With tornado season upon us and the unfortunate and catastrophic events of the past few days in Oklahoma, Texas and other areas serve as a reminder that disaster can strike at anytime, anywhere.  History has also shown that these storms and natural disasters impact thousands of households and businesses including those of NAEDA members and their employees.

NAEDA’s Equipment Dealers Foundation Disaster Relief Fund helps the employees of NAEDA dealer members who have been affected by natural disasters with emergency funds to help bridge the gap financially for the employees and families until insurance or other payments come in.  When faced with a disaster, the EDF has been able to step in and help.  Thanks to the generous support of dealers, manufacturers, suppliers and affiliated associations, EDF has assisted more than 130 families with more than $200,000 in direct disaster grants to employees of NAEDA members.

We have already received applications and provide financial assistance to dealership employees as a result of the recent tornados in Texas and likely will see more requests from the recent Oklahoma disasters.  Please consider a generous donation to the NAEDA Equipment Dealers Foundation.  Donations can be made on-line on the EDF website at: https://www.naeda.com/SupportEDF/EDFFoundationOnlinePayment.aspx   

Federated Insurance, NAEDA’s endorsed provider for business liability insurance and risk management services will conduct a special Designated Risk Management Seminar for equipment dealers.  The seminar will be held July 15-17, 2013 at Federated headquarters in Owatonna, MN.   Read More...

Chairwoman highlights reforms, boosts in organic and local programs

WASHINGTON (DTN) -- The Senate is expected to begin floor debate on the farm bill next week, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told reporters Tuesday afternoon.   Read More...

Renewable energy advocates say that an agreement announced earlier this week between agriculture, environmental and conservation groups to tie crop insurance eligibility with compliance with conservation provisions could help the development of sustainable energy production.
 
The agreement comes a week prior to a scheduled mark-up of farm legislation Tuesday by the Senate Agriculture Committee.
 
The agreement was reached after several major farm organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, dropped opposition to tying crop insurance to conservation compliance in exchange for the coalition's opposition to "means testing" or income limits on those who received subsidized premiums for crop insurance.   Read More...

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has struck down the NLRB's rule which required all employers covered by the National Labor Relations Act to post an NLRB-drafted "Notification of Employee Rights under the National Labor Relations Act." Under that rule, employers failing to post the notice would be subject to an unfair labor practice charge. The rule has been on hold since March 2012 when the District Court partially invalidated the posting regulation and enjoined its application pending this appeal.

Specifically, the Court found that the enforcement mechanisms placed into the Rule by the Board overstepped the Board's enforcement authority.   

The Senate on Monday approved legislation that would for the first time allow states to collect billions of dollars in online sales tax revenue from out-of-state purchases.

The 69-27 vote is a major victory for retail groups and state governments, who for years have fought to close what they see as a loophole that allows as much as $23 billion in annual taxes from online sales to go uncollected.

“I’ve been saying it for the past 12 years,” lead sponsor Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said ahead of the vote. “This bill is about fairness, it’s about leveling the playing field for brick-and-mortar shops.”

The measure split Republicans senators, as 22 Republicans voted no in addition to five Democrats. Nineteen Republicans supported the measure.   Read More...

The push for immigration reform enters a crucial period when Congress returns this week, as Senate legislation faces the gauntlet of a committee mark-up and House negotiators try to complete their own long-awaited bill.   Read More...

The oil industry hopes to protect its control over America’s fuel supply by undermining renewable fuels. By confusing us with misleading claims and outright falsehoods, oil companies hope Congress will overlook the real dangers caused by our almost complete dependence on oil for transportation fuels. For our economy and our environment, we cannot allow them to succeed.   Read More...

A highly relevant new seminar has just been announced for Dealer Day at GIE+EXPO in Louisville. On Oct. 23, a lunch-and-learn Dealer Summit will include a session unveiling new research about buying and attitude trends to help dealers be more effective in reaching top contractors. The seminar will also include a panel discussion on important developments like diversification, marketing, social media, sales management and more. Distributors are also encouraged to attend. Attendees will receive a full copy of the research report.   Read More...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed a series of changes to make it easier for agricultural producers and rural small businesses to apply for renewable energy and energy efficiency funding. USDA remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. The announcement is one part of the Department's efforts to strengthen the rural economy.

Read more about the program.