The American Bankers Association has called for congressional hearings into the Farm Credit System. ABA President Frank Keating, a former governor of Oklahoma, told Brownfield Ag News this month that the system was a product of the Great Depression, and its loaning practices were no longer specific to agriculture.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee last week approved legislation granting presidential authority to negotiate international trade agreements. The bill, the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act, or the fast-track bill, gives lawmakers the right to set negotiating objectives but restricts them to a yes-or-no vote on trade deal.

Art’s Way Manufacturing Co., Inc. announced that Marc McConnell has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors.

McConnell has served on the Board of Directors of Art’s Way Manufacturing since 2001 and as Vice-Chairman since 2008. Along with the succession plan previously announced, J. Ward McConnell Jr. was elected Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. McConnell has served as a director of the company since 1996.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week in a case brought by farmers from California challenging a decades-old law that requires they surrender to the government a portion of their raisin crop.

Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., challenged that argument: “Could the government say to a manufacturer of cellphones, ‘You can sell cellphones; however, every fifth one you have to give to us.’ Or a manufacturer of cars, ‘You can sell cars in the United States, but every third car you have to give to the United States.’?”

A farm supply business in Renfrew, Ontario, Canada, is changing ownership after more than 50 years. John A. Burnett, Ltd., described as “an area institution” by Ottawa Community News, has sold the business to Reis Equipment of Carp.

U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) introduced last week the Flexibility to Farm Act to correct what he characterizes as overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Clean Water Act.

“When the EPA wants to regulate mud muddles,” he said, “it’s clear the agency is wading into territory that goes beyond reasonable environmental protection and only adds more red tape for Michigan farmers.”

The Minnesota-based WASP Inc., has signed a letter of intent to buy Fast Manufacturing, a manufacturer also based in Minnesota that produces sprayer and liquid fertilizer applicator equipment.

An Australian farmer tending to his daily tasks recently discovered the gigantic fossilized jaw of a 100-million-year-old sea creature.

Numbers released by Titan Machinery in April showed revenues down for the fourth quarter of FY 2015 compared to the same quarter last year. Overall revenue was 31% lower than the same quarter last year. In breakout categories, the company reported about a 34% decline in equipment sales, a 17% decline in parts, a nearly 19% decline in services, and an 8% decline in rentals.

I can’t help but think that what ultimately happens in California regarding ownership of groundwater—whether municipality or privately owned—will migrate eastward to the Midwest, serving as a template for law,” wrote Jerry Gulke in Forbes. “Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas have had an ongoing controversy over agriculture water rights with regulations of water usage already in place to some degree. One would think it prudent for agricultural residents of those states to keep a watchful eye on the evolution of water rights emanating out of California.”

Agco has lowered its sales expectations for the year and cut its factory hours by 21%.

Agrimoney reported Tuesday that the maker of Massey Ferguson and Fendt machinery told investors its initial sales forecast of a 15 to 17% decline has been revised to a 19 to 21% drop in sales.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (R) plans to visit Europe in June with the state’s leaders in agriculture and economic development, Brownfield Ag News recently reported.

The North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) announced last week recipients of its 2015 Dealer’s Choice and Gold Level service awards for 2015. The annual awards honor manufacturers who receive exemplary ratings in twelve categories addressed in NAEDA’s Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey.

After a year-long review that included 400 meetings across the United States and feedback from more than a million people – farmers, manufacturers, hunters, and anglers – the Environmental Protection Agency, with the US. Army Corps of Engineers, submitted this month a revised Clean Water Rule to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

For the past two years, the farm equipment industry has been watching attempts by local governments in Wisconsin, via the state legislature, to place restrictions on limited use farm equipment on public roadways. They sought a permit process that we believed would not work. We have been involved, with many other industry groups, because it matters to our members and farmers in Wisconsin, and it matters in every state where farmers must move large, modern farm equipment on local roads.

The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association serves as the collective voice of members and provides resources so members can continually learn and engage in industry developments. The Association belongs to you, so it is fitting that you help shape its direction.

Association members serve on committees designed to assure continued success among our 742 member companies. In this issue, we thank the members who give their time to committee work and encourage every member to share suggestions on how the committees can meet their objectives.

