Does your organization have relevant news or interesting stories to share with the rest of the association’s 600 plus members and 1,800 Shortliner subscribers? We encourage you to send relevant article ideas, member profiles, press releases and industry trade publication coverage for potential inclusion in an upcoming edition of the Shortliner.

Has your organization recently accomplished something notable? Let us know. The Association would like to hear about it. We are committed to sharing association happenings and industry news, but also the many successes our members are having in the equipment manufacturing industry in the areas of supply chain management, workforce development/retention and sustainability.

Below are a couple of examples of member features we have shared in the past.
FarmEquip.org/TillageMgmt

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Contact Gina Clark, Publications Editor at Gina@FarmEquip.org or 314-878-2304.

CL Fabrication Inc.
Manufacturera Fehr S.A. De C.V.
Rohrs Manufacturing LLC
SMS Powertrain & Hardware, L.L.C.
Tatoma Agricultural Equipment Corp
TC Machine Inc.
Yeoman & Company

Fifty Years
Maruichi Leavitt Pipe & Tube

Thirty Years
Supreme International Limited

Twenty-Five Years
Hillco Technologies, Inc.

Twenty Years
Blueline Mfg., Inc

Fifteen Years
Daemer inc.
Safe Engineering
Norden Mfg.
Summit Steel Corp.

To determine the list, Statista surveyed 60,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. All were conducted anonymously, allowing participants to openly share their opinions. The respondents were asked to rate, on a scale of zero to 10, how likely they’d be to recommend their employer. They were also asked to rate their company on factors such as working conditions, development opportunities and compensation.

“We are proud of our company, our equipment and our team members. We hire team members who take pride in that culture and want to be part of the important work happening at Vermeer,” said Vice President of Human Resources Kate Guess. “Thank you to our team members who made this award a reality.”

Source:

They have decided to change their name to Norden Mfg. for three main reasons. First they want to create clarity and reduce confusion in the marketplace. This will also allow opportunity to expand their product offerings for their dealers. By expanding their product lines, this will enhance long term stability of the company.

Owner and inventor of the Kuhns Accumulator, Kenny Kuhns stated, “As part of our focus on business development, our family believes that rebranding our company to a name that creates clarity of identity and reflects our values provides opportunity for us to offer a range of new products.”

Of course, they are still the same people—the same ownership—working to create and manufacture the same trusted products as before. But now, as Norden Mfg., they have a name that speaks to the future successes of both the company and their partners.

For more information on the name change or to learn about the Norden Mfg., please visit 

John Anderson, chairman and founder of JCA Technologies (formerly known as JCA Electronics), said in announcing Cook’s promotion that his “strength in technology, strategy and customer service is perfectly suited to continue the growth of the company around the world.”

Cook has been with JCA for eight years and recently was general manager and vice president of engineering. He has been developing off-road electronic control systems for 20 years and has also spent time designing satellites systems for the Canadian Space Agency, as well as developing MRI equipment in the medical sector.

In other news from JCA, the company has moved it Canadian operations to what Anderson describes as “state-of-the-art” manufacturing and engineering facilities in Winnipeg. He said JCA’s autonomous framework, which includes the recently introduced Eagle–a precision guidance and perception platform–is driving the company’s growth.

Member since 2016 |

Danuser is vice president and co-owner of Danuser Machine Company in Fulton, Mo. The company manufactures agricultural and industrial attachments as well as OEM parts and assemblies. Janea is a fourth-generation co-owner of the company, which was founded in 1910.

She succeeds Nick Jensen of Thurston Manufacturing in Thurston, Neb. Serving with Danuser in officer roles will be:

• First Vice President Matt Westendorf, general manager of Westendorf Manufacturing Co. in Onawa, Iowa.

• Second Vice President Tim Burenga, vice president of sales and purchasing at Worksaver, Inc., in Litchfield, Ill.

• Treasurer Paul Jeffrey, general manager at MacDon in Kansas City, Mo.

• Secretary Ben Hellbusch, vice president of sales and marketing at Duo Lift Manufacturing Co. and general manager at Busch Equipment Co., both in Columbus, Neb.

The officers will lead a 16-person Board of Directors. Hours before their election, member companies at the Association’s annual business meeting elected these executives to three-year terms as directors:

• Marc Ivey, vice president of business development for Dirt Dog Manufacturing in Commerce, Ga.

• Phil Landoll, vice president of operations at Landoll Corp., in Marysville, Kan.

• Clair Ellis, president of Ellis Equipment Co. in Logan, Utah.

