The board of directors of the Far West Equipment Dealers Association (FWEDA) has approved entering into merger talks with the Western Equipment Dealers Association (WEDA).

Four state legislatures have taken steps to give farmers options for equipment repair. Nebraska, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York are considering legislation that would require manufacturers to make diagnostic, service and technical information available to farmers and independent repair technicians.

Beck’s recently announced a new agreement with member company Herschel. Herschel will take over sales, service and distribution of Flo-Rite seed firmers. Herschel is owned by Alamo Group, Inc.

Lloyd Koehnen, a long-time friend of the Association, died in June. He was 78.

The summer issue of Ag Innovator will begin arriving in members’ offices next week.

These companies are marking milestone anniversaries in the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association. Their membership — every membership — matters, so we recognize these July anniversaries as a way to say thanks.

For many years, the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association has helped members address both of the above hurdles to obtaining legal advice on distribution and human resource issues. Today we are doubling that service as we continue to look for ways to add value to your membership.

Wayne Mead, long-time territory sales manager for the Alliance Tire Group (ATG), has retired.

Calling the Department of Labor’s new interpretation of its Persuader Rule “defective to its core,” the District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction in late June against the final rule. The ruling came just days before July 1, the date on which the new rule’s most problematic reporting requirements would have become fully effective.

The District Court determined the rule:

* Exceeds DOL’s authority under the LMRDA
* Is “arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion
* Unreasonably conflicts with state rules governing the practice of law
* Violates the attorney-client privilege.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has adopted an ISO standard, ANSI/ASABE AD5675:2008, Agricultural tractors and machinery–General purpose quick-action hydraulic couplers.

The U.S. Senate passed a bill last week that directs USDA to create a national GMO label standard within two years. Food product producers would be able to use text, symbols or QR codes for consumers to scan labels. The Senate bill also would prevent states from issuing their own mandatory GMO labeling laws.

GT Mfg., Inc. has been named the recipient of the 2016 Kansas Governor’s Exporter of the Year award.

A look at other non-stocking retailers – Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon said at the company’s annual meeting. “The weight of inventory has been relieved to an extent. And I think that bodes well for the future.”

Executives at the Marketing & Distribution Convention in San Diego will hear from Paul Mullet, CEO of Excel Industries in Hesston, Kan., who led his company through the aftermath of a plant shooting in February that killed three and wounded a dozen more.

A new rule from OSHA requires certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness data that they already record on their onsite OSHA injury and illness forms. OSHA will analyze the data and use it to more efficiently manage resources for enforcement and compliance assistance

AgJunction Inc. and TeeJet Technologies have entered into a global strategic partnership. AgJunction will become the preferred steering supplier for TeeJet’s range of precision farming solutions.

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.

While the pages of this Shortliner newsletter and our Ag Innovator magazine have begun promotion of our Marketing & Distribution Convention in San Diego, the leadership of our Supplier Section is hard at work planning our annual spring meeting, where the focus is on the supply chain, including our own Supplier Product Showcase.

Do you work too many hours a week? You could be harming your physical and emotional health.

Organizations and independent researchers have looked at the effects of working beyond the standard 40 hours a week. Their findings include:

Analysts for agriculture and international trade were among experts scrambling post-Brexit vote to make sense of what it might mean for Britain to no longer be part of the European Union. Much like the legion of economists, politicians and historians who sought to put the vote in context, experts in the farm equipment industry could offer only speculation.

In the second quarter, the world’s farmers began to react to lower farmgate prices by slowing growth in production, which caused reductions in export surpluses. Despite higher buying from China in the first half of the year, poor economic performance, low oil prices and geopolitics continued to weaken demand.

U.S. agriculture could dodge the long-feared collapse in farm real estate prices this commodity cycle, suggest economists, but some cautioned another bubble may burst: the value of used farm equipment.

“Land values haven’t seen near the pullback that everyone predicted,” observed Bruce Sherrick, director of the TIAA-CREF Center for Farmland Research at the University of Illinois, during conversation at a recent Farm Foundation meeting.

The Equipment Dealers Association (EDA) recently announced award recipients of the 2016 Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey Report.

Corn futures have fallen by some 29 percent since the close of markets on Friday, as the risk of hot dry weather in July, when the pollinating corn crop is at its most vulnerable, recedes day by day.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a 2011 law designed to make it easier to defeat patent trolls was legal. Ruling upholds the process for challenging invalid patents and simplifies the process for companies to fight patent trolls.

TRP International has announced that its GVS Agricultural product line will be represented by Dick Jones and Associates for the southeastern United States.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said there is “no greater issue” in the business world than cybercrime.

