U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $153.55 million in September, a 17.8% increase from August, according to a report this week by the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association and the Association for Manufacturing Technology. In the Central Region, manufacturing technology consumption rose 8.5 percent to $33.98 million in September from $31.33 million the prior month. It is down, however, 75.7 percent from the same time last year. Based on totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Consumption program, there were 229 total orders of metal-cutting machines and metal forming and fabricating machines in the Central Region in September, compared to 647 orders in September 2008.

In an effort to connect individuals in the Midwest who are developing regional responses to global challenges, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has launched a new Web site, www.globalmidwest.org. The site includes links to critical reports covering global issues affecting the Midwest and a database of experts and organizations that are working on key issues such as agriculture, economic development, energy and transportation. Emerging from ideas suggested in Richard Longworth’s 2008 book “Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism,” the new site and blog, The Midwesterner, are part of the council’s Global Midwest Initiative, a regional effort to promote interstate dialogue and to serve as a resource for those interested in the Midwest’s ability to navigate today’s global landscape.

The Iowa Farm Bureau on Nov. 24 will present a free interactive tax seminar to address changes to depreciation methods, potential adjustments to the federal estate tax and stricter standards for reporting labor. Roger McEowen, the Leonard Dolezal professor of agricultural law at Iowa State University, will provide an update on income tax-law changes and present information on estate and business planning. Charles Brown, president of Ottumwa-based AgriFinancial Services LLC, will offer farm income tax strategies and information on how the strategies might affect individual farm operations. The 2009 Farm Income Tax Seminar will be broadcast from 7 to 9 p.m. through the Iowa Telecommunications Network at the following sites: Room N147 of Iowa State’s Lagomarcino Hall at the corner of Knoll Road and Pamel Drive in Ames and Room 114 of Northeast Iowa Community College’s Dairy Education Center at 1527 Highway 150 South.