U.S., China, Far Apart in Trade War Talks

A Chinese delegation will travel to the U.S. as part of the ongoing trade war as both sides “remain far apart.” China said Thursday the delegation will meet with U.S. Treasury Undersecretary David Malpass to discuss trade issues. However, the South China Morning Post reports observers say the talks are unlikely to yield any breakthrough, but could lead to further …

Animal Ag Groups Ask for Permanent Funding for Disease Preparedness

A coalition of animal agriculture stakeholders is seeking permanent funding for disease preparedness programs in the farm bill. In a letter to the farm bill conferee members, who will be ironing out differences between the House and Senate bills, the group specifically seeks permanent full funding for the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program. The groups say permanent funding …

NFU: Beef Producers Disadvantaged by Current “Product of U.S.A” Labeling Standards

The National Farmers Union (NFU) Thursday told the Department of Agriculture U.S. meat labeling standards are disadvantaging U.S. beef producers by allowing products born, raised, or slaughtered outside of the United States to carry the “Product of the U.S.A.” label. NFU wrote to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, that the standards “need to be changed immediately.” The NFU action …

BASF Closes Acquisition of Bayer’s Vegetable Seeds Business

BASF announced this week it has closed the acquisition of Bayer’s global vegetable seeds business. The transaction, BASF says in a news release, “adds a well-recognized brand with a very successful business track record to BASF’s portfolio.” The acquired vegetable seeds business comprises 24 crops and about 2,600 varieties. It also includes a research and development operation, and breeding systems …

Cotton Industry Reaches Out to Farm Bill Conferees

Earlier this week, the Georgia Cotton Commission, and 66 other cotton industry organizations from across the many segments of the industry and representing individuals from every corner of the nation, sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees along with the Farm Bill conferees thanking the respective leaders for their work so …

Farm Bureau: Now, More Than Ever, We Must Ditch the Rule

The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Due to a misguided ruling by a single federal district court, the overbroad, vague and illegal 2015 Waters of the United States Rule is now the law of the land in twenty-six states. “To avoid widespread uncertainty and potential enforcement against ordinary farming activities in these already-uncertain …

USDA Forest Service Announces New Strategy for Improving Forest Conditions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (USFS) announced a new strategy for managing catastrophic wildfires and the impacts of invasive species, drought, and insect and disease epidemics. Specifically, a new report titled Toward Shared Stewardship across Landscapes: An Outcome-based investment Strategy (PDF, 3.7 MB) outlines the USFS’s plans to work more closely with states to identify landscape-scale priorities for targeted treatments in …