Old habits are hard to break.

When I first started editing Implement & Tractor in 1994, we set a publishing schedule around the semi-annual reports and meetings of the Equipment Manufacturers Institute (EMI). This meant our every-other-month publication was often mailed out late in the second month of the issue's date in order

Dealers had told us how important those sales forecasts for field and farmstead equipment were, so it was important to me to include that information in I&T. By attending EMI meetings, I was often able to add some personal observations and quotes from the executives of EMI member companies--a few dozen manufacturers whose sales amounted to some 90 percent of the farm machinery sold in the U.S. and Canada.

That was well before widespread use of the computer to distribute or research such news, long before EMI merged with the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA) to form the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and long before many variations of mergers, buyouts and consolidations reduced the number of tractor manufacturers, shortline manufacturers and dealers.

But I am digressing. My point is this: We are going to break an old I&T habit.

Although we no longer need wait on EMI/AME forecasts and sales reports, we have continued the habit of publishing I&T in the second month. This always created a problem for the November/December issue, which had to compete for pre-press, publishing and delivery times.

So, we have decided to alter the 2008 schedule of I&T. Issue by issue, we plan to push publication and mailing back toward the first month of each issue's bi-monthly date. By the end of the year, your November/December issue will be in the mail before the end of November.

We are also making some additions to I&T at the suggestions of interviewed dealers. We will add dedicated sections for business issues and diverse groups of products that dealers are now selling, including outdoor power equipment, small farm/rural life equipment, commercial turf and lawn and garden equipment.

I will welcome your comments and recommendations about the content of I&T. Just call, email or snail mail me to tell me what you'd like to see included.

Mary Shepherd

mshepherd@cfu.net