Deere CEO Samuel Allen took a pay cut amid the company’s down financial cycle, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. Allen’s compensation package was reduced by

Last week, delegates of the American Farm Bureau Federation from all 50 states elected leaders and approved policies that will help shape the future of agriculture.

Among priorities for 2016 will be issues such as renewable fuels, governmental reform, farm policy, risk management and international trade.

A commentary in a recent issue of the Wall Street Journal challenged the ethanol industry.

Merrill Matthews, a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas, argued that it made economic and environmental sense to replace the 18 billion gallons of ethanol called for in the EPA’s 2016 Renewable Fuel Standards with fossil fuel.

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index rose slightly from December’s weak reading, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in a 10-state region.The January index was 50.9, up from December’s 50.0 and tilting toward positive growth on the zero-to-100 scale.

See more from the economist who will speak to us at the Spring Conference …

We have had several Association members tell us that while the tumbling price of crude oil provides welcome savings at the pump, the ripple effect of a glutted oil market hurts business.

The situation won’t be helped by this past weekend’s removal of sanctions on Iran, whose national oil company gave the instruction to increase output by about . . .

Dairy farmers and cattle ranchers in Texas and New Mexico continue to assess their losses after winter storm Goliath wrecked their operations. An estimated 15,000 dairy cows were killed in the storm …

The online resource Steelworks reports that recent steel production is down compared to last year.

Lessiter Media’s Farm Equipment magazine has launched a new series focused on the shortline industry. The series sheds light on business models in which a shortline focus helps dealers satisfy local customers.

Article by Jim Parsons – Chairman of our Associate Supplier Section

Like most things we do, Supplier Associate members of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association find that helping the Association helps manufacturing members enhance their market knowledge and grow their professional network. One of the best ways to get to know your fellow Supplier Associate members and Regular members is to . . .

Several member companies have been named 2015 Partner-Level Suppliers by John Deere.The Partner award represents Deere’s highest supplier rating.

As of Jan. 19, only 22 booths remain available for reservation for the 2016 Supplier Showcase on Thursday, April 7, in Clearwater, Fla.

Link Manufacturing, Ltd. recently received an award for its 20 years of continuous ISO Quality Certification. SRI Quality System Registrar presented the award in December.

AgJunction Inc. has announced that after completing its merger with Novariant, Inc., and conducting an internal review to identify operating synergies, it is implementing a program to consolidate operations and redundant resources and reduce its global workforce by about 20%.

With tax season upon us, the IRS requires the Association to remind members that a small portion of members’ dues are not tax-deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense, because that portion reflects ongoing lobbying activities on our members’ behalf.

Our accounting firm has notified us that, for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2015, 12.33% of the total amount of dues paid is non-deductible.

Last week, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled against a challenge brought by makers of farm equipment to the state’s “dealer bill of rights.”

We noted when we opposed the legislation in 2013 that the law provides targeted relief by exempting single-line equipment dealers who buy 90% of their product inventory from a single supplier and have annual average sales volume for the previous three years in excess of $100 million. That might be nice for a manufacturer like Caterpillar, but if they deserve an exemption, why not also exempt shortline farm equipment manufacturers?

The Alamo Group Inc. completed changes to its Board of Directors this week and announced the appointment of Gary Martin as Chairman of the Board, effective Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Retiring from the board are James B. Skaggs and Jerry E. Goldress. Skaggs joined the board in 1996 and has served as chairman since 2011. Goldress became a director in 2000.

Good news emerged for farmers and equipment manufacturers in December when Congress approved the 2,250-page, $1.8 trillion tax-and-spending bill.

Rather than the short-term extensions that have characterized a series of tax breaks relevant to the industry, lawmakers opted to make permanent a series of tax incentives, and in one case, extend an incentive for three years.

For farmers, farm equipment manufacturers, and dealers, that certainty comes primarily in the permanent extension of Section 179, permanent extension of the research-and-development tax credit, and the extension of bonus depreciation expensing through 2019.

With the release in December of a final rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, truck drivers and trucking fleets have until December 2017 to transition from paper records to tracking their driving electronically.

Weather scientists now say this year’s “extreme” El Niño weather phenomenon is the strongest ever recorded, which could mean more abnormal winter weather for all of North America, the Delta Farm Press reported in December.

Lawmakers repealed the unpopular Country-of-Origin Labeling rule as part of the massive omnibus bill passed in December.

The repeal came weeks after the World Trade Organization authorized Canada and Mexico to impose $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs against the United States.

Low interest rates and limited opportunities for companies to build their bottom lines set the stage for a record-setting year in acquisitions.

The Associated Press reported that Dealogic, a financial data provider, said companies around the world spent $5.04 trillion on acquisitions in 2015.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued the 2016 optional standard mileage rates. The dips in mileage rates for 2016 reflect lower gas prices nationwide. According to AAA, U.S. drivers are paying the lowest average price for regular unleaded gasoline since 2009. On average, taxpayers are paying 79 cents per gallon less than they did in 2015.

Global Payments Inc. has agreed to buy Heartland Payment Systems Inc. for about $3.8 billion, a deal that would expand its reach among mid-size and small merchants, the Wall Street Journal reported.

This week we opened registration for our 2016 Spring Conference in Clearwater Beach, Fla., with a waiting list of members eager to engage and learn from each other in what is not likely to be a record-breaking year for many members.

We can’t think of a better place or a better time to step back from daily manufacturing operations and take a fresh look at the challenges and opportunities of 2016.

With two airports within 20 minutes of our meeting location, direct flights and good connections are plentiful, and many discounted airfares are available now.