A new rule from the National Labor Relations Board that compresses the timeline in which workers can hold union-organizing elections is effective this week.

Opponents have dubbed this the “ambush election rule” because organizers could hold a union election in less than 14 days after a petition is filed. The previous rule called for at least 25 days. The new rule also provides for electronic filing and requires employers to include contact information for workers.

Commodity Classic is offering a new benefit to regular members of our Association: early reservation for exhibit space at the 2016 show in New Orleans, March 3 to 5. Sales do not open to others until June 1.

The General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board issued a memo last week that put a fine point on what is lawful in employee handbooks.

The memo focused on rules related to confidentiality, professional conduct, harassment, trademarks, videography and photography and contacting the media.

This month we thank these companies for their membership in and continued support of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association. We look forward to having these companies – and yours – as members for many years to come.

Australia-based AgDNA has teamed up with the New York-based AgFunder to attract investors to its mobile data analytics platform.

AgDNA is a cloud-based data analytics platform that seeks to put information into the hands of equipment dealers, growers, contractors, and agronomists worldwide.

A story released by Reuters last week reports that after four years of bumper crops and earnings, farmers expect diminished returns in 2015 and are buying less to brace for it.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture anticipates this growing season to be the least profitable since 2007, and early spending among farmers suggests they will not bet against that prediction. In the Midwest, equipment sales are down and seed companies report selling less.

A proposed change to Nebraska state law could lead to meat packers owning livestock.

In pork-producing states like Iowa, Minnesota and North Carolina, many farmers today are under contract with giant meat packers like Tyson or Smithfield Foods.The companies own the pigs and pay the farmers to raise them.

Voters in Oklahoma soon may decide to amend their state constitution to assure that its legislature cannot, without a compelling state interest, pass a law limiting the rights of residents of Oklahoma to farm.

Oklahoma, like every other state in the union, has a Right to Farm law. The intent of such laws is to discourage legal complaints against farmers for nature-of-the-business inconveniences such as dust or noise.

The drought in California dominated national news in recent weeks after Gov. Jerry Brown (D) issued an executive order calling for a 25% mandatory reduction in water use through February 2016. Agriculture is exempt from the order, a move Brown explained in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”

A member company that manufactures peanut harvest equipment, tillage tools, poultry house maintenance equipment, and disc mower caddies is seeking a territory manager to cover Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, southern Ohio, and Iowa. A dealer network and established market is in place.

Farm equipment sales and farmland prices have declined, according to data released in March from the Creighton Rural Mainstreet Index.

Responses from this monthly survey of bank CEOs in a 10-state rural region led to the lowest Rural Mainstreet Index since February 2010 – 43.6 on a scale of one to 100.

EFC Systems, Inc., a provider of solutions for agri-business retailers and wholesalers, has announced an agreement to purchase AgJunction Inc.’s Cloud Services division.

U.S. steelmakers struggling to compete with overseas exporters of the metal are taking their case to Congress. The industry seeks a revision in the way in foreign trade complaints are reviewed.

The domestic steel industry recently has idled 32% of its capacity, according to reports, and U.S. raw-steel output is down 14% this year. U.S. steelmakers are being pinched by a strong dollar, which makes it possible for foreign producers to spend less in production hence net more in sales, and a geographic shift in demand. The U.S. needs more steel as demand levels off in China and remains flat in Europe.

Alamo Group Inc. has named Richard H. (Rick) Raborn as its executive vice president of its North American Agricultural Division. He succeeds Rick Pummell, who retires in May after more than a decade leading Alamo’s Agricultural Division.

PR Week named the film FARMLAND as recipient of the prestigious Arts, Entertainment and Media Campaign of the Year award.

The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance supported the 2014 documentary, which debuted in more than 170 theaters and surpassed ticket sale expectations by 84 percent.

Industrial chain provider PEER Chain Company has announced that Arthur Merwitz will return to PEER as power transmission product manager. Merwitz joined PEER Chain in 1996 and served as regional sales manager, OEM sales manager, and vice president of strategic sales. He left PEER in 2012 to pursue an MBA with a focus on international business.

