“Sen. Moran has exhibited unwavering support for the ag retail industry, especially related to addressing the nation’s supply chain challenges. His support for investing in transportation and broadband infrastructure has been critical to addressing the needs of ARA members. Sen. Moran has been a great voice for agriculture in the efforts to reform federal regulations that allow for the hiring of additional commercial drivers that are critical to keeping the agriculture industry running.”

Daren Coppock, ARA President and CEO.

“Ag retailers play an essential role in providing necessary crop nutrients for our farmers in Kansas and across the country to feed the world. As producers grapple with higher input costs, including skyrocketing prices for fertilizers, I am committed to working across the supply chain to finding solutions to meet these challenges and deliver American-produced food around the world.”

Senator Jerry Moran.

“Sen. Young has been a true leader in promoting policies that protect ARA members’ freedom to operate and their ability to deliver essential products and services to their farmer customers. He has supported efforts to address supply chain issues, including policies that would address the growing driver shortage.I am honored to present this award on behalf of all ARA members and the ag retail industry to both of these worthy recipients.”

said Daren Coppock.

“Supply chain problems and rising inflation are among the issues that concern Hoosiers the most. Our farmers and ag retailers are eager to grow and sell the food our families need, and the DRIVE-Safe Act will help ensure there are enough truck drivers to deliver these goods to their final destinations. I will continue working with ag retailers to ensure American farm products reach the kitchen tables of American families.”

affirmed Senator Todd Young.

The post ARA Awards Jerry Moran and Todd Young as Legislator of the Year appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

ResponsibleAg, a voluntary and industry-led safety and stewardship initiative, reached another major milestone when the 4,000th facility audit was completed at Rutherford Farmers Cooperative in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a Tennessee Farmers Cooperative-affiliated facility.

Launched in 2014 as a joint venture of TFI and ARA, ResponsibleAg provides an audit and certification program to help participating locations ensure they comply with pertinent regulations from OSHA, DOT, EPA, and DHS to keep employees, customers, and communities safe.

Drew Landerman, environmental, health, and safety specialist for Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC) and a ResponsibleAg-credentialed auditor, conducted the 4,000th audit.

“Reaching that milestone illustrates both the success and value of the program and shows there’s longevity in the program,”

Landerman says.

Rutherford Farmers Cooperative’s DeKalb County branch had the honor of being the 1,000th facility nationally to earn ResponsibleAg Certification in 2018.

According to Landerman, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative encouraged its member cooperatives to participate in ResponsibleAg from the start.

“ResponsibleAg’s comprehensive audit checklist is regularly updated to reflect new regulations, so we don’t have to spend time creating our own. Instead, we can focus on educating not only the various managers but also employees at our ag retail sites on safety to help them better understand and meet safety regulations. We’ve found doing this, plus educating them about the ResponsibleAg program, increases employee ownership and pride in their workplace, which leads to fewer injuries, illnesses, and citations.”

The ResponsibleAg audit encompasses up to 17 areas of operation, depending on the type of facility. For facilities in California, ResponsibleAg offers a checklist that includes state regulations. Following an audit, the facility receives a corrective action plan detailing how to resolve any issues identified. Once corrections are made, the facility achieves ResponsibleAg certification, which is good for three years. Recertification ensures personnel stays up to date on safe practices and facilities comply with new or updated rules and regulations.

Since the first ResponsibleAg audits were conducted in 2015, almost 130,000 compliance issues have been identified at participating facilities. While not all were considered major infractions, and some were only paperwork issues, a regulatory agency conducting an audit could cite a facility for any of them,”

says Tim McArdle, longtime board member and retiring chairman of the ResponsibleAg Board of Directors.

Nearly 96,000 issues have been resolved to date, and there’s been a steady decrease year over year in the number of issues identified, showing ag retail facilities are more engaged and aware of proper safety, security and environmental practices.

“While that’s a good track record, our goal is to continue to improve those numbers,”

McArdle adds.

There are 2,500+ facilities currently registered, many completing certifications for the second time since the program began. McArdle says the goal of the program is for all registered facilities to be audited by a ResponsibleAg-credentialed auditor and to resolve all identified audit issues, with the ultimate goal of compliance with all federal regulations.

Resources to Help Participants Reach Compliance

ResponsibleAg offers various resources that make it easier for participating facilities to achieve compliance, including the online Compliance Assistance Library with concise summaries of regulatory standards pertinent to ag retailers, the Compliance Assessment Tool, and EZ Search. McArdle adds that one of his future goals for the program is to explore developing a checklist for emissions and climate standards that the industry might have to abide by in the future.

