This past January, factories in the United States showed the most growth in seven months, according to The Associated Press. Additionally, builders continued to find more work for the fifth straight month. This news further exemplifies the fact that the U.S. economy has begun 2012 on a relatively strong note.

A major construction project is underway on U.S. Highway 75 in the Dallas/Forth Worth region. Although nothing major has been done, the preliminary stages of work are starting to show up. Orange flags and cones are being laid down to designate the restricted area to tourists, and the heavy lifting should begin in a few weeks, according to Pegasus News.

A recent survey by Wells Fargo & Company sent to construction equipment distributors and contractors found that optimism is higher for 2012 than it was in 2011.

Tricorp Hearn Construction, a large contractor located in northern California, recently completed an extensive renovation of a 106-unit apartment complex, managing to stay within budget and finish the job in a timely manner. As a result, the firm has been awarded with a number of additional contracts throughout the state.

The Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) has announced that it has chosen Babcock & Wilcox Construction Company (BWCC), to construct improvements for one of its power plants in Wheatfield, Indiana.

New York Senator Charles Schumer announced the Army has reached an agreement with the city that will transfer ownership of Admiral's Row - a six-acre site located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard - to New York City. According to The Associated Press, this was the final hurdle standing between city officials and the construction of a supermarket and retail shopping area.

The Living Planet Aquarium in Utah recently tapped a pair of firms for the construction of its new aquarium. According to AttractionsManagement.com, the $18-million building will be a significant upgrade from its current location. While the current location covers 43,000 square feet, the new aquarium will span about 130,000.

Washington state lawmakers will debate a new $1 billion stimulus plan designed to approve funding for a wide variety of infrastructure projects, with the aim of revitalizing the state's construction industry.

The Massachusetts Life Science Center recently awarded $5 million to the Museum of Science - the funds will go toward construction of a new exhibit known as the Hall of Human Life. About 10,000 square-feet have been designated for the Hall, which will offer museum visitors a unique way of understanding our own biology. It will also help bolster the local economy, which has recently shown signs of life after a difficult recession period.

President Obama mentioned the construction industry during his State of the Union address last night, and the remarks appeared to indicate more spending on infrastructure in the future.

While the construction industry is still struggling in some states, California contractors added more jobs than any other state in the country in 2011, according to a report by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Restoration Services, Inc. recently purchased a 1.3-acre tract of land from the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee. Though the company eventually plans on building its headquarters nearby, it is preparing for the move by constructing a large solar farm, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Farmers have a wide variety of concerns when it comes to their crops, and one of the bigger problems is pests. It might not seem like much, but small creatures can strike in an instant and completely ruin a full year's worth of crops. That's exactly the problem facing berry farmers in Maine when it comes to the Asian fruit fly, reports the Boston Herald.

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA) reports that construction jobs will likely see a small recovery throughout 2012, as a recent survey has indicated that fewer companies plan to cut jobs this year compared to last.

Milwaukee School of Engineering president Hermann Viets says construction will soon begin on a new project after a large piece of land is made available. Speaking to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, there are a few minor tasks that need to be completed before work can start in earnest.

Construction will soon begin on a 360,000-square-foot outlet mall near a popular casino in the Phoenix area. According to the East Valley Tribune, it is set to open in spring 2013 and will feature 90 different outlet stores. The project represents the continued efforts of the Gila River Indian Community to improve its economic output.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have announced their data for the construction industry in December of 2011, and it appears that most of the metrics point to a positive upswing in business, at least compared to 2010.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon allocate $25 million to help fund the construction of a biorefinery plant in Iowa. The 55,000 square-foot facility will help produce millions of gallons of renewable energy a year. Construction of the factory itself will lead to about 40 extra jobs.

While giving his annual Condition of the State address, Iowa governor Terry Branstad noted a few of his highest agricultural priorities for the year. One of his main goals is to reform property taxes, which at the moment could be limiting the amount of control farmers have more control over the cost of business.

Construction company owners are becoming more excited about their future prospects, as the latest report from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index found that builder confidence has risen for the fourth consecutive month.

At the moment, a fairly large plot of land in downtown Tallahassee is completely undeveloped. However, within the next 18 months, all that is going to change. According to Tallahassee.com, it's going to become known as College Town. Occupying about six acres, the land will soon be filled by restaurants, bars and retail outlets. Best of all, when it's finished, College Town will offer between 600 and 800 jobs to locals in need of work.

Agricultural equipment manufacturer John Deere has been awarded a Guinness World Record for one of their charitable endeavors, a massive combine harvester built entirely out of canned food.

The Garb Oil & Power Corporation announced that it had met with government officials and has made progress on a project that will bring seven waste treatment plants to an economically-depressed region of the state, which can provide hundreds of jobs for out-of-work individuals.

A tractor with ties to two famous personalities is going up for auction in Arizona this month to help raise funds for a military charity.

The construction sector of Ithaca, N.Y., is hitting the ground running. According to the Ithaca Journal, the downtown area should see a modest growth over the next year with the addition of new housing developments and a retail space.

A new study of workplace injuries has found that construction is one of the more dangerous professions to engage in, as the number of accidents is significantly higher than other industries.

Long Island has seen a decline in single-family residential construction over the past few years, but that has largely been offset by a rise in multifamily homes, reports The New York Times.

In a sign that construction workers are continuing to find new jobs, the Washington Post reports that work will soon begin on a 433-unit apartment building near Nationals Park, in Washington, DC. A lot of projects popped up in the surrounding area, but the economic troubles of the past couple of years put a damper on most of them. Now, momentum is starting to pick up again.