LifeLock Inc., an identity theft protection company, has agreed to pay $100 million to settle charges that it violated the terms of a 2010 settlement with the FTC, The National Law Journal reported. The award is the largest the FTC has obtained in enforcing a court order.

The commission accused LifeLock of violating the 2010 settlement by failing to protect users’ information and continuing to make deceptive claims about its services. In that same time period, LifeLock continued to misrepresent its services by claiming it protected personal data with the same safeguards as financial institutions, the FTC complaint said.

The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Oakland berthed the largest cargo ship to ever visit the United States on December 26 and December 31, respectively, the Maritime Executive reported.

Kondex has earned recognition as a Partner-level supplier for 2015 in the John Deere Achieving Excellence Program.

Link Manufacturing, Ltd. has announced the hiring of Jeff Vierkant as Director of Manufacturing. In this role, he will oversee all of Link’s manufacturing operations, directing quality initiatives, initiating lean manufacturing process improvements, and providing strategies to advance Link’s manufacturing capabilities.

These members represent 135 years of collective participation in the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association. We mark their milestone anniversaries this month by thanking them—and each of you—for your commitment to the shortline industry and the Association that supports it.

Two member companies are among winners of the World Ag Expo’s Top 10 New Products competition. Their company’s products will be showcased at World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif., Feb. 9 to 11.

Buhler Industries last week released its year-end earnings report. The Winnipeg, Manitoba-based company said revenue for the year was $245.7 million, down $79.8 million from the $325.5 million reported in 2014.

Bridgestone Americas has announced that it has named Kimberly Lang as Director of Marketing for Firestone Farm Tires, the company’s agricultural tire division. In her new position, Lang will create and implement the marketing vision for the Firestone agricultural brand while growing the product portfolio to encompass a wide breadth of solutions, including farm tires and agricultural rubber tracks.

Dethmers Manufacturing Company (Demco) has completed its acquisition of Maurer Manufacturing.

House and Senate lawmakers last week announced a deal that would bolster U.S. customs enforcement. Two days later, the House voted 256-158 to pass the long-awaited measure, which goes to the Senate for final approval this week and then to President Obama’s desk for signature.

The measure reauthorizes and modernizes the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, streamlines rules to stop importers from skirting U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties, adds new protections for intellectual property, and provides more tools to crack down on

This year, the Association office will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 24 and 25, in observance of Christmas and to provide our staff a long weekend for travel and extended time with friends and family.

An arbitration panel at the World Trade Organization released a final decision last week in the ongoing dispute over Country of Origin Labeling, authorizing Canada and Mexico to impose $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs on the United States.

In the days since the decision, U.S. groups have intensified their calls to Congress to repeal COOL, which is tied up in a series of end-of-year decisions in Washington this week.

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

Consumers’ heightened interest in what goes into their food is driving a group of big food makers and other consumer- goods companies to introduce a smartphone app that scans products in stores, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The app will allow shoppers to go beyond the label in understanding what’s in the food.

The SmartLabel app was announced last week by the Grocery Manufacturers Association. So far, it includes more than 30 companies, including General Mills Inc., Hershey Co., and PepsiCo Inc. The association said in the Journal that companies are expected to use the technology on 30,000 products by the end of 2017.

Washington leaders have yet to unveil a $1.1 trillion omnibus budget package, and the holiday countdown is on. The Association has contacted leaders in Washington to urge them to permanently adopt the higher threshold and will notify members of the status of Section 179 as soon as the omnibus bill passes.

Planning is well underway for our 2016 Spring Conference at the Hilton in Clearwater, Fla. Our staff is meeting with the hotel and making final arrangement for off-site social activities this week. Online registration opens December 28. More than a third of the Supplier Showcase space is already reserved.

Salford Group, a manufacturer of tillage, seeding, and fertilizer application equipment, announced it is expanding its tillage product line through the acquisition of AerWay advanced aeration products, manufactured by SAF-HOLLAND Canada Ltd.

Blount International, Inc., announced last week it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by affiliates of American Securities LLC and P2 Capital Partners, LLC in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $855 million.

A new year means new regulations under the Affordable Care Act. Attorney and health care thought leader Dan Kuperstein shared this great list of six things he expects in 2016 related to the ACA and employers with Employee Benefit News.

Lessiter Media’s Farm Equipment magazine has won an Editorial Award, or “Eddie,” from Folio magazine. Farm Equipment won first place in the Business-to-Business Series of Articles—Agriculture.

It was not a smooth ride, but a five-year highway funding bill became law last week.

The $305 billion plan, known as Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act, is celebrated for offering assurance and stability after years of short-term funding extensions for highways.

The law calls for spending $205 billion on highways and $48 billion on transit projects through September 2020. It designates $6.5 billion for a national highway freight program, which will allocate money for states based on a formula.

A dozen states intend to increase their minimum wage on the last day of 2015 or the first day of 2016. Increases range from a quarter to a dollar. In some cases, the bumps are part of a series.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports increases in these state

The FAST Act is focused on improving the surfaces upon which we travel, but the bill included a few things beyond roads and bridges of note to the industry.

The law restores a $3 billion cut to the federal crop insurance program, which had been part of last year’s farm bill but was cut in November’s bipartisan budget agreement. The restoration of the funds provides $3 billion over 10 years for the $9 billion-a-year crop insurance program.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers has initiated a standards project to develop an identification system for seed cotton modules.

Seed cotton modules often have been identified using custom systems developed by individual gins for their customers, or by a third party supplying tags.

The U.S. Labor Department announced earlier this month that the economy expanded to add 211,000 new jobs in November, which surpassed economists’ expectations by 11,000 jobs.

Among small businesses, however, opportunities for employment were relatively flat in November.