“If it does happen, ResponsibleAg wants to be prepared to continue to provide guidance and value by helping our members remain compliant with all regulations,”

he says.

McArdle concludes,

“Safety and compliance are at the heart of what ResponsibleAg does. The industry’s continuous commitment and strong participation show regulators that we place high importance on compliance and we are capable of self-regulating.”

The post 4,000th ResponsibleAg Audit Completed at Rutherford Farmers Cooperative in Murfreesboro, Tennessee appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“ARA is extremely disappointed in the decision to revoke all tolerances for chlorpyrifos. This product has been an essential tool for growers who need to control insect pests so they can deliver the quality products consumers expect to grocery shelves.

“EPA has been following a time-honored statutory process for the registration review of chlorpyrifos. Farmers, retailers, and the public all benefit from and have the right to expect, a science-based process for reviews of pesticide products. In this case, however, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has substituted its judgment for the scientific expertise of the Agency and dictated to EPA a demand to revoke tolerances.

“Not only is this an unjustified usurpation of the Agency’s authority and expertise, but canceling tolerances for a product that remains registered for use creates uncertainty for users. The product is legal to apply for its registered users, but any residue means that the product that the application protected cannot be sold. By issuing this mandate, and EPA not fighting it, anti-pesticide activists have executed an end-run around the statute that is supposed to govern these decisions. It’s a disturbing precedent from an Agency publicly committed to science-based decisions.

“ARA urges EPA to reconsider this decision and use every legal avenue available reassert its statutory authority to be the regulator of these products. If not, this will result in a flood of additional lawsuits by anti-chemical activists seeking the same end-run that will jeopardize the continued use of other essential pesticides. Consumers have benefited from a farmer’s ability to control pests and minimize damage to quality that can result without that control. This decision is problematic for this specific tool, but even more troubling is the precedent that may be set.”

Source: Agricultural Retailers Association

The post EPA Revocation of Tolerances for Chlorpyrifos is a Disturbing Precedent for Pesticide Regulation appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

ARA’s comments focused on the areas that have been identified by its members as priority issues, which include the following:

• Infrastructure: Investment in rural roads and bridges, railroads, ports and inland waterways, and rural broadband are critical to keeping the entire food system moving.
• Crop input production and regulation: ARA has always strongly supported a science- and risk-based regulatory system which fosters innovation, values the environmental benefits that using biotechnology enables agriculture to achieve, and recognizes the long and safe track record of plant and animal breeding along with the overwhelming evidence of the safe use of genetically engineered plants and animals. By protecting existing and emergent technologies that support production, American farmers and ranchers become more sustainable and strengthen the food supply long-term.
• Energy: ARA supports federal policies that increase domestic energy production resulting in reduced production costs for crop input materials manufactured in the United States.
• Labor: ARA favors reforms to the H-2A guest worker visa program to be more inclusive and less complicated for the employer. Additionally, ARA supports reforms to the Farm-Related Restricted Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program, more commonly referred to as the Seasonal Ag CDL program.
• Pro-growth economic policies: ARA supports policies that will aid in its members finding a more business-friendly marketplace in which to operate. There are several barriers to entry within the American tax code that could be amended to protect ag retailers’ freedom and license to operate. These pro-growth policies will also positively impact the nation’s food supply chain and its resiliency.
• Food equity: Maintaining the ability to grow and produce food is at the heart of the American food system. This effort is led by America’s agricultural retailers working with their farm and ranch customers. Every item that consumers eat in the United States and around the world starts out being grown or produced before it eventually makes its way to the consumer’s plate.

“There is no easy fix to the supply chain disruptions facing the agriculture industry and any solutions need a multi-pronged approach including, but not limited to, issues of infrastructure, crop input production and regulation, energy, labor, pro-growth economic policies, and food equity,”

said ARA Director of Public Policy Hunter Carpenter.

“Any long-term solutions to addressing the challenges we face in supply chain disruptions will only be found through the continued partnership between the agricultural retailer, their farmer customers, and regulating authorities.”

The post ARA Submits Comments on Behalf of Ag Retailers appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“We are pleased with the confirmation of Secretary Vilsack today. Having leadership in place provides certainty and a path forward as we approach the busy planting season for our members and their farmer customers.

