Bellota Agrisolutions received the VisaoAgro Prize in 2015 for its sugarcane cutter. Visao is a Portugese word from “vision.” The prize is awarded to highlight companies that show excellence in the sugarcane industry in Brazil.

The U.S. steel industry celebrated last week when President Obama signed into law the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, which includes the ENFORCE Act.

Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute, which has long championed the ENFORCE Act, said the measure becoming law is a “great day for the steel industry and all those who want to reign in tariff evasion and trade schemes at our borders.”

In a move to better align with the needs of its OEM customers, Link Manufacturing, Ltd., has promoted four individuals.

I received a news release from a member company announcing it had earned a distinction from a manufacturer. I put the news in the Shortliner. When companies received the newsletter and saw the announcement, a handful sent emails that said, “Hey, we received that distinction too, for the last 10 years, in fact.”

FarmLink has announced it will split into two unique businesses, one focused on advanced data analytics and the other equipment-sharing solutions.

The data-analytics business will retain the FarmLink name, while the equipment sharing solutions business will continue to be known as MachineryLink Solutions.

H&S Manufacturing, Inc. has named Scott P. Doescher as its new President. The appointment was effective February 22.

Doescher succeeds Chris Heikenen, who will remain active with H&S as the company’s Chairman and CEO.

“There is a need to retool yourself, and you should not expect to stop,” Stephenson said in a recent interview at AT&T’s Dallas headquarters. “People who do not spend five to 10 hours a week in online learning, he added, “will obsolete themselves with the technology.”

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index rose in February but remains weak. The index, measured monthly among rural bank CEOs, increased from 34.8 in January to 37 in February.

The February index specific to farm-equipment sales climbed to 11.3 from January’s record low 7.0.

* Castongia Tractor – bought A&M Farm Center
* Wade, Inc. purchased Tractors & Equipment in Hernando, Miss.
* Agri-Service LLC, purchased Agri-Service Northwest

Lessiter Media Inc. recently polled a few experts on farm equipment sales and asked their thoughts on shortline-only dealerships. Take a look at these excerpts from their responses:

Oregon lawmakers recently passed a geographically based minimum-wage hike in spite of concerns from small businesses.

Wages inside Portland’s urban growth boundary will go up to $14.75 an hour by 2022. In urban counties, the rate will rise to $13.50, and in rural counties, $12.50. The minimum wage today is $9.25.

“Although Deere expects another challenging year in 2016,” said Samuel R. Allen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, “our forecast represents a level of performance much better than we have experienced in previous downturns.”

Iowa Republican legislators have expressed frustration with Senate Democrats for rejecting a bill that would conform Iowa tax statutes with the federal Section 179, limiting the deduction to $25,000 rather than allowing for the $500,000 federal level.

Although the tax filing deadline has passed, many believe pressure from the business community and farmers will prevail, and retroactive legislation will be passed.

A subcommittee of the American Society of Agricultural & Biological Engineers (ASABE) Machine Systems (MS) 23/4/1 recently reviewed the work of a small task force of braking system experts.

This group compared the current requirements in ASAE S365.9, which are 15-years-old, to more current braking requirements from regions of the world that have taken into consideration ever-increasing equipment weights and faster towing speeds.

A new Nebraska law ends one of the last state bans in the U.S. on meatpacking companies owning hogs.

The world’s largest steelmaker reported a net loss of $7.95 billion for 2015, more than quadruple the previous year’s net loss.

ArcelorMittal said in February it would ask shareholders for fresh funds, sell assets and slash costs after falling commodity prices pummeled its 2015 performance.

Federal lawmakers are discussing legislation that attempts to divide California’s water supply among competing interests.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced the legislation in February. It was her third proposal in two years, and it faces the same obstacles as its predecessors: Republicans seek more certain deliveries of water for agriculture while Democrats represent what the Fresno Bee describes as the “environmentally sensitive” interests of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Shipping group CMA CGM SA, which is close to completing its acquisition of Neptune Orient Lines Ltd., may abandon its operating alliances with other carriers amid growing consolidation in the container shipping business.

Buhler Industries released its first quarter results for FY 2016. Revenue was $36.3 million, down from $60.1 million for the same quarter last year.

When we saw the news last week about the workplace shooting in Hesston, Kansas, we were struck by how the story of Excel Industries resembles the stories of so many of our members.

Excel Industries, which built tractor cabs for decades, is today a manufacturer and exporter of riding lawn mowers. It is a family-owned, third-generation manufacturing plant in a small Midwestern town.

This company that has quadrupled its number of employees since the 1990s and won recognition as state Exporter of the Year in 2013 made national headlines for a far different reason on February 25.

