Ag Day educates Fourth Graders about farm life and beyond

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Celebrating National Ag Day

Grand Island, Nebraska is right in the middle of one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world.  But that doesn’t mean that all the young people in the area are familiar with agriculture.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Committee created “Ag Day” in 1999 to help educate Grand Island area’s Fourth Graders about agriculture.  The program’s aim is to expand urban children’s’ knowledge of where their food comes from, as well as the wealth of by-products made from farm animals and the land.  In Fourth Grade, students study Nebraskan history, including the importance of agriculture on the state’s economy, by examining the varied products that farmers and ranchers produce.  Ag Day enhances what they learn in school by taking that knowledge a step further.

Gaining an Agricultural Education

Grand Island Northwest High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) students work with the Agricultural Committee to help teach younger students about farm animals and give them a first-hand opportunity to get up close.  They also help teach about the six different grains grown in the state: corn, sorghum, wheat, oats, alfalfa and soybeans.  The FFA students explain water consumption requirements for individual crops and how a farmer can incorporate new technologies to the operations, such as GPS tracking, in order to maximize crop yields.

Additionally, a horse trainer demonstrates proper animal handling and care techniques, while a farrier shows how he trims and shoes horses’ hooves.  A sheep shearer demonstrates how to remove the woolen fleece from a sheep with shears.  The students also hear from many representatives from organizations that promote various commodities produced in the state, including the Nebraska Cattle Women, Nebraska Corn Growers, Nebraska Pork Producers, 4-H/UNL Extension Hall County, Central Platte Natural Resource District and Midwest Dairy Association.

Prairie Fibers Guild demonstrates how wool is processed, all the way from cleaning and dying, to spinning yarn for fabrics.  In addition, UNL Department of Entomology explains why honeybees are valued pollinators for agricultural crops, as well as for the proliferation of flowers and trees in the state.

Promoting Sustainable Communities

As a producer and farmer, AmurEF’s Annette Schimmer, who chairs the event, feels it is vital to teach young children the importance that farming and ranching operations have on local and national communities.  “There are so many kids leaving the farm and ranch and not coming back. One of the lessons we want to teach the students is there are numerous career opportunities involving agriculture.”

“Most of these kids have never experienced any kind of farm life,” she said.  “What they see is on television or in the movies and often those are not accurate representations of farm and ranch life.  At Ag Day, they get to see firsthand some of these animals and get to touch and feel them.  In addition to learning about where their food comes from, the students learn how animal by-products are essential components of everyday consumer items such as shampoo, fabric softener and pet food.”

This year, Ag Day celebrates its 20th year.  From its conception, the event has grown from 300 to 900 students and is considered an important teaching opportunity for Grand Island area teachers and principals.  And its success demonstrates that it is also an exceptional learning opportunity for the students.

To learn more about the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Committee and the other events they host, visit www.gichamber.com/ag-day

Daylight Saving Time Origins and Benefits

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History of Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins at 2:00 a.m. this Sunday, March 10. At this time, we will set the clocks forward, losing an hour an hour of sleep, but gaining an hour of sunlight the next evening.

DST was initially introduced during World War I as an attempt to conserve energy. It was reinstated during World War II for the same reason. Until the 1960’s, it was practiced by some states, but there was no federally regulated date for changing the clocks. DST became the national standard in 1966, when the federal government mandated that the entire country observe the time change. Now, every state changes the clocks on the same day, except Arizona and Hawaii which opt out of DST entirely.

The rationale for DST is to conserve energy by extending daylight later in the day, when people will be home and able to enjoy sunlight. Since the 1970’s, studies have shown that DST has little to no effect on energy usage.  However, DST maximizes the number of daylight hours that people can enjoy after a typical 9-5 work day. Some regions of the country like this so much that several states including Florida and California have proposed legislation to make DST a permanent time change.

Daylight Saving Time and Farming

It is a widely accepted myth that DST was created to benefit farmers, providing longer hours to work outdoors. In fact, the agriculture industry lobbied against DST as far back as 1919. The loss of the early morning daylight has negative effects on the typical farming operation such as changing the milking schedule on a dairy farm. Changing a cow’s daily milking routine by just an hour can have detrimental effects on overall milk production. 

Benefits of Daylight Saving on Businesses

While DST may be a strain on the agriculture industry, it has a more positive impact on the retail industry. With more daylight hours after work and school to shop, stores may benefit from the time change. People also tend to spend more time participating in outdoor activities, such as outdoor sports, hiking, and barbeque. In fact, according to the history channel, candy, golf, and barbeque are the three main lobby groups that have supported DST over the years. While golf and barbeque seem to go hand in hand with longer daylight hours, it is difficult to see a correlation between candy sales and daylight. In the 1980’s, the candy industry lobbied heavily to extend DST past Halloween. The rationale was with more sunlight for trick-or-treating, the candy industry expected an increase in candy sales. Their lobbying efforts eventually proved successful, with DST being extending through the first Sunday in November.

