Lucy Ellis, who founded Ellis Equipment with the late Jim Ellis, recently celebrated her 100th birthday.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has announced the formation of a new technical committee focused on unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones.

The UAS committee, designated MS-60, will focus on . . .

In a recent editorial, media personality John Stossel defined government regulation as the “quiet cancer that kills opportunity with an accumulated burden,” which he blames for America’s slowest economic recovery since the Depression.

This past week, the public comment period ended for the Labor Department’s proposals to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) regulations implementing the exemption from minimum wage and overtime pay for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer employees (known as the “white collar” exemptions).

A professional with a history in manufacturing and marketing to dealerships is seeking an employment opportunity in upper management.

We’ve offered you glimpses of our speaker lineup in the last several issues of Shortliner, but as we move into these final days, we want to bring you a start-to-finish look at the people who will shape our conversation during our time together and give us the tools we need to assure the shortline industry continues to thrive.

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.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trans Coastal Supply Co., based in Decatur, Ill., sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors in July, blaming losses and broken sales contracts after China detected the genetically modified corn in 2013 and began rejecting shipments.

The calendar is set for 2016—Clearwater, Fla., in March, and San Diego in October—but the following year is an open question.

In the last few weeks, Executive Vice President Vernon Schmidt has visited Tulsa, Okla., Little Rock, Ark., and Omaha, Neb., to check out meeting venues and see what the cities offer our members.

Much has changed over the decades, but the meeting’s focus has not. Its purpose remains to create a forum in which manufacturers of shortline farm equipment meet with wholesalers, independent sales representatives and others who focus on marketing farm equipment.

Our goal is to provide industry leaders opportunities to build on existing relationships and find new avenues for distributing equipment that brings the outstanding choice, value and innovation that farmers and ranchers expect from shortliners.

Blount International, Inc., has released numbers for its quarter ending June 30.

Sales in the second quarter were $212.7 million, a decrease of $22.7 million, or 9.6%, compared to 2014. Operating loss for the quarter was $47.3 million, including a $62 million non-cash impairment charge, compared to operating income of $22.4 million in the same quarter last year.

CNH Industrial released results for its second quarter last month. Ag equipment net sales were down 23.7% compared to the same period in 2014 on a constant currency basis (down 31.6% on a reported basis).

The devastation left by successive explosions at a chemical warehouse in China last week has forced Deere & Co. to suspend factory operations until later this week.

Buhler Industries reported its third-quarter earnings this month. Revenue for the quarter was $79.1 million, up from last year’s $77.1 million.

Sales of $203.9 million for the first nine months of the fiscal year dropped from the $250.7 million reported for the same period last year. The decline reflects lower demand for agricultural equipment resulting from lower commodity prices and the unstable political environment in Eastern Europe.

Supplier members can reserve exhibit space now for the 2016 Spring Conference & Supplier Showcase in Clearwater, Fla. The showcase, usually a sell-out, offers 57 booth and 18 table displays.

If you book by Sept. 11, you will save. Prices until then are $279 for a booth and $259 for a tabletop. After Sept. 11, prices are $319 and $299.

The Kansas City company that 15 years ago introduced MachineryLink—a farm equipment leasing and sharing program—recently expanded to also offer an online platform for equipment sharing.

The platform launched in July with limited participation. It is open to ag retailers, equipment dealers, and co-ops. In the fall, individuals will be able to also offer their equipment for sharing.

Duane Wilder, 62, passed away at his home in Williamsburg, Va., on August 13th. Duane was a respected businessman who started his career as a young co-owner of Alpena Ford Tractor, before moving to Iowa to launch a career with J.I. Case Corporation.

Dorsey joined Towner Meyer Company, an independent wholesaler of farm equipment and related supplies in 1950, and in 1973, became President and General Manager.

EMDA recently reported the death of Dorsey Meyer, Sr. Dorsey served on the FEWA Board of Directors from 1980 through 1985. He was president of the board in 1984

OSHA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register in July that clarifies an employer’s obligation to make and maintain records of injury and illness during the required five-year period.

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

Alamo Group Inc. released numbers from its quarter ending June 30.

Net sales for the quarter hit a record $215.7 million compared to net sales of $207.8 million in 2014, which reflects a 4% increase. Net income for the quarter was $9.7 million.

The company’s agriculture division reported net sales of $53 million, a 1% decrease compared to the $53.6 million in net sales for the same quarter last year.

“We believe in this final rule the EPA is trying to convert itself from an environmental regulator to a central planning authority of states’ energy economies,” said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, whose office is leading a 15-state coalition challenging the rule in court.

The world’s largest indoor show for agricultural machinery celebrates 30 years this November, and DLG, the show’s organizer, is offering members of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association e-vouchers for free entry to the show, valid from Nov. 10 to 14. Preview days are Nov. 8 and 9.

Deere & Co. announced recently it is laying off employees at Deere Seeding in Moline, the Quad-City Business Journal reported.

Approximately 160 employees who had been on layoff for an inventory adjustment shutdown learned they will be placed on indefinite layoff.

Ag Growth International Inc. last week announced its three- and six-month financials for the periods ended June 30.

In the first six months of 2015, the company reported profits of about $4.8 million, compared to about $14.9 million for the first six months of 2014. Adjusted profits are more comparable, showing $19.3 million for the first six months of 2015 and $16.8 million for 2014.

The boards of the Mid-America Equipment Retailers Association (MAERA) and the Ohio-Michigan Equipment Dealers Association (OMEDA) have approved a plan to merge.

