Trump has proposed cutting the USDA’s discretionary budget by $4.7 billion to $17.9 billion, or 21 percent. Agriculture leaders, including Republican lawmakers, have criticized the plan and argued it will harm rural communities. A more detailed budget proposal is expected in May.

President Trump’s special assistant for agriculture characterized this White House as focused on farming and friendly to ag during a talk at National Ag Day in D.C. Ray Starling sees a future for the industry with fewer regulations and solutions to problems such as a farm worker shortage.

According to the Reshoring Initiative, in 2014, for the first time in two decades, the U.S. realized a net gain of 10,000 reshored jobs. The vast majority of those jobs have returned from Asia.

Senators charged with asking questions of the nominee for U.S. trade representative brought a single-minded focus to the confirmation hearing. They wanted to talk agriculture. Nominee Robert Lighthizer was happy to oblige.

Titan International reported its net sales were down for 2016. The company reported that the fourth quarter for 2016 was relatively flat compared to 2015, but as a result of improvements in operations, the gross profit was significantly improved.

The Association has asked the Oregon legislature and the Western Equipment Dealers Association to include carve-out provisions for the shortline industry in a recently introduced bill that would dramatically alter relationships between farm equipment manufacturers and independent dealers. Shortliner manufacturers have earned the right to not be lumped together with giant, multi-national tractor corporations, and we want to protect that right.

R&R Engineering Co. recently completed its 11th expansion in 22 years. The operation now spans about 5.5 acres.

The vibe was friendly at the confirmation hearing for Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue last week, but the issues raised were tough. Senators asked Perdue how he’d handle proposed cuts to the USDA budget, what he’d do about trade, challenges facing dairy farmers, and crop insurance. Perdue promised to “tirelessly advocate” for rural America.

Equipment inventory at Rocky Mountain dealerships declined by 12.4 percent in 2016, surpassing the company’s targeted reduction for the year. Sales declined by 4.6 percent.

Automakers got a break last week when President Trump halted an initiative to impose more stringent fuel-economy standards on the industry. President Obama had called for mileage standards that targeted 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

Data from the publication Rural Lifestyle Dealer suggests that farmers are increasingly well-prepared when they arrive on dealers’ lots. The factor that often seals the deal: financing.

If we gave out an award for the greatest distance traveled (images) …

ASABE has completed work on a standard that addresses nurse tank coupling and sectional delivery system design and is specific to the implements of husbandry used in the local transport and application of anhydrous ammonia for agricultural fertilizer.

This is it: the last Shortliner before we gather in Little Rock. We expect 207 executives for the meeting and 51 spouses and guests. The Supplier Showcase includes 69 booths.

A bill recently introduced in the Kansas legislature would bring workplace safety enforcement under the purview of the state rather than the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The bill calls for the Kansas Department of Labor to . . .

AgJunction has agreed to release Hemisphere GNSS from a license restriction that prevented the company from selling its GNSS products directly into the global agricultural market. The agreement is expected to provide customers a more direct relationship with their GNSS supplier.

The 2016/2017 CD, which is valued at $549, is available to members who do not have access to the standards through an ASABE membership.

The storms that bring hail, floods, tornadoes, and other Midwest calamities have been found to cause damage nearly as costly as hurricanes. The researchers who assessed the cost plan to use the same data to produce monthly forecasts that identify exposure risks for insurers.

Manufacturers, here’s who you’ll see in the Supplier Showcase in Little Rock. It’s an outstanding opportunity to form new partnerships and strengthen existing ones.

President Trump signed an executive order recently to roll back rules enacted during the Obama administration that expanded the federal government’s jurisdictional scope under the Clean Waters Act.

H&S Manufacturing in Marshfield, Wis., named Craig Harthoorn as its new president. He assumed the role in February.

CLAAS of America has opened two full-service, long-line MirTech dealerships in Jonesboro, Ark., and Sikeston, Mo.

McCombie Group, a private investment firm, and SeamLev Investments, its financial partner, have acquired a majority interest in Atlantic Tractor,

Unverferth Mfg. Co. recently announced a series of changes to its management team. The changes are part of an ongoing strategy to position the family-owned company for the future.

President and CEO Ron Robinson said: “We were also pleased with the improved sales in our Agricultural Division, as they continue to outperform the overall weakness in this sector. This Division was also a major contributor to Alamo’s improved gross margins.

Baker Industries, previously known as Baker 3D Solutions, recently received the 2017 Diversification Leader Award in an event hosted by the economic development organization of Macomb County, Michigan.

Ambassador and former Secretary of Agriculture Clayton Yeutter died March 4. He was 86. In the days since his death, he has been celebrated as a brilliant, accomplished leader and an extraordinarily generous man whose kindness and humility made politics and policymaking more tolerable.