Impact of Daylight Savings Time on Many Industries

In conclusion, though the clocks may change by just one hour, DST influences many industries. Franchises and restaurant owners may extend their evening hours to accommodate more customers. Construction companies may need to shift their hours or expand their workforce to take advantage of the extra hours of sunlight. This year, as you change the clocks and look forward to eight months of extra sunlight, consider how your business may be affected by the time change, and how you can use DST to your advantage.   

Considerations for Buying Equipment | Equipment Funding Options

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Considerations for Making an Equipment Purchase

At AmurEF, we can finance new or used equipment, but there are many considerations that you must take into account before making an equipment purchase.

Buying Used Equipment

When buying used equipment from a dealer, we can finance titled or non-titled equipment. We can also finance titled equipment when you are buying it from a private party; however, we do not finance private party sales of non-titled equipment, as they can become quite complex to process. This is mainly due to the difficulty of finding out whether there are any pre-existing liens on that equipment (asset-specific or blanket) from another lender, which requires a lengthy and costly lien search. If the seller has other liens on the equipment, the prior lien holder can come knocking on our door demanding the equipment back.

Benefits of Used Equipment

Buying used equipment can have the same benefits as buying a used car; similarly, avoiding initial depreciation the minute the car is driven off the lot. Buying any equipment for your company is a significant investment and maximizing the use of your capital is always a smart business decision. Many customers can purchase several used pieces of equipment for the price of one new piece of equipment. For many young companies, this is an appropriate approach to help them receive all the equipment they need for their operations in a very cost-effective manner.

In general, well maintained used equipment holds its value when compared to new equipment. In some industries, older equipment is more advantageous as its engines or machinery may be easier to maintain lacking some of the newer computerized controls. For example, in the professional arborist industry a wood chipper will typically lose 20% of its value quickly and then 10% of its value every year after until the value starts to level off. A new $70,000 chipper may have a resale price of $50,000 two/three years later, but a used $45,000 chipper may still be worth $36,000 after the same period.

Benefits of New Equipment

New equipment does have several advantages. First impressions can make a huge impact in closing new business. A fleet of newer equipment can give customers confidence in your professionalism and help close business when compared to a competitor with trucks and equipment that are starting to show their age. Also, in some industries, there is an adage that old equipment is expensive equipment. You need to consider any potential downtime for unexpected repairs that may arise from owning older equipment with a questionable service history, as well as the availability of spare parts for older vintage units. The cost of this down time can make the decision to purchase newer equipment an easier one, especially if it means needing expensive rental equipment to replace the out of service items or just losing work due to equipment issues. Thus, always take your time working with the vendor or seller to understand the equipment’s history and condition.

New equipment can also make budgeting easier if there are service or warranty contracts that come with it. If you match the term of the lease or loan with the length of the warranty contract, it is easy to predict the cost of ownership over the term and avoid big repair bills later on, which can quickly erase your hard-earned profits.

The decision whether to get new or used equipment is an important one, and each situation is different. In general, however, new equipment will have higher upfront capital costs and lower long-term ownership costs; the opposite applies to used equipment. If you have any additional questions about AmurEF’s funding options for either new or used equipment, please don’t hesitate to call one of our representatives for help.

Presidents’ Day Marketing for your Business

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The History of Presidents’ Day

Many people in the U.S. are enjoying a three-day weekend—a work- and school-free Presidents’ Day. However, to many small business owners and entrepreneurs, this holiday has a different meaning: working hard at keeping their doors open in an effort to grow their business.

Presidents’ Day originated as a holiday to honor our country’s greatest leaders and the values they reflected. Presidents’ Day was officially declared a federal holiday by an act of Congress in 1879. Originally falling on George Washington’s actual birthday (February 22), Presidents’ Day was moved to the third Monday in February as part of the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which was established to create more three-day weekends for federal workers.

Your Small Business and the Economy

Many of the Founding Fathers were entrepreneurs: operating their own private farms and businesses. They were people with skill and know-how, guts and grit, and they put their heart and soul into building next generation businesses that kept our country moving forward. It doesn’t matter what type of business someone owns, or what industry they are in, they all embody an entrepreneurial spirit and independence that this country has benefited from since 1776.

Does this sound familiar? It could seem like a bit of a stretch to compare yourself with someone whose face is on our dollar bill, however, your small business plays a critical role in the entire country’s economy. Today, that entrepreneurial spirit still drives the success of the American dream. No one seems to embody the American dream more than our small business owners. Thanks to people like George Washington, we can enjoy the freedom to chase our dreams by starting our very own business.

How to Celebrate Presidents’ Day This Year

This three-day holiday weekend, kick off 2019 by positioning yourself as an industry leader and break through the noise by marketing your business. You can hold events, give away promotional products, donate your time to a charity or your local community, create a campaign with a sense of urgency, set up sales and incentive programs to clear inventory. Several manufacturers and dealership that are coming off their end of year/beginning of year lull are expected to be offering holiday-related discounts. Today, furniture and automotive dealership sales events have become nearly synonymous with President’s Day. This holiday weekend marks the first big sales event since the holiday retail season ended. And for some, it’s a warmup for the bigger sales still to come later in the year. If you’re on the market for a new car or new furniture, personally or professionally, you’ll have your choice of stores that would be happy to help you.

