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Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association

Posted by Joe Gargiulo | Mon, Apr 02, 2018 @ 11:56 AM

farm equipment

Acknowledging that agriculture is one of man’s oldest professions, the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association’s site blends yesterday with today, including a link to Spudnik’s captivating drone video of harvesters in action.

The trade association — aka “FEMA” long before the federal agency “hijacked” the acronym — maintains a one-stop informational gateway for the farming industry with thousands of descriptions and links to manufacturers and their products, distributors and retail operations, tradeshows, safety councils, drought alerts, cyber security recommendations, publications and government agencies.

The association traces its root to 1950 when a group of non-major manufacturers recognized their commonality and offerings “within the burgeoning farm equipment market.” The alliance led to the founding of the association that same year with 46 member companies.

Today, some of the 700-plus members have grown into multi-national corporations, but the vast majority are “multi-generational, family-owned and operated businesses.” An overview of the site follows.

Primary Navigation

Moving left to right across the top navigational tools, the site begins unassumingly with drop-down menus called Join (an online application) and Members (member listings). Those menus, however, are followed by what has to be the most interesting aspect of the site — a searchable list called Products with links to manufacturers.

For example, a search by Category Name, letter of the alphabet, and product type might lead to one or more companies such as:

  • Search by Category Name > A > Aerators > Dirt Dog Manufacturing Co.
  • Search by Category Name > J > Joysticks > J.R. Merritt Controls
  • Search by Category Name > S > Safety Labels > Dun-Lap Digital & Screen Printing

One could literally spend an entire day reviewing all of the products listed here; there are that many. But how does one find products locally or above and beyond the manufacturer? The next navigational tool answers that question.

Distribution

The Distribution tool is a searchable list of wholesalers, independent retail orgs, and farm stores organized by region (continent, country and state) as well as categories such as marketing services, warehousing, transportation, assembly or field services. The tool offers global searches with several options for sorting by language as well as the categories and channels listed above.

Primary Navigation – Left Column

The content offered in the left column begins with a link to the 2018 Spring Supply Summit & Showcase, a farm equipmentcomprehensive list of Member Resources (requiring login) and third, the About Us page detailing FEMA’s history, officers, boards, mission and scholarship.

Next, the Media Center presents secondary links to FEMA and member press releases as well as news clippings about industry-related articles.

The Safety page contains useful linked categories entitled Safety 4 Just Kids, National Ag Safety Data, Post Hole Digger Safety, Rotary Cutter Safety and more.

For members wanting further involvement, the Committees page offers info about standing groups focused on convention, dealer relations, education, international relations, investment, membership, website, farm show and director nominations.

For example, the Education Committee assesses “membership educational and informational needs and develops seminars, roundtables, and programs.”

Product Councils for Farm Equipment Dealers

The Product Councils page presents information to councils concerned with rotary cutters, post hole diggers, tillage and ground engaging equipment, towed implements and sprayers. There is also a Standards Awareness Council that “provides a focal point for leaders of all existing Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association Product Councils.”

Farm Shows

The calendar of trade events, 66 in total, maps tradeshows through 2026, including this sampling from 2018:

  • The Spring Supply Summit & Showcase (April 18 – 20, 2018) is FEMA’s spring tradeshow.
  • The National Agri-Marketing Conference and Trade Show (April 11 – 13, 2018) is produced by the National Agri-Marketing Association, the nation's largest association for professionals in marketing and agribusiness.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers Annual Conference takes place November 28 – 30, 2018.

Drought Info

farm equipmentThis resource provides data and maps (Drought Monitor, Palmer Index, Crop Moisture, Flood Potential, Soil Moisture History Loop) from reliable sources. For example, the U.S. Drought Monitor “is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”

The left column also provides information about Cyber Security, including the Top 10 cybersecurity Tips that is an aggregation of information from FCC’s Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses and DHS’ Small Business Tip Card (Homeland Security).

Publications

The Publications menu displays FEMA news dissemination tools such as:

Ag Innovator — FEMA’s quarterly magazine “offers in-depth features on member companies and articles written by experts on diverse topics ranging from supply chain management and risk management to industry trends to human resources and legal issues.”

Shortliner — an eight-page newsletter covering stories, press reports, and analysis of government actions affecting the shortliner segment of the farm equipment industry over the previous two weeks.

Finally, the FEMA site includes tools for Ag Related Links (e.g. Agricultural Retailers Association) and Government Links (e.g. USDA's National Ag Statistics Service) before closing out with information assisting members engaged in International Trade.

farm equipment

Other Assistance for Manufacturers and Dealers

CrossCheck provides a suite of payment solutions to help manufacturers, wholesalers, independent dealers and farm stores finalize more sales — from our economical Check Guarantee and Check Verification services to electronic check processing using Remote Deposit Capture with the Multiple Check enhancement.

Using Check Guarantee, for example, merchants garner authorizations from CrossCheck at the point of sale via terminal, phone or the web before depositing checks in the bank. The service covers out-of-town, out of state checks and even those from Canada and U.S. territories. Checks returned from the bank unpaid are mailed to CrossCheck for reimbursement in convenient pre-printed envelopes. Merchants also benefit from 24/7/365 Customer Service and Tech Support.

Download our free guide to learn more about Check Guarantee.

 

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Written by Joe Gargiulo

Marketing Specialist Joe Gargiulo has 25-plus years in marketing, communications and copy writing. As a writer, he enjoys connecting story leads to all aspects of the human experience.