It may seem counterintuitive to source new vendors during a less-than-stellar market, but this is the optimal time to bridge new relationships. The most significant gains can be found through a greater focus on testing and research, cost-saving opportunities, and thorough review.

The Association invites member executives’ spouses and guests to the Marketing & Distribution Convention in San Diego. The hotel is perfectly located to independently explore the city and San Diego Bay. Registered spouses and guests are welcome to receptions, meals, and any other convention event. And, we’ve planned two unforgettable, optional outings.

A federal judge has limited the scope of litigation seeking to hold Syngenta responsible for damages caused by China’s rejection of genetically engineered (GE)corn in 2013.

The Association welcomed Andrea Schnelten to its office team this summer as director of meetings and member services. Schnelten brings more than a decade of experience in planning events and serving members for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She also manages a family farm in Rockbridge, Ill.

In its long-term budget outlook published in July, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that the labor force participation rate will decline from 63 percent in 2017 to 58 percent in 2046.

Labor groups use minimum wage debate to mobilize in key U.S. Senate races.

About three out of four of all U.S. deaths caused by prescription drugs in 2014 were from opioid painkillers. Rural counties saw an average increase in prescription drug deaths of about 9 percent a year from 1999 to 201

Average cropland value in the U.S. dropped 1 percent in 2016, the first drop since 2009, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Average cropland value per acre stood at a high of $4,130 in 2015 and dipped to $4,090 this year.

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The Annual Business Meeting of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association is 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 1, 2016. The brief meeting is held as part of the Marketing & Distribution Convention at Sheraton Hotel & Marina in San Diego.

Details continue to take shape for the 2016 Marketing & Distribution Convention. We’re thrilled to say a bit more about what you’ll hear in San Diego and from whom you will hear it.

Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, desperate to open new feed supplies for the livestock industry, is asking the country’s biotech regulatory agency to temporarily lift restrictions on corn imports from the U.S., according to USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service.

While many steelmakers surprised analysts with better profits, and the stocks enjoyed the best rally in years, the industry’s biggest problem hasn’t been solved. China still exports at a record rate, and there are hundreds of millions of tons of surplus capacity around the world still undercutting prices.

In the last issue of Shortliner, we told you what security measures to look for in a bank. In this issue, we share more suggestions from malwarebytes.com. The online security company offers these precautions for understanding what’s normal communication from your bank, what’s suspicious, and what you can do to ward off attacks

Rocky Mountain Dealerships Inc. recently reported its financial results for the quarter ended June 30. Total revenues increased by 9 percent.

The number of Americans in the labor force improved slightly in July, says the DOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The bureau reported in June that about 94.5 million people were not in the labor force. In July, the number dropped to 94.3 million. That means about 200,000 more Americans participated in the workforce, about a tenth of a percentage point increase to 62.8 percent participation.

Ray Lee Equipment, a Deere dealership with six locations in Texas and New Mexico, is being acquired by Western Equipment of Clinton, Oklahoma. The change in ownership is effective Nov. 1.

Much of the equipment our members manufacturer is built to safely and effectively move through farm fields while maintaining the capability of being transported as a “slow moving vehicle” (SMV) on public roadways without the need for additional braking systems required.

In its recent quarterly financial report, Cervus Equipment Corp. announced it generated $2.5 million in net income for the second quarter this year compared to a $32.2 million loss for the comparable period in 2015.

Elections tend to be decided on economic issues, and the Wall Street Journal in July ran an analysis of the presidential candidates’ positions on several key economic issues. The Shortliner shared the candidates’ tax plans in the last issue. This week, we focus on jobs and income.

There’s a shared sentiment among executives whose companies recently released financial statements: The market is down, but we see indications that better days are on the way.

Highlights from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ Ag Flash Reports. For complete data, go to FarmEquip.org/flash.

For the first time in this election cycle, most economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal believe uncertainty from the coming election is crimping economic activity.

Long-awaited proposed regulations under section 2704 of the Internal Revenue Code have been released.

They represent significant changes to the valuation of interests in many family-controlled entities for estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax purposes.

ASABE adopts four standards that address the safety and testing of rotary disk, drum and flail mowers.

