AEM will co-produce the National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) in 2018. With the collaboration, AEM assumes an equity position in the Kentucky State Fair Board’s Louisville show.

A university in Texas has put numbers to the impact that agricultural exports have on the U.S. economy and workforce.

In a message to shareholders at the company’s annual meeting, Chairman and CEO Sam Allen said Deere makes money for investors even when farmers are suffering.

The company continue to reduce expenses through personnel cuts, lower material costs, and limiting research and development spending.

Fewer than one out of 10 companies have completed a transition to achieve certification under newer versions of two international quality standards, and member company Muir Graphics is one of them.

In addition to closing a dozen agriculture stores and a construction store, Titan Machinery plans to implement a new management structure at its remaining stores.

In a decision that should please American manufacturers that feed into the global supply chain, the U.S. Supreme Court has narrowly interpreted a law that imposes patent liability on components made in the U.S. for assembly overseas.

Lakeland Equipment and Z&M Ag and Turf have merged to form the biggest Deere dealership in the Northeast.

Financial institutions in New York soon will be required to implement controls to ensure a robust cyber security program. The new regulation also adopts risk-based minimum standards for technology systems.

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.

Tractor sales in the United Kingdom continue to decline for most manufacturers, with very few bucking the trend and actually increasing sales and market share.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) has signed legislation that will allow workers to opt out of joining a union, the latest victory for business groups in their nationwide battle with labor unions.

Many Europeans are looking anew at what has historically been an under appreciated food group: veggies. Bad weather has diminished the produce inventory in Spain, which supplies much of Europe with veggies during colder months.

As Senate and House agriculture committees, farm organizations and ag-related businesses begin to think about new farm legislation, they are reminded that they will have fewer dollars than were available during the last farm bill.

A twice-a-month webcast from Ag Equipment Intelligence is now also available as a podcast. The program, On the Record, offers insights, analyses and late-breaking news in a brief broadcast format.

DexKo Global Inc., has announced that Dexter has completed acquisition of axle, brake and actuation business assets from Tie Down Engineering, Inc.

PEER Chain Company has promoted Jennifer Waschow to regional sales and relationship manager. She will be responsible for all accounts in Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Canada.

A national newspaper published a story last week with this headline: “Plowed Under: The Next American Farm Bust Is Upon Us.”

We beg to differ. For folks who were not yet born in the 1980s or were too young to remember, let’s review the makings of a farm bust.

Valley Industries has completed the acquisition of A1 Mist Sprayers, a Nebraska-based company that manufactures mist-spraying applicators. The purchase diversifies Valley Industries product lineup.

This article was added after the hard copy version of the Shortliner was printed. More information will be in the next issue of our newsletter.

Terra Drive Systems has named Marty Gura as its vice president of EZ Trac sales

Professional farm policy critics love to call the farm bill a “boondoggle.” They are wrong. As we enter the final year of the current Farm Bill, we must make its importance clear to legislators.

This is crucial to remember as the agricultural community gears up for a rewrite of the current farm law, which is set to expire in 2018. A farm leader at the Southwest Ag Issues Summit said it best: “We do not need to apologize for needing and wanting a good farm bill.”

Airplane enthusiasts who attend the Supply Summit & Showcase will have an extraordinary opportunity to see inside an operation that completes and customizes Falcon jets.

President Trump wants to add 25 million new jobs in the national economy by boosting the number of factories in the United States, but he’ll have to work against a powerful headwind, because companies are already struggling to find Americans to fill manufacturing openings.

Four-fifths of the more than 400 executives surveyed said that a shortage of sufficiently skilled workers will affect their companies in the next 12 months. The most-represented sector in the survey is manufacturing, which Trump calls the “backbone of our economy.”

Beginning with this issue of Shortliner, the Association will acknowledge new member applications as well as mark the milestone anniversaries of long-time members. To both, we say thank you.

President’s nominee for the vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court has observers optimistic on behalf of business. Based on opinions from Judge Neil Gorsuch as a justice on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, observers expect him to bring a conservative, albeit nonrigid, presence.

