You only need to ask a farmer a single question to change the world: How can we find a better way?
Farmers are the original entrepreneurs. They are quick to identify a challenge or a need, and they can tell you exactly how to deliver on a solution to address it.
It’s a fact our industry can’t afford to take for granted these days. And in celebrating National Ag Day today, AEM recognizes the importance of agriculture and the role it plays in our society. What’s more, we applaud the role of farmers in helping our members develop the equipment making it possible for food to get from the fields to our tables.
The connection between equipment manufacturers and their customers is critical to the future of the agriculture industry. Just recently, at the 2018 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, AEM helped bring manufacturers to the show floor to interact with and learn from farmers, producers, commodity groups and other industry leaders.
Everything AEM does is rooted in the goal of advancing the agriculture industry forward, and the resulting successes are due to a willingness on our part to learn from farmers and continually ask ourselves if there’s a better way to serve our members and their customers.
Above all else, AEM strives to be a voice for agriculture. Everyone at the association, from our staff to our board members, work diligently to build momentum for the industry through:
- Advocacy and Legislation
- Market Data
- Thought Leadership
- Safety, Regulatory and Technical Leadership
Ag industry feedback is incredibly valuable to the work being done by our association. One recent example underscores AEM’s ongoing commitment to identify, influence and communicate worldwide standards on behalf of our members. Our association submitted five sections of the proposed new ag braking standards to the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) for balloting. It’s been a lengthy process to get to this point, and one which has benefited from the valued contributions of numerous industry representatives. And while we know there will be suggested revisions to the standards, we look forward to the additional insights we will receive on this important documentation.
National Ag Day serves as an annual opportunity to celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture across the United States. However, it’s also a helpful reminder for AEM and its members to embrace feedback from farmers and ag equipment end users. We need to listen to what works well for them, but also to what doesn’t work so well. More than anything else, though, we need to thoughtfully consider what we hear and continue the conversation by sharing any insights gained with one another.
And who knows? Maybe they’ll help us find a better way.
For more coverage of the ag equipment industry, subscribe to the AEM Industry Advisor.