry: the impact of steel tariffs and trade uncertainties. (Watch video on the Capitol Hearing during which his story is told, and find links on filing a tariff exclusion request, a tool to search by code number, and the harmonized tariff schedule)

London-based Green Park Partners has announced the acquisition of Kongskilde System Division. The firm said Kongskilde is a player in an “evolving and growing market.”

USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, which is in line with the estimated $11 billion impact of the unjustified retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods. These programs will assist agricultural producers to meet the costs of disrupted markets.

A tornado ripped through sections of the Vermeer Corporation campus last week. One building was a complete loss; others sustained significant damage. Images and video update.

Art’s Way Manufacturing Co. recently announced its quarterly and six-month financial results. The company sees signs the agriculture economy is moving in a promising direction.

Eugene Sukup, founder of Sukup Manufacturing Co., died July 12. He is remembered for, among other things, offering this business advice: “Love what you’re doing—and pray a lot.”

Experts will choose about 50 products as AE50 recipients based upon their innovation, significant engineering advancement, and impact on the market served. Winners receive recognition in Resource magazine, which sponsors the competition, and ASABE’s web site, as well as recognition at the annual Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference in Louisville.

ASABE has adopted a national standard related to aerial application nozzles and revised a standard for testing broadcast spreaders.

Association member companies who are not also members of ASABE are entitled to receive a no-cost flash drive or CD containing current safety standards. The resource is regularly $569. It contains 264 ASAE/ASABE standards, engineering practices, and data applicable to agricultural equipment and systems, irrigation and drainage, and more.

Federal data shows a record level of beef, pork, poultry and turkey being stockpiled in U.S. facilities, rising above 2.5 billion pounds, ag analysts said.

Over the past year, manufacturing has added 285,000 jobs. As the ag industry emerges from this slowdown, it needs to compete in an extremely tight labor market. We’ll address this issue at the Marketing & Distribution Convention. In the meantime, take a look at what some states are doing to attract talent.

Alliance Tire Americas, Inc. has appointed two vice presidents to support its North American sales strategy.

President Trump’s chief ag negotiation recently asked Iowa farmers for patience as the U.S. negotiates new trade deals.

“I understand the nervousness and sensitivity…,” he said. “But you need to understand we have to look at this from five or 10 years down the road. If we don’t get more discipline in what’s going on in Chinese agriculture and trade, the problems will only get worse.”

The Towed Implement Product Council has been busy these last couple of years as it has tackled proposed ASABE standards as well as federal regulation.

We feature the Council this month as part of an ongoing series on Association committees and councils.

Work has begun to strategize how to use emergency funds to mitigate the damage to farmers during this trade war. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue has suggested a tool that would allow the USDA to borrow as much as $30 billion from the U.S. Treasury to buy crops from farmers that would go unsold.

The Association thanks these companies who recently applied for membership and others celebrating milestone anniversaries.
Your membership matters.

U.S. pork producers have been hit by a second batch of hefty retaliatory tariffs from China and Mexico. Some big producers are bracing to lose big money; others are thinking about investing overseas.

“We put a halt on all investment, not just because we will be losing money, but because we don’t know if growing in the U.S. is the right move if we won’t be an exporting country,” said the owner of the nation’s largest family-owned pork producer.

Registration is open for the 2018 Marketing & Distribution Convention in Minneapolis, which is October 30 to November 2.

A House-Senate conference committee soon will begin the work of resolving differences in the two chambers’ farm bills.

Economist Brad Lubben takes a look at those differences and where the points of contention may lie.

If you’ve just hired 10 new employees, chances are that three of them will quit within the next . . .

India’s top steelmaker says it’s scouting for more deals in the U.S. and Europe to expand its global footprint. After announcing a move to triple output at its Texas plant, it bought another U.S. facility in Ohio, taking total planned investment in the country to $1 billion.

What is your company culture? If you’re tempted to say “awesome,” or “like family,” you’re making a mistake, says one expert. Defining culture in a more tangible way offers opportunities to hire people who will last.

The Rural Mainstreet Index climbed above growth neutral in June for a fifth straight month. This is the first time since July 2015 the survey has recorded five straight months of growth. The June farm equipment-sales index fell to 36.3 from May’s 43.8.

Are you a manufacturer looking for a supplier or distributor? We have databases for that. Find them in the password-protected members’ section at FarmEquip.org.

Federal lawmakers will take a back seat in response to a Supreme Court ruling that makes it easier for states to require online retailers to collect sales tax. States are expected to act within about 18 months to expand collection requirements.

Supporters applauded his accomplishments in deregulation. Opponents focused on accusations about his abuse of power. Reaction from agriculture was mixed. While some noted his work in rewriting the federal rule that regulates waterways, others cited his actions on the U.S. biofuel mandate.

The White House is expected to soon nominate Kimberly Reed to fill the top position at the U.S. Export-Import Bank. The appointment would likely end a three-year freeze that has held up more than $40 billion of export deals.

Police say a 19-year-old man flipped his car, then fled the scene, removed some clothes and pretended to be a . . .

From April through June, U.S. soybean exports to Egypt nearly quadrupled from a year ago. Exports to Vietnam and Taiwan tripled, and exports to the Netherlands doubled. Shipments to several other Asian countries rose by 20 percent.

Exports to China fell by 21 percent, the USDA said.

In response to the rising costs of raw materials and labor, PPG increased prices by as much as 6 percent.

AGCO Parts recently expanded a distribution center that makes it one of the company’s largest by footprint and inventory.

The U.S. has amassed its largest stockpile of cheese in the 100 years since regulators began keeping tabs, the result of booming domestic production of milk and consumers’ waning interest in it.

Midwestern farm equipment dealers have seen change in recent weeks. And, a Canadian dealership has announced an acquisition.

Great Plains Manufacturing recently announced plans to expand its production in the U.S. and its dealer network in Canada.

ASABE has initiated a revision to a standard related to the safety of tractors in scraper applications.

The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer for May was the highest barometer value since January 2017. While producers express more optimism about the future, that optimism has not yet shaped their thoughts regarding buying farm equipment.