The Toro Company today announced that Shannon Ranch Elementary School, in Visalia, Calif., won top prize in the company's "Ready. Set. GROW!" grant program. As a result of the public vote, a $7,000 grant will be awarded to Shannon Ranch Elementary. The grant will enable the school to enhance their life sciences program including installing a water-efficient drip irrigation system at their school garden for use by students throughout the year. The garden will also serve as a model on smart irrigation practices for the surrounding community.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a series of sweeping changes to a popular loan program for rural homebuyers.

Excel Industries is making additional improvements to its manufacturing facility in Hesston, Kan. Excel enjoyed a 35% increase in production volume during its fiscal year ending July 31, and anticipates another 50% increase in production for the coming year.

Rural Lifestyle Dealer magazine is pleased to announce its first-ever editorial advisory board. The board is made up of leading dealers from across the country, including past winners of its Dealership of the Year awards program.

Japanese farm machinery maker Kubota has announced it will be building its first European tractor factory in northern France, according to a report in the British publication Farmers Weekly.

Industries with millions of dollars at stake over the U.S. government's plan to lower the amount of biofuel that must be used in 2014 will air their grievances on Thursday in one of the most divisive policy debates of the year.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) recently announced Exmark Manufacturing as the winner of a 2014 AE50 award. Exmark's Lazer Z X-Series zero-turn riding mower with EFI and RED Technology was deemed one of the year's most innovative designs in engineering products for the food and agriculture industries. In recognition of this achievement, the Lazer Z X-Series mower will be featured in the January/February 2014 special AE50 issue of ASABE's magazine, Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World.

Our grandparents tell stories about being frugal and making things last, but guess what? Recent data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that we are holding on to "durable goods"? longer than consumers did 50 years ago. However, economic indicators show consumers are now ready to replace those worn-out items.

In an ongoing effort to better serve its authorized dealer network and grow its distribution, Hustler Turf announces that Power Trim Co. Inc. has been named the exclusive California Distributor for Hustler Turf Equipment. Power Trim will provide whole goods, accessories, parts, and customer service from their facility in Cypress, California.

American Agri-Women (AAW) elected its executive board and recognized outstanding contributors at its 38th annual convention held recently in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Sue McCrum of Mars Hill, Maine, will serve as president in 2014 and 2015.