The Minnesota-South Dakota Equipment Dealers Association in Owatonna, Minn., has named Nick Sinner as its new president and chief executive officer.

The North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) has named Joe Dykes as vice president of industry relations and Natalie Higgins as vice president of government relations and general counsel.

These members represent more than three centuries 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.

Economists with the Federal Reserve have taken note of a worrisome trend in agriculture: Operating loan volumes have risen among farmers, the Fed reports, while farm income in 2015 has been projected to drop compared to last year. Loans made to finance short-term operating expenses drove the increases in farm sector lending at commercial banks, the data showed.

T. G. Schmeiser Co., Inc. recently acquired the Smart-Till product line from HCC, Inc. of Mendota, Ill. The purchase includes all assets and trade names associated with the Smart-Till product line and its associated parts and components. Smart-Till’s manufacturing and administration operations will relocate from Illinois to the newly constructed Schmeiser manufacturing facility in Selma, Calif.

Most parents of school-age children say they consider manufacturing jobs financially and professionally rewarding, but few of them think the work is innovative or intellectually stimulating.

Among the more than 1,000 parents polled, 89% thought that manufacturing jobs paid between $7 and $22 an hour.

The Geringhoff Corporation, headquartered in Ahlen, Germany has acquired its North American distribution partner, Geringhoff Distribution LLC of St. Cloud, Minn., previously owned by the Jandrisch family.

As union negotiations continue in Pittsburgh this week, members of United Steelworkers are staging rallies at sites run by U.S. Steel Corp. and ArcelorMittal USA to demonstrate to the companies “we’re strong, we’re united, and we’re prepared to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract,” the union’s web site says.

Titan International has reported second quarter results. Net sales for the quarter ended June 30 were $376.1 million compared to $523.7 million in 2014, a 28% decrease. Overall sales experienced reductions in volume of 11% and price/mix of 7% as the agricultural market remains in a cyclical downturn.

The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ruled July 28 that McDonald’s could be held jointly liable for labor and wage violations by its franchise operators, reported the New York Times. The decision, if upheld, would disrupt longtime practices in the fast-food industry and ease the way for unionizing nationwide.

We heard this month from our colleagues at the Farm Show Council that their members had been targeted with phone calls suggesting a booking agency was calling members on the Council’s behalf.

Among company names the scammers used were Allied Acquisition Services, Convention Housing Authority, and Expo Lodging. The calls are not legitimate.

On July 30, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released more than 50 pages of documents in which the Army Corps of Engineers—EPA’s partner in writing the rule—rebuked agency officials for their abuse of the rulemaking process. The economic analysis used to support the rule, Army Corps officials wrote, had no basis in either science or economics.

The Agricultural Division of Alamo Group Inc. has named Craig Harthoorn as President of Alamo Group (Iowa) Inc.

Harthoorn assumes responsibility for the Indianola, Iowa facility as well as leadership of the worldwide marketing and distribution of the Herschel, Valu-Bilt and CT Farm & Country brands.

Trade negotiators from the U.S. and 11 other Pacific nations failed to reach final agreement in July. Trade ministers deadlocked over protections for drug companies and access to agriculture markets, the New York Times reported.

Would you like a few extra copies of the Association’s 2015 Membership Directory? The printer produced more than we ordered, so we are able to share additional copies with members this year.

Tighter borders, fewer immigrants and a strengthening U.S. economy have created a work shortage on U.S. farms. In response, farm companies are wooing employees by raising wages faster than inflation and enhancing medical and other benefits, the Wall Street Journal reported this month.

Summery of commodity results from the past week by Doane. With the exception of cotton and rice, crop markets were lower last week as prices reacted negatively to the USDA Aug. 12 Crop Production and WASDE reports.

Sentry Insurance is offering a three-day advanced seminar designed to help you plan, implement and manage your company’s safety program and improve your safety culture.

The seminar is Oct. 20 to 22 at the company’s office in Stevens Point, Wis.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the U.S. needs a disaster program for the poultry and turkey industries.

“Whether it’s a risk management insurance-type program, or a disaster program, or a combination, it really will reinforce the biosecurity aspects of this,” Vilsack said in July at the Avian Influenza Outbreak Conference in Des Moines.

AGCO reported net sales of $2.1 billion for the second quarter of 2015, a decrease of about 24.8% compared to the $2.8 billion net sales for the same quarter last year. Excluding unfavorable currency translation impacts, the year-to-year comparison changes to a 10.9% decline.

Annual business meeting with elections at the Fall Distribution and Marketing Convention. The meeting is 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Chicago Room. Members will gather to elect new directors and conduct other Association business. Each regular member company present will have one vote on each item on the agenda. There are no provisions for proxy voting.

Doug Griffin will be part of a panel on contemporary concerns in distributing farm equipment. Griffin brings 27 years of experience in the farm equipment manufacturing industry, including serving as the North America sales manager for Caterpillar’s Agricultural products division until 2002, when Caterpillar sold its ag division to AGCO.

Chad Colby will talk with members on Thursday, Oct. 29, about 21st-century strategies for equipment sales.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has filed suit against John Deere, claiming it violated the whistleblower provisions of OSHA.

At the center of the suit is a pipefitter who was terminated in 2012 from Deere’s Moline, Ill., facility. The suit alleges the termination was in response to the pipefitter reporting unsafe work conditions.

Creighton University released its Rural Mainstreet Index for July last week, and the survey revealed a subtle uptick in growth for the fourth consecutive month. News specific to farm equipment sales was weaker. The July index rose to 17.9 from June’s record low of 12.5. The index for farm equipment sales has been below growth neutral for 24 straight months

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