The construction of Interstate 287 in New York has been delayed into 2013, reports LoHud.com.

A $4.5 million construction project aimed at improving the quality of life for soldiers stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina is moving ahead of schedule, reports the Camp Lejeune Globe.

A year-end survey of more than 1,000 RE/MAX real estate agents has found that most expect the housing industry to improve in 2012, thanks to higher prices and increased sales.

Tuscany Hills Elementary school, located in Lake Elsinore, Calif., recently completed a nearly seven million-dollar expansion job that added a 4,000 square-foot assembly arena, new recreational facilities, an outdoor cafeteria and new classrooms.

Long talked about and discussed, it appears that a project to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York is well underway, according to comments made at a recent meeting of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester.

A controversial construction project is moving forward in California, as transportation officials have approved a $103 million contract for construction of a commuter train between Marin and Sonoma, reports the Marin Independent Journal.

The construction of a 20-story apartment building in Oak Park - a town near Chicago - is likely to begin later this year, following approval from a group of trustees. The hope is that the building will give the area more of a contemporary, bustling feel, as opposed to the quiet historic district that it currently is.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is predicting that world corn production will rise by the end of the year, leading to a 43.4-million ton increase in corn production for 2010/2011, reports the Des Moines Iowa Register.

Strong foreign production coupled with increased demand from ethanol plants is leading to an increase in the amount of corn produced. The projection will likely lower the price of corn slightly, reports the news source. The crop has been selling at about $6 per bushel as of late, though it was up beyond $7 per bushel earlier this year.

There are a few reasons that Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Director Katy Coba thinks 2012 will be a good year for her state's production. According to the Statesman Journal, while speaking with ODA Director of Communications Bruce Pokarney, she cited the fact that her state (and the country as a whole) had "weathered an incredible [economic] storm" and that there are signs that productivity is going to increase this year.

Maryland governor Martin O'Malley is expected to propose spending more than $350 million on the construction of public schools throughout the state. According to the Washington Post, it would be the second-highest amount given to such a project in state history. O'Malley's proposition comes with the hope that it will spur job growth and help urge the state out of recession.

Spending on public construction in the United States rose in the month of November for the third time in four months, according to a recent Commerce Department report.

Welcome to the official blog for IronPlanet.com. This page will regularly be updated with informative and useful posts about buying and selling used construction and agriculture equipment, as well as the many ways that IronPlanet distinguishes itself from more traditional auction sites. Whether you're looking to bolster your own armada of equipment, upgrade older items or simply liquidate some of your inventory, the IronPlanet blog can help explain the process and provide helpful hints on doing so quickly and efficiently, all in an easy-to-navigate website.

Getting around the blog is a breeze. Several of the most recent posts can be found each page, and you can find more simply by scrolling to the bottom of the screen. At the top of the page, you'll find links to specific equipment, which allows for easy navigation should you want to see what items are currently being offered. You can also navigate to specific posts that you might be interested in seeing by clicking on one of the categories listed to the right. Here you'll also find a real-time Twitter feed and the most recent Facebook posts. If at any time you'd like to be taken to the home page, simply click on the IronPlanet logo at the top of the screen.

Bass Pro has always offered plenty of services in its stores, from bowling lanes to archery ranges. However, none of that is going to be able to compare to what the company has in store for its flagship location in Memphis. According to the Memphis Business Journal, it will be located in the Pyramid Arena and is going to be a site to behold when all is said and done.

It has been more than a decade since any major renovations were performed on Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. However, increased demand for season tickets has led to the organization's decision to add thousands of seats in the next two years. According to WBAY.com, the current plan is to unveil the changes by August 2013.

Construction is set to continue on the relocation of Lincolnway West, which will help improve road access to the South Bend Airport. The first step is to clear trees that are in the way of the road, and work is set to begin later this winter.

The federal government has awarded $186 million in an effort to improve the high-speed railway that runs from Joliet to Dwight. According to the Beacon-News, now that these funds have been received, work can begin in earnest on the corridor between these two municipalities.

For the third time in four months, the number of construction jobs in the United States increased. Rising 1.2 percent in November, the industry outperformed predictions from a number of experts, including those at Bloomberg. Public expenditures also grew, indicating that Americans may be loosening the grip on their budgets a bit.

Iraq war veteran and "Dancing With The Stars" champion J.R. Martinez will be appearing at the International Builders' Show this February in Florida, to speak about his work with a home-building charity.

As the economy recoiled over the past few years, the construction of new office buildings in the Greater Boston region all but ceased. However, as we slowly but surely climb out of the recession, biotech companies have shown renewed interest in the area. According to the Boston Globe, the last quarter of 2011 showed an eightfold increase in the amount of office space constructed, reaching 1.6 million square-feet.

As the economy recoiled over the past few years, the construction of new office buildings in the Greater Boston region all but ceased. However, as we slowly but surely climb out of the recession, biotech companies have shown renewed interest in the area. According to the Boston Globe, the last quarter of 2011 showed an eightfold increase in the amount of office space constructed, reaching 1.6 million square-feet.

Those in the construction and agricultural industries know that much of their livelihood relies on the equipment that they use. Whether it's a construction company that needs a specific vehicle for a certain type of job or a farmer who wants to maximize their crop planting and harvesting, equipment is certainly critical to running a successful business.

That being said, there are times when a vehicle or other piece of equipment outlives its usefulness. Perhaps it was only useful on certain types of jobs that aren't as plentiful anymore, or maybe it's just time to upgrade to something newer. One mistake that many make is not getting the maximum profit on their used construction equipment and agricultural equipment. Some might leave their vehicles languishing in a warehouse rather than liquidating them for the best possible price.