“Secretary Vilsack will be the most experienced person to hold this position in history. That experience will allow him to hit the ground running without the learning curve that others would have faced. This also means he has the knowledge of the inner workings of the federal government, allowing him to help agriculture when possible, and defend it when necessary.

“He has a history of commitment to and understanding of the value of fundamental agricultural issues like expanding free trade, protecting crops and livestock from invasive pests and pathogens, and the need to continually advance science, technology and agricultural practices.

“Secretary Vilsack knows the positive role that agriculture can play addressing climate change through working lands conservation programs, biofuels, agronomic practices and other innovations. ARA’s membership recently adopted its policy positions for the year, and many of our values align as such. We are ready to work together to ensure that the ag retailer’s voice continues to be heard.”

The post ARA Retailers Ready To Work With US Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Farmobile announced it is working with the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) to further its mission — to support members in their quest to maintain a profitable business environment, adapt to a changing world, and preserve their freedom to operate. The goal of the collaboration is to support agricultural retailers in getting the absolute most revenue out of one of the biggest line items in their P&Ls — their commercial fleet.

“At ARA, we’re fully committed to helping ag retailers increase their profitability and agility in a rapidly changing market. So many industries — like transportation — have been able to effectively leverage data to refine logistics, and with it, improve profitability. We’re excited to be working with Farmobile and others on efforts like these to help members leverage new data technologies for the benefit of their fleet operations.”

said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock.

Commercial applicator and tender truck fleets can be difficult assets to manage as a part of an ag retail operation. A range of machine makes and models — often at multiple locations — makes it difficult to easily collect and consume the machine data needed to glean insights and optimize individual machines and full-fleet profitability. Multiple variables in fleet management, from fuel and labor costs to idling time across a mixed fleet, make the process even more challenging for retailers to get a timely, reliable read on the performance and overall return on investment for their fleet.

Real-time data is changing that by giving retailers the ability to derive detailed insights about the performance of their application and tender fleet and convert data into cost savings, operational efficiencies, and potentially incremental revenue.

“ARA has been at the forefront of identifying the trends that are most important to the future success of agricultural retailers. We’re thrilled to be able to be one of the organizations working with them to help retailers realize the full value of agronomic and machine data as power management, logistics, and performance tool.”

said Farmobile CEO Jason Tatge.

”As an association of ag retailers, we are constantly looking for services that provide the greatest value and assistance for retailers here at ARA. ARA’s Fleet Optimization partnership with Farmobile provides retailers the opportunity to reduce expenses and improve efficiencies; therefore, increasing profitability in a very challenging ag economy.”

said ARA Vice President of Membership and Corporate Relations Donnie Taylor.

With the power of comprehensive data collection on a fleet, retailers gain real-time logistics across applicators and tender trucks on a single screen. The data collected and reports generated allow them to identify top-performing machines and calculate cost snapshots in a timely manner. As part of the partnership, ARA is offering a limited-time, members-only exclusive package that includes data collection and LIVE logistics as well as performance and profitability fleet data analysis through Farmobile Services+ for Ag Retail Fleet. Now through March 31, 2021, ARA members can get special pricing on the combination of data technology and Services+ premium consulting services.

Source: Farmobile

The post Farmobile Works with Agricultural Retailers Association to Optimize Profitability in the Ag-Food Supply Chain appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized for this award. I’ve had a great career with our company and ARA, so it means a lot to receive an award like this. The one thing I know for sure is that it wasn’t me alone but the people around me that allowed this even to be possible. I accept this prestigious award on behalf of them.”

said Council.

Council served on the ARA Board of Directors from 2005 until 2014, serving in various leadership roles, including chairman of the Public Policy Committee and finally Chairman of the Board in 2013. His leadership in Grow West and its legacy companies contributed greatly to Grow West being recognized as the ARA Retailer of the Year in 2011.

“Johnny has always been willing to take on challenges facing the association and the industry. He was Chairman of the Board when the first concepts that led to ResponsibleAg were being developed. This industry-led initiative now has more than 2,500 locations registered in the program and half of those have achieved certification. Fourteen of those participating locations are Grow West sites, and five of those have achieved certification. Johnny has been a true leader and we are thrilled to present him with this well-deserved recognition.”

said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock.

The ARA Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2001 and renamed in 2010 to honor the late Jack Eberspacher, who served as ARA president and CEO from 2001 until his death in 2009, and his career-spanning achievements and contributions to the agricultural retail industry.