• Jon Sherrod, area manager for Bondioli & Pavesi in Ashland, Va.

Ivey, Landoll, and all of the officers are farm implement manufacturers. Ellis serves as the board representative for equipment marketers, and Sherrod represents the companies that supply component parts and services to manufacturers.

“These companies are the industry’s innovators,” said Vernon Schmidt, the Association’s executive vice president. “They are nimble and respond quickly when farmers’ needs change. They are, for the most part, companies that began with big ideas and modest means, and this Association supports them however it can so they can focus on their next big idea.”

Register at .

The convention is the biggest annual gathering of farm equipment wholesalers, independent reps, and manufacturers, and its primary purpose is to facilitate connections between the makers and marketers.

That said, the Association is pulling together a speaker lineup that promises to deliver insights and ideas that will shape your business. Among a few:

John Hall has been rated by Forbes magazine as a No. 1 “must-see” speaker. His presentations focus on how to stay top-of-mind with customers, gain their trust, and influence their decisions. Hall will customize his presentation in St. Louis to explore strategies for shortline manufacturers seeking to raise their visibility with farmers and farm equipment dealers.

Neil Caskey is vice president of communications for the National Corn Growers Association. Caskey’s career began on Capitol Hill, and through roles as employee or consultant, he has worked with organizations such as the American Soybean Association, Monsanto, and the USDA. Caskey will offer his assessment on the state of the agriculture industry and what lies ahead.

David James is a labor and employment attorney with Nilan Johnson Lewis, a partner firm to this Association. James will explore answers to frequently asked legal questions related to employees’ social media use and, as marijuana becomes legal in more states, how employers should respond.

Directors offered great suggestions on what members may need in the future, and we are excited to pursue those possibilities. Stay tuned for details.

While we work to expand our services, we also commit to keeping membership affordable. Members will pay no more for their annual dues in the new fiscal year. And, for companies whose income from farm equipment sales has slipped, there may be an opportunity to pay less.

Directors also noted last week that the Association can do a better job of reminding members what’s available to them now. In this issue, we offer an overview.

Connections – This is the benefit our active members identify as the most valuable. By attending conventions, they’ve formed professional friendships that have influenced how they operate their business and understand the industry. These are powerful connections.

Beyond the time together, the Association keeps you in touch through a print and digital directory at FarmEquip.org. You can find one another by executive name, company name, member type, products, and headquarter location.

Online Resource – In addition to our online directory, there is a host of resources behind a password-protected wall at . You can find archived copies of this newsletter, a database of laws organized by state relating to buyback, warranty, and lemon laws, a farm show calendar, samples of dealer contracts, legislative resources, and a Section 179 tax deduction calculator.

Savings – Members receive discounts on freight and logistics through our partner YRC. You also pay less to register for the annual Supply Summit & Showcase and Marketing & Distribution Convention.

For regular members who do not also belong to the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, the Association provides a free digital copy of the annual ASABE safety standards (a $650 value).

Finally, the benefit that can singularly recover your membership dues (and then some) is access to attorneys who specialize in human-resource law and dealer law. Members receive no-cost, confidential, 60-minute consultations with these attorneys for every new legal question.

Peace of Mind – Through a partnership with Sentry Insurance, members have access to a program that offers outstanding depth and expertise in insuring farm equipment manufacturers. Policyholders can tap into outstanding consultation resources to assure their products, their property, and their workforce are as safe as possible and well-insured.

Product councils are also available for manufacturers of rotary cutters, towed implements, post hole diggers, and tillage equipment. The groups discuss product-specific safety issues.

Advocacy – Shortline manufacturers’ needs are not the same as multi-national tractor corporations, and neither are your resources. You are affected differently by standards revised to comply with European specifications, for example, or by a push to sell only one color of equipment on dealers’ lots. We are here to be your voice, and we cultivate relationships, monitor legislation, regulation, and standards development to be perpetually prepared to advocate on your behalf.

Information –  We stay engaged in industry news to bring you the information that matters the most through this newsletter, the quarterly Ag Innovator magazine, speakers at conventions, our social media channels, and more.

Westendorf knows members are busy, and it’s easy to find excuses not to attend a meeting.

But he says that when we step away from our day-to-day work, important things happen.

“Your mind clears, you hear what the industry is doing, you hear what your suppliers are doing, and it just gives you a broad approach and a bigger picture. I always talk about getting at a higher elevation, and that’s what the ąű¶łĘÓƵ does for you.”