Three of the documents are international standards, adoption of which “further harmonizes national and international standardization”.

Production numbers for corn, soybeans, cotton, and winter wheat all point upward, according to news last week from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

As interest builds in the Marketing & Distribution Convention in San Diego this fall, so do opportunities for you to meet the professionals who can help you strengthen your bottom line.

In this issue of Shortliner, you’ll meet the speaker who will kick off the convention and update you on the disaster preparedness session.

With both presidential candidates opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, passage seems unlikely. Nonetheless, the Obama administration remains committed.

Net sales in CNH Industrial’s agriculture division decreased 7.5 percent for the second quarter of 2016 compared to the same quarter last year.

The Association is pleased to introduce Shane Beversdorf as the new FEMA program manager at Sentry Insurance. Beversdorf brings more than 20 years of experience in claims, underwriting and agency insurance.

Farm Futures took a look at social media behaviors among U.S. farmers and found that Facebook is their first choice. Farmers also spend time on Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr and Periscope, in that order.

President Obama has signed a law that calls on the U.S. secretary of agriculture to establish a national mandatory bio-engineered food disclosure standard. The USDA has two years to draft the standard.

China, the world’s second-biggest corn consumer, will reduce planted acreage for the grain by 3.3 million hectares, or 9 percent, by 2020, said an agriculture official. It seems unlikely that the cut will significantly dent the country’s huge oversupply.

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index for July fell from June’s weak reading, according to the monthly survey. The farm equipment sales index dropped to 10.7.

According to a recent study by Fiserv, 80 percent of U.S. households now bank online.

In this issue, we’ll share tips from malwarebytes.com about protections your bank can offer. In the next Shortliner, we’ll focus on the steps you can take.

Member company PEER Chain Company has named a creative and loyalty analyst.

The 2016 Marketing & Distribution Convention is approaching. We’re counting down by weeks now rather than months. Soon it will be days.

If you haven’t yet registered, here are five reasons you should.

Ag Growth International Inc. has announced the acquisition of Mitchell Mill Systems Canada Ltd. and its U.S. affiliate —Mitchell Mill Systems USA.

Elections tend to be decided on economic issues, and the Wall Street Journal recently ran an analysis of the presidential candidates’ positions on several key economic issues.

The Shortliner will share pieces of the analysis with you in coming weeks. We begin with taxes.

Worksaver, Inc. recently completed the installation of a solar panel system to help provide a renewable energy source for its manufacturing facility.

Fewer injured workers are using opioids, according to Conventry Workers’ Comp Services. In their place, physicians are prescribing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and anticonvulsants.

DexKo Global, the parent company formed after combining member company Dexter with AL-KO Vehicle Technology, will acquire Winterhoff Group.

Member company Tarter Farm & Ranch Equipment has agreed to buy the livestock business from Applegate Livestock Equipment. Applegate is a subsidiary of Ag Growth International.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has completed a revision to its standard for testing the capacity and performance of combines, and the revision has been proposed as the basis for an international standard.

Eleven member companies are celebrating milestone anniversaries. See who’s hit the 45-year mark.

Retired Bush Hog President Russell Buster Jr. died July 26. He was 93. Buster joined Bush Hog in the 1950s. He became president in the 1980s and retired in 1993.

The Western Equipment Dealers Association has hired a new director of government affairs. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers also has announced a plan to expand its state-level advocacy work.

Orthman Manufacturing Inc. hosted an open house in July to showcase its new 115,000-square-foot manufacturing facility near Lexington, Neb. CEO John McCoy said the ingenuity of delivering new products and solving problems for producers was what led to the founding of the company and remains integral to its operation today.

Jim Tibbles has been named president of Osmundson Mfg. Co. He succeeds owner Doug Bruce, who will serve as chairman of the board.

“He’s touched every facet of this business,” Joe Sampson, vice president of sales, said of Tibbles. “He has the knowledge, the relationships, and the leadership to keep everything moving forward.”

A Chinese ship carrying more than 9,000 containers passed through the newly expanded Panama Canal in late June, officially launching what NBC News describes as a multibillion-dollar bet on a bright future for international shipping.