The post Agricultural Retailers Association Honors Johnny Council with Lifetime Achievement Award appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“While the program looks much different this year, it is expected to be no less educational than what we’ve come to expect at our previous in-person events. In a year full of many unexpected challenges, connecting to gain knowledge and share lessons learned with ag retail professionals from across the country is more important now than ever before.”

said ARA Chairman Rod Wells with GROWMARK, Inc.

Tuesday’s events included the debut of the 3D Expo Hall and the networking lounge as well as the opening general session featuring the ARA President’s Report from Daren Coppock and keynote speaker Kaihan Krippendorff. Following the opening session, The Scoop’s Margy Eckelkamp moderated a panel focused on insights showing the farmer of the future with Brett Sciotto and Scott Caine with Aimpoint Research.

“Attendees have a lot to learn from the first day of sessions, from how they can harness knowledge about shifts in industry trends caused by COVID-19 to build a successful blueprint for their future, to how they can empower employees to take action on innovative growth ideas,”

said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock.

Krippendorff took a deeper dive into his keynote message on The Outthinker Process in an interactive workshop designed to help individuals and teamed at all levels to increase their strategic and innovative thinking capability.

Throughout the day, attendees had several networking opportunities including the New Member/First-Time Attendee Welcome in the networking lounge as well as the chance to be the grand prize winner of trivia in the Expo Hall.

Earlier in the week, the ARA Board of Directors gathered for its quarterly meeting. The agenda included the review of regular business operations of the organization and opportunities to strengthen and create efficiencies.

Coppock said:

“As the only national association representing the interests of agricultural retailers in Washington, D.C., ARA and its Board of Directors are always seeking avenues to strengthen the voice of the ag retailer. And the changes in leadership from this year’s election make it more important than ever to remain or become involved at a grassroots level.”

The post Agricultural Retailers Association Kicks Off First Virtual ARA Conference & Expo appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

The study found that U.S. light-duty and freight vehicle consumption of ethanol and biodiesel could decline up to 90 percent to 1.1 billion gallons and up to 61 percent to 0.8 billion gallons, respectively.

Corn and soybean consumption could decrease by up to 2.0 billion bushels and up to 470 million bushels, respectively. Corn prices fall up to 50 percent to $1.74 per bushel, while soybean prices fall up to 44 percent to $4.92 per bushel.

Overall, U.S. net farm income would decrease by up to $27 billion due to a proposed ban.

This study makes clear that an internal combustion engine vehicle ban could devastate the agriculture community. Proposals that seek to rush this ban to 2035 have the most severe impacts, but any ban results in dramatic decreases in ethanol, biodiesel, corn and soybean prices, and demand for fertilizer and other agricultural products. These are burdens carried disproportionately by the agriculture community.

Using the study’s estimated acreage reduction of 5 to 7 million acres of corn as an example, the impact on fertilizer alone is significant. In that scenario, nitrogen demand impact is approximately 800,000 to 1 million tons of urea and UAN each, assuming that the direct application of ammonia volume remains constant. This represents about 15 percent of the urea market and 7% of the UAN market in the U.S., which will have a significant impact on fertilizer prices.

Further, the study shows that the economic losses throughout the biofuels value chain range from $105 billion to $185 billion, and cumulative federal, state, and local tax revenues losses range from $39 billion to $69 billion through 2050.

This study used POLYSYS and IMPLAN to derive the agricultural and economic impacts of this study.

Source: Agricultural Retailers Association

The post Agriculture Retailers Association Releases New Study about Impacts of Increased Electric Vehicle Penetration appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“The CR expressly excludes a provision to ensure 2018 Farm Bill farm and conservation programs will be able to continue uninterrupted beyond the Fiscal Year 2020. For decades, USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) has been regularly replenished to fund programs integral to the farm safety net that Congress has worked tirelessly to craft.

“Producers count on programs like Agriculture Risk Coverage, Price Loss Coverage, Dairy Margin Coverage, Marketing Assistance Loans, conservation programs, and many others as they provide food, fuel, and fiber for our nation.

“Farmers and those who provide them credit, including retailers, banked on predictable and promised farm programs. Failure to replenish CCC will pull the rug from under those budgets and financing arrangements.

“ARA urges the House to make amendments to the CR to avoid disruptions to the CCC before passage.”

The post Agricultural Retailers Association President Releases New Statement appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.