CCTY Bearing has taken a new step in transparency. The company has announced it will publish its clients’ scorecards online

For the nine months ended December 31, 2015, revenues of Kubota Corporation and its subsidiaries increased by 9.2% from the same period in the prior year.

Revenues in its Farm & Industrial Machinery segment increased by 10.6% from the same period in the prior year, and accounted for 82% of consolidated revenues.

The Association recently received news of these job openings.

Territory Sales Manager (Job #110)

Operations Manager (Job #109)

Regional Sales Manager (Job #108)

Obama said at the National Governor’s Association the presidential race has complicated the trade debate because the top candidates oppose the TPP.

“The presidential campaigns have created some noise within and roiled things a little bit within the Republican party, as well as the Democratic party around this issue,” he said. “I think we should just have a good, solid, healthy debate about it.”

The Federal Reserve said in January it was “closely monitoring” global economic and financial developments but maintained an otherwise upbeat view of the U.S. economy. The statement acknowledged that the U.S. economy has slowed and said little about when the Fed would raise interest rates again.

Among open positions at member companies are a design/project engineer, a sales/marketing manager, mechanical/ag engineers, and an outside sales representative.

The American unemployment rate dropped below 5% for the first time since February 2008, according to new numbers released Feb. 5 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More good news: Manufacturing created almost as many new jobs in January as . . .

Jim Parsons has been promoted at Myers Spring. The company also hired two new members for its team.

The 2016 Spring Conference & Supplier Showcase promises a bit of adventure and outdoor fun, but it also acknowledges the truth that in the farm equipment industry, these are not days for celebration.

The Association has built its 2016 spring meeting to reflect the reality of the agriculture economy and provide members with strategies to endure it and prepare for its inevitable turnaround.

That focus is evident in our speaker roster, which includes:

Vermeer Corporation appointed two new members to its board of directors. They are veteran corporate executives in the industrial equipment manufacturing industry.

The IRS has expanded on its tax treatment related to employers providing services to employees that protect against data breaches and identity theft.

The Association lost a long-time friend in January when former President and Treasurer Ed Elstun died. His colleagues remember his contributions …

The first U.S. factory to open in Cuba in the last half-century will manufacture tractors and other heavy equipment.Business partners from Alabama expect to begin production in early 2017 and anticipate a 10 to 20% profit on each tractor.

AgJunction has named its first ever VP for Intellectual Property and General Counsel.

Caterpillar Inc. has named a Puerto Rican company to be its CAT dealer in Cuba in preparation for the day when the U.S. embargo in Cuba is lifted.

The Obama administration has released its final budget proposal for 2017. Highlights–and lowlights–in agriculture include proposed cuts to crop insurance, reduced funding for water infrastructure, and investments in ag science research and animal disease preparedness.

The use of big data raises a big question in agriculture: Who owns it? A legal expert explains the complexities of the question.

Agriculture economists see signs of optimism in the cattle industry driven by strong export numbers.

Case-New Holland initiated a fifth round of layoffs at its manufacturing plant in Fargo, N.D. The series of layoffs have affected more than 260 workers.

The USDA projects that 2016 net farm income will fall for the third straight year, but the decline will be less severe. In 2013, profits hit a record-setting $123.3 billion, then fell by 56% through 2015.

ASABE has undertaken a project to revise the Combine Capacity and Performance Test Procedure standard.

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

AGCO released its fourth-quarter numbers this month, reporting a decrease in net sales of 21.2% compared to the fourth quarter last year. For the 2015 fiscal year, net sales were down by 23.2%.

Deere has completed its acquisition of member company Monosem. Deere does not plan to change the independent nature of Monosem.

Dealer News: Dealer associations complete their merger, and Schweissguth Brothers Inc. sells to Sydenstricker Implement.

These February anniversaries represent 135 years of collective participation in the Association. We mark their milestone anniversaries this month by thanking them for their commitment to the industry and the Association.

The U.S. retail regular gasoline price is forecast to average $1.98 per gallon in 2016 and $2.21 in 2017, compared with $2.43 in 2015.

Art’s Way Manufacturing Co., Inc., has announced its financial results for last fiscal year. Marc McConnell, Chairman of the Art’s Way Board of Directors, said the company is “cautiously optimistic” about the new year.

How do you confront something that is a distortion of truth? Our presidential candidates sometimes choose to react with name-calling, but I think we can do better.

In the state of Vermont, legislation was filed that demands a response from this Association. It begins with this:

“…in order to promote the public interest and the public welfare, and in the exercise of its police power, it is necessary to regulate equipment suppliers and their representatives, and to regulate dealer agreements issued by the aforementioned who are doing business in this State in order to prevent frauds, impositions, and other abuses upon its citizens and to protect and preserve the investments and properties of the citizens of this State.

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