Lighting and Marking guide clarifies information in response to the June 2016 effective date for Lighting and Marking on Ag Equipment.

Kubota’s farm and industrial machinery segment reported a 5.1 percent decline compared to 2016. The Japanese company’s domestic sales revenue dropped by 7 percent. Its overseas revenue dipped by 4.6 percent.

AGCO reaches an agreement in principle to acquire the forage division of Lely Group. Lely’s forage lineup includes mowers, tedders, rakers, balers, loader wagons, and other grass equipment.

The federal government’s extraordinary decision to seek and execute search warrants at the Caterpillar Inc. global headquarters recently indicates company officials may not have been as forthcoming as previously claimed.

That’s the interpretation of former federal prosecutors who spoke generally about the pending criminal investigation but who do not have specific knowledge of the government’s case.

According to a Michigan State University study, cattle rustlers and horse thieves are a 21st-century reality. A recent $23.1 million jury award in a Texas courtroom is further evidence that the crime is real—and costly.

Two Association member companies have taken leadership roles in an Iowa initiative to prepare students for technical careers.

Representatives from Miller Products Co. and Salford Group in Osceola, Iowa, are members of

White House staff challenged by the president to come up with a program to make sure the American worker is trained for the manufacturing jobs of tomorrow.

Association member companies who joined in March represent a collective 250 years of commitment to this organization and an even greater commitment to the industry.

We thank these long-time members, and we welcome two companies who recently submitted membership applications.

The White House has submitted nomination paperwork for former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In his Senate ethics disclosure forms, Perdue stated that he would place his assets, which include part ownership of a grain merchandising company, into a blind trust.

Environmental Tillage Systems (ETS) has announced that 21st Century Equipment will be the first SoilWarrior dealer in the United States.

Legislation introduced last week by Midwest lawmakers would extend the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver to ethanol blends higher than 10 percent. The legislation, would increase market access opportunities for higher blends of ethanol. It would allow retailers across the nation to sell E15 and other higher-ethanol blends year-round.

Fastline Media Group has hired Pat Higgins to serve as vice president of sales.

Plan for $1 trillion in infrastructure spending that would pressure states to streamline local permitting, favor renovation of existing roads and highways over new construction, and prioritize projects that can quickly begin construction.

“We’re not going to give the money to states unless they can prove that they can be ready, willing and able to start the project,” Trump said at a private meeting with aides and executives that news outlets such as the Wall Street Journal were invited to observe. “We don’t want to give them money if they’re all tied up for seven years with state bureaucracy.”

Members who have used the Association benefit to consult attorneys for free tell us that a single phone call often saves them more than the cost of their membership dues. It also saves them worry.

China’s heavy equipment industry is targeting the U.S., specifically the billions of dollars expected to be invested in our infrastructure.

Majors Respond to Dealer Legislation: CNH also saw risks to its new dealer contract and called the legislation “anti-consumer and anti-competitive market. . . This provision will reduce competition, adversely influence consumer pricing.”

Deere wrote: “If ultimately enacted, this (dealer purity) provision of the legislation would destroy the competitive lines aspect which actually John Deere customers currently benefit from.”

Who are they kidding?

Right to repair is back in the news because Apple is opposing a Nebraska bill that would require electronics companies like Apple to produce repair manuals and sell replacement parts.

Producers at recent farm shows appear to be better positioned for the 2017 season, and that translates into optimism for manufacturers, based on feedback from member companies at shows in Louisville and Kansas City. (photos)

We’ve been waiting to learn the dates for the confirmation hearing for Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture.

The negatives are getting less negative, according to bankers in farming communities. Among signs of encouragement from the Rural Mainstreet Index: The farm equipment sales index saw a bump in February.

Ag Chair, Sen. Pat Roberts opened hearings with. . . “Agriculture, and specifically the Farm Bill, has consistently answered the call to do more with less. The last Farm Bill voluntarily cut spending. The previous crop insurance contract with USDA cut $6 billion from the program. I could go on and on about where ag gave at the store.”

A German company that supplies automated ag products to the world intends to license certain patents from member company AgJunction.

The Trump administration has appointed Ray Starling to the National Economic Council as special assistant to the president for agriculture, trade, and food assistance. The position was left vacant for most of the Obama administration.

If you are a wait-to-the-last-minute type, know this: We are almost out of hotel rooms at the Little Rock Marriott. Information about alternative hotels is at FarmEquip.org. When the last reservation is claimed, the website will make that clear.

Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new administrator, has wasted little time getting to work since his confirmation to head the agency. Chief among his priorities will be putting an end to “sue and settle,” a practice used by activist groups who sue an agency, primarily the EPA, which typically leads to the agency entering a legally-binding settlement agreement without public input.