U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) introduced legislation in March to guard against a state-by-state food labeling system on genetically modified ingredients.Residents in nearly 30 states are asking their state leaders to require warning labels on foods that contain these ingredients derived from biotechnology. In response to this movement, Pompeo introduced The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. In a news release announcing the bill, he said a state-by-state labeling system would impede interstate commerce, discourage innovation among farmers, and mislead consumers about the safety of the food supply.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers recently adopted an amended international standard related to rear-mounted, three-point linkages in tractors.

The new standard is ANSI/ASABE AD730:2009 W/Amd. 1:2014 – Categories 1N, 1, 2N, 2, 3N, 3, 4N and 4. It includes link coupler illustrations and hitch data for larger tractors equipped with 45 mm PTO shafts, which were added in the July 2014 Amendment 1 to ISO 730:2009. This adoption replaces the 2012 adoption of ISO 730:2009.

The organizers of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show will introduce this year a demonstration-focused outdoor show near Saskatoon.

A member company is interested in establishing a distribution and warehouse location to serve the Midwest and beyond.

Your gift, in broad terms, is to manufacture innovative equipment for farmers. You succeed through your own smarts but also through relationships and knowledge of goings-on in the industry. That is where the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association and I come into play.

I found my niche as a writer and editor, and I joined the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association to spend my days gathering and distributing news relevant to Association members. You and I can work together on this.

Data recently released from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals a continued trend in the textile industry as China becomes less dominant in yarn spinning, a first step in fabric production, and countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia claim more of the industry.

USDA announced last week a proposal to limit payments to individuals who may be designated as farm managers but are not actively engaged in farm management. The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the USDA to address this loophole, which most commonly occurs in joint ventures and general partnerships.

Our thanks and recognition to the following companies for their membership in, and continued support of, the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association.

Our continued success is based not only on the support of many long- term member companies, but also an amazing number of new companies joining our ranks each and every month.

A northern Illinois custom manufacturer seeks a sales person to join its work in offering hot-formed, forged, and machined steel parts and assemblies for OEM customers in heavy equipment industries.

Responsibilities include:

More than 400 employees at Saskatoon’s Case New Holland manufacturing plant recently received layoff notices in response to what the company called “market conditions.”

California’s three largest dairy cooperatives petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently to create a Federal Milk Marketing Order for the state, according to news from the Farm Journal.

Regardless of our individual roles in the farm equipment business industry, we must continue to learn and build relationships to succeed. That simple truth is at the heart of the growth of the annual Farm Equipment Manufacturer Association’s Spring Conference and Showcase, which drew more than 300 executives and their guests from both the manufacturing and supply sides of the industry.

AEM will extend a special discount of $75/per individual (regular non-AEM member price $675) to members of our Association that wish to attend the AEM Product Safety & Compliance Seminar in St. Louis, April 20-23, 2015.

Supplier members at the Spring Conference in Charlotte voted on members for its Board of Governors, which will lead the section through the 2016 Spring Conference. Steve Nichols with Technical Publication Associates, Inc. was elected to his first term, while Jamie Silver was elected to a second term.

Avery Weigh-Tronix has announced its new partnership with Nestle as the preferred partner in weighing technology for its prestigious Dairy Farming Institute (DFI) in Shuangcheng, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China.

Two regional associations representing equipment dealers have announced their intent to form a partnership and strengthen their presence in the industry.

Directors from the SouthEastern Equipment Dealers Association and the Midwest Equipment Dealers Association unanimously approved moving forward with merger discussions.

Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC) announced the appointment of Ms. Leah Olson to President effective March 2. Olson will assume her presidential responsibilities immediately under the guidance and transition of retiring President, Jerry Engel.

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that domestic steel makers in the U.S. slashed prices in February to cope with a flood of imports juiced by the strong dollar, a move that will pressure their profit margins and reduce costs for buyers of steel.

Imports rose 33% in January compared with the year before, according to figures released Wednesday by the American Iron and Steel Institute, reaching 3.85 million tons, compared with 2.9 million tons a year earlier. The jump in imports comes as oil and gas drillers cancel orders for steel pipe, underscoring the resilience of overall U.S. demand compared with other markets.