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8 / June 2021 powderbulk.com • Bunge North America facility in Tipton, IN, 35 years • Bunge North America facility in Blytheville, AR, 34 years • Bunge North America facility in Hickman, KY, 34 years A complete list of award win- ners and instructions on how to participate are available at www. geaps.com. The organization, Minneapolis, MN, is an interna- tional professional association of grain handling and processing professionals, providing network- ing, professional development programs, and access to a global network of industry suppliers. The US Department of Labor announces mine safety training grants The US Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Adminis- tration (MSHA) has announced the availability of $10.5 million for mine safety training grants. The grants are to provide federally mandated training and retraining of miners and mine operators working at surface and underground coal and metal and nonmetal mines. The grants are available to any states in which mining takes place, and the MSHA will fund 80 percent of the training, with the state funding the remaining 20 percent. Grant appli- cations were due at the end of May, and MSHA will award the grants by the end of September 2021. MSHA, Arlington, VA, operates with the goal to prevent fatalities, disease, and injury from mining and secure safe and healthful work- ing conditions for America's miners. Seed facility explosion, fire results in worker death On March 23, 2021, a fire and subse- quent explosion in a seed cleaning facility in Silverton, OR, killed one worker and injured another. download the reports, visit www. leasefoundation.org. The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, Washington, DC, is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the equipment finance sector, providing knowledge, intelligence, and programs for the industry and is funded through individual and corporate donations. GEAPS recognizes 2020 Safety Award winners The Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) has announced the 2020 Safety Award winners. Each year GEAPS recognizes facil- ities engaged in grain operations, manufacturing, and warehousing that have promoted safety. In 2020, 425 facilities were enrolled in the program. Of those enrolled, 353 successfully completed the year without any lost-time injuries or illnesses, and of those facilities, 304 went the entire year with no record- able incidents to earn the elite tier. The awardees are recognized at the GEAPS Exchange, on the GEAPS website, and in In-Grain, a publication for GEAPS members. This year's top facilities for cumula- tive hours are: • Kelly Group Construction, Decatur, IL, 779,829 hours • Knobelsdorff Enterprises, Goodhue, MN, 415,958 hours • Bunge North America, Coun- cil Bluffs, IA, 277,302 hours • Bunge Canada, Harrowby, Russel, MB, 150,575 hours • Cargill Inc., Albion, NE, 40,612 hours The top facilities for cumulative years are: • Bunge North America Desoto Landing facility in Arkansas City, AR, 42 years • Bunge North America Foun- tain Bluff facility in Grand Tower, IL, 38 years Equipment leasing and financing investment forecast to grow in 2021 The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation has released a second quarter update to its 2021 Equipment Leasing & Finance U.S. Economic Outlook forecasting 11.2 percent growth in equipment and soft- ware investment, and 5.7 percent growth in gross domestic product this year. The report cites increased vaccination rates as a driver for greater equipment and software investment. Businesses will also be attempting to adapt to a post- pandemic normal. The report also highlights a few important factors, including that equipment and software invest- ment growth experienced a 21 percent gain in the fourth quarter of 2020, which was a strong start to 2021. US manufacturing contin- ued to grow in early 2021 because demand remained strong for both consumer and business goods. This demand is expected to remain strong, but supply chain backlogs and rising input prices could be a challenge. The report notes that issues with higher inflation, ongo- ing labor market recovery, and the emergence of new virus strains that could reduce vaccine effectiveness could all play a role in hampering market growth. Released in conjunction with the Economic Outlook report, the Foundation-Keybridge US Equipment & Software Investment Momentum Monitor tracks 12 equipment and software investment verticals. According to this report, agri- cultural machinery investment, material handling equipment investment, and all other industrial equipment investment should stay positive or return to positive ter- ritory over the next 3 to 6 months, year over year. For more info and to