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.”

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“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

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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.”

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“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.”

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The previous forecast, released on Nov. 12, projected a modest uptick of 0.3 percent in equipment and event rental revenue in 2021, but the new forecast, released Feb. 16, shows an expectation of more than 1.5 percent growth in 2021 to surpass $50.2 billion. This comes after a difficult 2020, where total industry revenues dipped 11.7 percent to just under $49.5 billion, with party and event showing a decline of 49 percent.

Construction, which showed an 11 percent decline in 2020, is expected to show a 1 percent drop in 2021 while general tool rental revenue is expected to grow 4 percent and party and event starts to recover from the devastation of 2020 to grow 37 percent in 2021. Overall, the ARA forecast calls for accelerated recovery in 2022 with revenues growing 11.3 percent to $55.9 billion, then nearly 5 percent to $58.7 billion in 2023 and another 3.1 percent to $60.5 billion in 2024.

All three segments are expected to surpass peak revenues of 2019 by the end of 2022.

“With the government stimulus programs and the rollout of the vaccine, people are beginning to have more confidence. The equipment and event rental industry often recovers from adversity more quickly than the industries it serves, and it looks like this is happening again,”

says John McClelland, Ph.D., ARA vice president for government affairs and chief economist.

“Even the party and event companies that were hit so hard by cancelations starting last March are beginning to see a glimmer of hope ahead while ARA continues to work hard to bring more relief to that segment through additional government stimulus programs,”

McClelland says.

Scott Hazelton, managing director, IHS Markit, the international forecasting firm that compiles data and analysis of the ARA Rentalytics members-only subscriber service as part of a research partnership with ARA, says the new forecast is more positive because economic data from the end of 2020 was better than expected.

“From an equipment rental perspective, construction did not slow as much as expected, although we do expect it to remain a drag in 2021. The larger surprise was the performance on manufacturing, which is also a source for equipment rental demand,”

Hazelton says.

“Meanwhile, while we did see a resurgence of COVID-19 in January, we also had the release of significant quantities of vaccine. While actual vaccination implementation has had some bumps in the road, the fact that it is rolling out is a source of consumer and business confidence. There also are improved prospects for economic stimulus with the election of President Biden and Democrat control of the Congress,”

Hazelton says.

While the forecast reflects the passage of the latest COVID-19 economic relief bill passed in December, Hazelton says it does not incorporate the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan being proposed by the Biden administration.

“The potential is for 2021 to surprise on the upside,”

he says.

For Canada, the ARA forecast shows an expected 7.3 percent increase in equipment and event rental revenue in 2021 to $5.2 billion with steady growth in the succeeding years of the forecast, including 7.2 percent growth in 2022, 6.5 percent in 2023 and 3.5 percent in 2024 to nearly $6.2 billion. This comes after a 12.2 percent drop in revenue in 2020, including a 12 percent decline in construction rental revenue, a 9 percent drop in general tool revenue and a decline of 35 percent in party and event.

The same as in the U.S., party and event is expected to start recovery in 2021, growing 29 percent. All the segments are expected to exceed peak revenues achieved in 2019 by the end of 2023.

Source: ARA

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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

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“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.

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“Receiving this recognition is one of the high points of a long career in this business. I couldn’t be prouder of an award than I am of this one.”

said Oster.

Oster served on the ARA Board of Directors from 2013 through 2019, entering the officer rotation in 2016, and finally serving as Chairman of the Board in 2018.

“John has always been the biggest supporter and recruiter for membership in ARA. His support of membership recruitment has continued beyond his time in ARA leadership roles and is the main reason he was selected for this award. Of course, his contributions to the ag retail industry reach beyond ARA, as he is also an active supporter of the Ohio Agribusiness Association.”

said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock.

Selected by the ARA Executive Committee, the ARA Distinguished Service Award honors individual members of the association who have gone above and beyond the traditional volunteer responsibilities.

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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

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“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.”

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