United Auto Workers voted this week to ratify a six-year contract with Deere & Co., deciding that a modest pay bump and increased job security outweighed increases in their medical costs, the Des Moines Register reported.

Some Michigan farmers are being forced to leave crops to rot in the field for lack of available harvest laborers. The Detroit News calls the problem shameful and blames bad immigration policy, which it says could be easily fixed if Congress would stop fighting about immigration and start adopting sensible regulations.

October has long been a standout month for membership. It is the month of the Fall Marketing & Distribution Convention, the event upon which the Association was built and the event which continues to rank among members’ most valued benefits.

This October is marked not only by a long list of anniversaries but a number of members with remarkable longevity.

This is what gives the Association such strength. When we can bring together shortliners with a 60-year history in the Association with shortliners who are new to membership and perhaps rookies in the industry, we can bring together the wisdom and energy that can lead to great things.

To these members, and to each of you, thank you for being part of Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has begun a four-part series examining deaths related to farm accidents.

The series—Tragic Harvest—is based on a comprehensive analysis of records from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, death certificates in Minnesota, more than 100 interviews with people who lost a loved one or co-worker in a farm accident, and investigative reports from sheriff’s departments, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials will receive a $1.3 million national grant to conduct research on how agricultural implements impact the state’s bridges. DOT applied for and received a grant from the National Academies of Science Transportation Research Board “to get a better understanding of the nature of the fleet of vehicles out there.”

Digi-Star has announced that Kevin Klubertanz has been appointed as president of Digi-Star and RDS Technology. Klubertanz is charged with further integrating the Digi-Star and RDS business and to work collaboratively with the other Topcon agriculture businesses.

Caterpillar announced recently it plans to cut as many as 10,000 jobs. The cuts are part of a restructuring plan in response to what the company calls “a convergence of challenging marketplace conditions in key regions and industry sectors—namely in mining and energy.”

The Traverse City Record-Eagle shared a bit of news recently about a business in Williamsburg, Mich., that hinted at bigger issues in the industry. The business, Classic Farm Equipment has shifted its inventory from agricultural equipment to lawn and garden and land management.

Trade ministers from a dozen countries convened in Atlanta last week and, after five days of round-the-clock talks, reached agreement on the biggest trade deal in a generation.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a pact among the U.S., Japan, Australia, Vietnam and eight other countries around the Pacific—though not China—lowers trade barriers for goods and services ranging from poultry to building materials, and sets commercial rules for two-fifths of the global economy.

Cattle prices fell to a 16-month low in Chicago last week and may continue to drop amid circumstances that suggest meat packers are deliberately slowing purchases.

Members of the Association who hold product liability policies with Sentry Insurance will again receive a dividend check. Sentry has announced a 10% dividend share for product liability policies expiring in 2015.

Dividends are tiered. First-year policy holders will receive 3.6%. Second-year policy holders will receive 7.1%. Policy holders who have been with Sentry for three years or more will receive 10.7%.

Vernon Schmidt, the Association’s Executive Vice President, said that when a member and policy holder faces a claim, Sentry excels in its response.

“The most important test of any insurance program is how it responds when claims occur,” Schmidt said. “Sentry’s knowledgeable and experienced claims professionals have a proven record with our members of delivering fast and fair settlements. Its claims professionals understand the unique exposures that farm equipment manufacturers face and are committed to providing fast and fair claims resolution.”

Brandt Tractor Ltd., part of the Brandt group of companies, invited the public inside a newly built facility earlier this month. The company moved to a new location in Saskatoon after 23 years at an industrial park in this Saskatchewan city.

If you are a shortline manufacturer, you or someone else at your business has received an email asking you to participate in a survey about this Association.

If you have not yet responded, you will receive a fourth email Thursday.

A legal battle involving manufacturers of farm equipment and equipment dealers has reached the New Hampshire Supreme Court. It is the newest development in a dispute over a state law introduced in 2013.

FAA has granted permission to use a paper airplane conversion kit for commercial aerial photography. . . “abandoned all logic and sensibility” with its exemption for the paper airplane conversion kit.

Researchers exploring the damage done by corn earworms and the difference bats can make shared a big number recently in Science magazine.

The USDA has trimmed its yield and production estimates for the U.S. corn crop, which is still expected to be the third-biggest on record.

The department now projects a national yield of . . .

Employers and employees fighting over wages or hours should try to settle their disputes before taking them to the Department of Labor or the courts.

As of Tuesday, only 16 rooms remained at the convention rate. And, with the Kansas City Royals pushing toward post-season play, it may be nearly impossible to find additional rooms during the World Series.

In the most recent Outlook Survey conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), 74% of respondents named the cost of health insurance as their top business challenge.

And, it’s no wonder. Health insurance premiums in the manufacturing sector have increased from $6,549 for a family policy in 2000 to $16,538 in 2014.

Contributing to the angst are two components of the Affordable Care Act: the redefinition of small business, which will take effect Jan. 1, and the so-called Cadillac tax slated for 2018.

Redefining Small Business – Beginning Jan. 1, businesses with 51 to 100 employees will fall into the small-group category for health insurance purposes, a designation that likely will lead to higher premium costs.

