8/6/2012

Advisor Newsletters - AEM Advisor

AG Sector Board Action: Environmental Regulations, Ag Electronics Standardization

The AG Sector Board met August 1 in Chicago; action to enhance members’ business environment included environmental regulatory compliance and ag electronics standardization. Also on the agenda: AG CONNECT Expo & Summit planning.

Here’s a brief update; more detail on actions from the meeting will be provided in future Advisor items and member updates.

The AG Sector Board (as did the CE Sector Board) focused on industry-wide strategies to comply with Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemical substances (REACH) set out by the European Commission on the use of chemical compounds. An update was provided to the boards on a business plan being developed by AEM to address Chemicals Management/REACH to handle the challenges up and down the supply chain.

The sector board approved moving forward with finalizing the business plan to be presented at the board’s next meeting in November. Pooling industry knowledge and resources within a single entity would likely provide substantial cost savings to AEM member companies and prevent loss of markets due to non-compliance, as well as help the industry monitor and provide input to regulatory agencies.

The Ag Sector Board, after review of a proposal from the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF), supports the concept of having a full-time North American marketing/communications manager to promote AEF activities in North America. The board directed AEM to consider funding the position through the normal budget process for two years, while AEF establishes its self-funding revenue stream.

A planning update on the 2013 AG CONNECT Expo & Summit revealed excellent progress to date: the show is on track to have a record number of exhibitors and the largest exhibit space footprint ever. Board members expressed enthusiasm and support for the event, noting it is increasingly being recognized as high quality and a key international agricultural equipment exhibition.

Members also expressed support for the Ag Executive Forum, to be held in conjunction with AG CONNECT Expo & Summit 2013, and many commented they are actively recruiting key customers to attend the by-invitation-only event.

The sector board reviewed 2012 progress for ag advocacy outreach and association plans to take efforts to the next level. It was agreed that AEM should further advance its efforts in advocating for ag in 2013. Detailed action steps will be developed for review at the board meeting in November to support the strategies that were discussed.

The sector board meeting included a presentation on business opportunities that may be available to AEM members in Africa. The Tagos Group led the presentation, which included information from studies by Ernst & Young and McKinsey Global Institute. The studies suggest Africa is among the world’s most rapidly growing economic regions and ripe for agribusiness expansion. The Tagos Group noted that U.S.-manufactured agricultural equipment is perceived to be of very high quality and desired by producers in the region.

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