“Overall, he’s a fantastic pick for employers,” said Richard R. Meneghello, a partner at Fisher & Phillips L.L.P. in Portland, Oregon. “He’s got solid, conservative credentials. His prior opinions demonstrate that he seems to recognize the reality of running a business and managing employees.”

Wisconsin-based Hanna Cylinders is suing Deere & Company, alleging Deere made false representations about future orders to its now former supplier.

Most rural lifestyle dealers across North America expect solid revenue growth this year, following last year’s strong growth.

Rural equipment dealers forecast another good year for overall and aftermarket sales, according to Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s 2017 Dealer Business Trends & Outlook survey.

– Titan Machinery Inc., expects to close 14 agriculture locations during the first half of the current fiscal year.

– Rocky Mountain Dealerships Inc. has appointed Jim Wood as its chief sales and operating officer.

Last week our Association joined more than 600 other groups to urge the leadership of the U.S. Senate to pass the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (RAA).

Revenue for CNH Industrial was down by 4 percent in 2016 compared to 2015.

Although the supply of cattle in all U.S. feedlots at the start of 2017 was down from a year earlier, the overall trend in cattle is toward bigger herds, according to the USDA’s annual Cattle Inventory report.

California legislators are considering a bill that could make it more difficult for an employee to gain workers compensation for occupational diseases or cumulative trauma.

The president’s withdrawal from the Asian-Pacific trade pact amounted to a drastic reversal of decades of economic policy in which presidents of both parties have lowered trade barriers and expanded ties around the world. Although candidates have often criticized trade deals on the campaign trail, those who made it to the White House, including President Obama, ended up extending their reach.

Two dealership chains in Canada have merged, and a chain in the southern United States has added a 37th store.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is still pulling together background information on President Trump’s nominee for agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue, before setting the date for a confirmation hearing.

Perdue, who is 70, is a Georgia farm boy who became a veterinarian, a captain in the U.S. Air Force, and a successful small business owner, concentrating in agribusiness and transportation, and then a two-term Georgia governor. He has a record of promoting the export of U.S.-produced grain, meat and farm products.

The costliest workplace injury in the U.S. begins with ordinary tasks: pushing, pulling, carrying. Overexertion injuries represent nearly a quarter of serious, non-fatal injuries.

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday to drastically reduce the regulatory burden on U.S. businesses, requiring federal agencies to effectively eliminate at least two regulations for each new one issued.

This came days after a Jan. 24 order specific to manufacturing regulations, calling for expedited review and approval of proposals to build or expand manufacturing plants and reduce regulatory burdens on domestic manufacturing.

The Rotary Cutter Council will meet at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville later this month.

Among President Trump’s decisions during his first week in office was to move ahead on two major pipeline projects in the United States—and to use American-made steel to get them done.

“I have to tell you that the steel world is ga-ga for Trump,” said Lisa Goldenberg, president of Delaware Steel Company of Pennsylvania, in an interview on America Public Media’s Marketplace.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration released a document in January recommending strategies to cultivate a work environment where workers feel safe expressing safety concerns. The recommendations are advisory only and not legal requirements.

A ruling in January from the Iowa Supreme Court prevents Des Moines Water Works from receiving damages from north Iowa drainage districts over high nitrate levels.

The decision was a relief to northern Iowa counties and to Iowa farmers and ag groups. Farm groups said the case has been a distraction from work to improve water quality.

While the Rural Mainstreet Index remains below growth-neutral, five of the 10 states surveyed in December showed signs of economic progress.

“For too long, we’ve been held back by burdensome regulations on our energy industry,” the statement said. “President Trump is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule. Lifting these restrictions will greatly help American workers, increasing wages by more than $30 billion over the next seven years.”

The Association extends a special invitation to purchasing agents at the Supply Summit. They can register for a dramatically reduced price, earn credits toward APICS certification, and learn inventory strategies from a master instructor.