Republican presidential candidates need to get beyond a “meat cleaver” approach to immigration policy and ensure that farms and food processors have an adequate supply of labor.

U.S. Sen. Schumer (D-NY) announced his support of the Agriculture Equipment and Machinery Depreciation Act last week. The bill would revise federal tax code so farmers could depreciate their equipment over. . .

USDA and the Department of Defense have introduced enhanced services to veterans interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives received a letter last week from this Association and 68 other organizations urging them to pass a six-year reauthoriziation of the federal surface transportation program.

Accounts receivable may be one of the largest assets on the balance sheet, but most manufacturers focus on other areas like LEAN production or sales rather than credit and collections. It is not uncommon for companies to tie up many thousands of dollars in accounts receivable every year.

Highlights of August report of U.S. and Canadian retail sales of tractors by HP and self-prop combines. Source: AEM

Kubota will construct an agricultural machinery assembly plant near Yangon, Myanmar. Will break ground on the plant as early as autumn with spring 2016 as its targeted completion date. It likely will cost

U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers released study findings last week that suggest excessive farm support in advanced developing countries could cost U.S. wheat farmers nearly

GreenMark Equipment closed its Deere lawn equipment dealership in Goshen, Ind., earlier this month, The Goshen News reported. The store became GreenMark Equipment in January 2014. It operated as Gilsinger Implement from 2010 to 2014.

Members of the Pacific Northwest Hardware & Implement Association (PNA) have voted unanimously to merge with the Western Equipment Dealers Association.

The monthly survey of bank CEOs in a 10-state region showed continued economic uncertainty in rural communities dependent upon agriculture and energy. Creighton University’s Rural Mainstreet Index for August fell from July’s tepid reading of

A member company is seeking a career-oriented sales manager with strong leadership skills to be part of helping a rapidly growing company advance to the next level.

The sales manager will provide on-site and in-office sales calls to customers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

A spokesman for Deere & Co. said recently the company will not engage in conversation about the political situation in Russia but intends to continue cooperating with

Lessiter Publications Inc. announced last week it has changed its corporate name to Lessiter Media Inc., to better reflect the evolution of its print, digital, and in-person content offerings.

CNH Industrial America said in a news release in August that 70 employees at the Grand Island, Neb., plant will lose their jobs in October in response to market trends.

Among our members common interests: steel. How it’s shipped, cut, welded and painted matters to your everyday. So, we’re thrilled to conclude the 2015 Fall Convention by inviting you to take an inside look at EXLTUBE on . . .

Updates on three dealer groups with new locations, new names, and recent purchases.

Deere & Co. announced Aug. 31 that its plants in Davenport and East Moline will reduce their workforces. About 180 workers are affected, including 150 at Harvester Works in East Moline and 30 at Davenport Works.

A glut of used farm machinery in dealer inventories is harming an already weak market for tractors and farm equipment, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Key to a turnaround in the new equipment market is. . . .

Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc., recently announced changes to its leadership team. David Disberger has been named . . .

Meanwhile, growers’ expectations about next year’s business conditions have improved to an index value of 98, up from 88 last August. It’s the highest reading since August 2012.

A University of Florida horticulture professor targeted by activists for accepting $25,000 from the biotech company Monsanto is donating the money to a food pantry program, the Gainesville Sun reported.

Real estate mogul and presidential contender Donald Trump’s tough talk on immigration has exacerbated already difficult labor shortages in agriculture and bogged down what the ag community hoped would be a low-key Congressional process to fix the nation’s guest-worker program, Politico Magazine reported.

“Trump is terrible for agriculture,” Harold McClarty told the magazine. McClarty is a California peach and plum farmer who relies on thousands of workers every year.

An Association member company in the Midwest is searching for a
mechanical engineer with at least 10 years experience. If you are interested and not currently employed by an Association company, please send your resume and letter to. . .

The United Steelworkers union did not reach a labor deal with U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal by the Sept. 1 expiration of its previous contract, but work continues at the companies.

These members represent 180 years of collective participation in the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association. We mark their milestone anniversaries by thanking them-and each of you-for your commitment to the shortline industry and the Association that supports it.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack became the first member of President Obama’s Cabinet to endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton in her 2016 presidential bid.

The Board of Directors of Geringhoff International announced August 31 that it appointed Tosh Brinkerhoff as President and CEO of Geringhoff North America.

Brinkerhoff was previously employed by John Deere, where he held several senior roles, including

A ruling from the National Labor Relations Board in August has rewritten a 30-year-old standard defining what constitutes a “joint employer.”

The new rule says businesses need only exercise “indirect” control over workers to be named a party in labor disputes and negotiations, which makes it easier for contract workers and temporary employees to unionize.

Manufacturing members of the Association soon will receive an email from our president, Mike Kloster, asking you to participate in a survey about the value of your membership done by a third-party firm.

By taking the time to complete the questions, you help the Association develop strategies that will support your work in the long-term.

Kongskilde Industries, Inc., hosted industry colleagues and community leaders at an open house earlier this month celebrating its $10 million expansion in Hudson, Ill. Kongskilde added 75,000 square feet to its plant, bringing the total square footage to . . .