‘You know, what really got people’s attention was the degree to which it is perceived that the CEO of Target was sacked in part because of the breach that happened on his watch,’” Bahara said. “That’s what’s going to get people’s attention.”

Highlights from the Association of Manufacturers’ Ag Flash Reports.

Sixty-one percent of Canadians have a “very or somewhat” positive impression of Canadian agriculture, according to a new national survey released by Farm and Food Care (FFC) and the newly minted Canadian Center For Food Integrity.

That’s the highest ranking Canadians have given farming since FFC started asking Canadians for their opinions a decade ago

Under Minnesota’s program, farmers will be reimbursed for 70 percent of the cost of adding rollover protection, with that figure increasing as needed to cap a farmer’s out-of-pocket costs at $500 per tractor. Any tractor built before 1987—or shortly after manufacturers began voluntarily including rollover protection—is eligible for help.

Every other year, our Association has purchased the complete ASABE Standards and Engineering Practices Data and made that $549 resource available to our manufacturing members at no cost.

The 2016 edition is now available and will be sent to any regular member company requesting a copy, while supplies last.

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index for June increased from May’s weak reading, though it remained below growth neutral, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas dependent on agriculture or energy.

Recent conversations in statehouses and on Capitol Hill have gotten the attention of farm equipment manufacturers and dealers. In Nebraska

Stotz Equipment has reached an agreement to purchase the assets of Christiansen Implement. – CLAAS of America will open a third Canada West Harvest Centre location – Atlanta Kubota recently hosted a grand opening of its new facility in Marietta, Ga. – Matsqui Ag Repair, located in Abbotsford, B.C., has joined JCB’s dealer network as Matsqui JCB

On June 22, 2016—just days short of missing the mandated deadline by two years—the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published its rule governing lighting and marking for agricultural equipment.

The DOT rule is effective immediately – It does not allow for the typical public comment period – The rule was published without advance notice

Trelleborg has finalized the acquisition of CGS Holding. News of the acquisition was released in November; the sale was final May 31. The deal bolsters Trelleborg’s presence to about 23,000 employees in 47 countries.

Orthman will contribute $90,000 to a $370,000 project to renovate a former National Guard Armory and install new equipment for the school district’s welding program.

The Western Equipment Dealers Association (WEDA) has named Darwin Melnyk to its board of directors. Melnyk will serve as an at-large director. His term begins July 1. He succeeds Jeff Flora.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has completed a standard that establishes a framework for charting progress toward sustainable agricultural production.

A one-of-a-kind piece of tillage equipment recently rolled out of McFarlane Manufacturing Co.’s plant in Sauk City, Wisconsin.

Welders, fabricators, painters, and other staff built a 14-by-30-foot tiller for an online fund-raising auction for Operation Eagles’ Wings, which flies veterans’ to Washington D.C. to visit war memorials.

In response to economic challenges facing many members of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, its board of directors has decided to expand benefits.

“The Association recognizes that during this economic downturn, the services it offers members become even more crucial,” said Vernon Schmidt, executive vice president. “We will double down on our efforts to serve as advocates for the shortline industry, and we will continue to look at opportunities to bring greater value to our members.”

The McKay-Empire-Wiese Group, through its associate company, MG Holdings, recently announced its purchase of Roose Manufacturing Co. of Pella, Iowa.

Buyers walking into a Cadillac dealer in the near future could find an interesting thing on the car lot: nothing.

The company has hatched a plan to convert a portion of Cadillac’s 925 stores into virtual dealerships that will be low on overhead and big on sophisticated technology.

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced new rules regarding drone operation.

The rules require most small commercial drone operators to fly only during daylight hours and to get certified every two years.

These June anniversaries represent an impressive 255 years of collective participation in the Farm Equipment Manufacturers
Association. We mark these milestones with gratitude for the companies’ commitment.

Terry Schruth, retired president of Pepin Farm Implements, died May 19. He was 88.

Schruth was president of the family business from the mid-1960s until 1991. The harrow manufacturer is today under the ownership of the family’s fifth generation.

The USDA expects farm sector profits to fall for the third straight year. Net farm income is projected to decline 3 percent to $54.8 billion.

The U.S. economy expanded by 160,000 jobs in April, which missed analysts’ projections of 202,000. The unemployment rate remains 5 percent.

Monsanto canceled plans to launch new biotech soybeans in Argentina and said it may withdraw seeds already sold there.

Titan Machinery Inc. has reported financial results for the first quarter ended April 30. Revenue for the period was $284.9 million, compared to $353.2 million in the same period last year.