As many Americans enjoy a relaxing weekend, small business owners will be busy running their businesses.  Every time a business owner flips their sign to “Open,” you continue to carry out an important tradition of helping to build a stronger economy, and chase the American dream. So, this President’s Day, take a minute to reflect on why we celebrate this holiday, and connect with your customers, community and country.

Spirit of Innovation

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Inventions That Changed The World

In 1983, then President Reagan signed a declaration proclaiming February 11 as “National Inventors’ Day”.  This day was chosen precisely because it marks the birthday of one of the most well-know inventors, Thomas Edison.  During his lifetime, Edison was a prolific inventor, amassing well over 1,000 patents, earning him the distinction of becoming America’s greatest inventor. There are many other inventors, some famous and some lessor known, but one thing is certain, their contributions have forever changed the way we live and work.

Today, let us take a closer look at several individuals whose inventions have since revolutionized industry and our existence, to the point we may be unable to imagine living without them.

History of the Air Conditioner

Air conditioning not only dramatically improved the way we live, but also allowed businesses to be more productive in any season and communities to grow in difficult climates.

During one particularly hot and humid summer in 1902, a Brooklyn printing plant owned by Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company was experiencing printing issues, as paper shrank and swelled due to the fluctuating humidity levels inside the building.  Willis Haviland Carrier was asked to engineer an “apparatus” for treating indoor humidity levels.  Previous cooling systems were nothing more than crude refrigeration units, which intended to simply cool the air.  However, Willis Carrier was the first person to design equipment that actually controlled humidity, while also cooling the air. His invention bestowed him the credit of inventing the modern air conditioner.

Modern industrial HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems have become major components of office and industrial buildings, hospitals, manufacturing plants and warehouses.  Today’s industrial HVAC systems allow for the precise control of temperature and humidity, in an increasingly energy efficient and environmentally friendly manner.  They also provide high indoor air quality by removing dust, carbon dioxide and other gasses, ultimately replacing building interiors with fresh, conditioned air.  By controlling, rather than simply trying to cool, air, Carrier ultimately paved the way for businesses to operate comfortably and effectively, no matter the conditions outside.

History of the Combine Harvester

While Carrier dramatically improved indoor conditions, others have focused their efforts on outdoor innovations.  In 1835, Hiram Moore developed and patented the first combine harvester, capable of reaping, threshing and winnowing.  By combining three key harvesting tasks into one process, Moore’s combine harvester was the start of a highly successful piece of equipment which allowed farm operations to become substantially more productive and efficient by reducing the amount of labor required.  Today’s combine harvesters have become more technologically advanced from the early days of Moore’s invention.  They now incorporate numerous hi-tech features, including Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking to improve efficiency and guidance, as well as very comfortable cabin climate control systems.

History of the GPS

The Global Positioning System was developed by the US Department of Defense for military applications in the early 1970s.  Once commercial use was allowed in the 1980s, GPS units quickly found their ways in an ever-increasing number of applications.  Roger Easton, Ivan Getting and Bradford Parkinson are credited with inventing GPS, but there were many others who contributed to its workings, including Gladys West who pioneered the precise mathematical computations used by the GPS system.

Roger Easton was an American scientist and physicist who was the principal inventor of GPS. Ivan Getting was an American physicist and electrical engineer who helped to develop GPS. He was also a co-lead for the automatic microwave tracking fire-control system, which was of significant use during the Second World War. Bradford Parkinson is still alive and is an American engineer and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, best known for his early contributions to the Air Force’s NAVSTAR program, which become the Global Positioning System. Finally, Gladys West is an American mathematician who in 1956 began working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. She is noted as the second African-American woman ever to be employed at the division. The popular movie “Hidden Figures” highlights Dr. West’s contributions, along with other women that conducted mathematical computing for the U.S. military.

GPS has become a critical service for today’s society and businesses.  GPS systems help us with directions, and track our location through equipped smartphones or computers, providing us with pertinent weather, safety and even marketing information.  This system has also paved the way for many industrial applications, ranging from Electronic Logging Devices which trucking companies use to keep track of their drivers and assets, to high-precision GPS mapping systems that benefit construction and mining businesses.

Celebrating The Importance of Innovation

From GPS-equipped combine harvesters to industrial HVAC systems, the world is full of inventions by individuals who used their genius, inquisitiveness and perseverance to create equipment and devices that have forever changed how we interact with the world.

As we celebrate National Inventor’s Day, take a moment to look around at all the equipment in your office and home: from computers and telephone systems to a simple renewable energy-powered coffeemaker.  All these pieces of equipment and systems were invented by someone and they all allow us to produce more in business and live comfortably at home.