New numbers out this week show that China is the new number one buyer of American agricultural goods. Pork Business Dot Com says the fiscal year 2017 numbers show that China bought $22 billion worth of agricultural products, which is a large jump from the $19.2 billion purchased the year before. That jump meant China moved into the number one …
Peterson Likes Senate Tax Bill Better Than House Version
House Ag Committee ranking member Collin Peterson says the Senate tax bill is closer to something he can support than the House Bill. The Minnesota Democrat hopes changes will be made so he can support the conference report. Peterson tells the Hagstrom Report that he supports lowering corporate tax rates but not at the expense of raising taxes on individuals. …
Agriculture Among NAFTA Topics on Final Day
The fifth round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations wrapped up Tuesday. A Politico report describes the talks as relatively quiet. Canadian negotiators haven’t been making many counteroffers to U.S. proposals. Instead, they’re using closed-door meetings to challenge American proposals with data and to ask for explanations of why the U.S. feels the need for certain things to …
Senators Want Commerce Secretary to Analyze NAFTA Withdrawal Cost
A bipartisan group of Senators sent a letter this week to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, asking the administration to collect a “robust economic analysis” to evaluate how changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would affect agriculture. The letter says, “It’s imperative that before any changes are made to NAFTA or any other free trade agreement, that economic …
Agri View: Latest on Honeybee Situation
Everett Griner talks about the honeybee in today’s Agri View. Everett looks into the necessity of the honeybee across the nation as well as what the honeybee supplies to us. Honey! Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune …
Georgia Growers Informed on Labor Regulations
By Jaci Schreckengost In order to keep Georgia growers up-to-date about important labor regulations and issues, the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) held the annual Georgia Agricultural Labor Relations Forum. The event was held at the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus on Nov. 7–8 and had more than 100 people in attendance. Charles Hall, executive director of the …
Alabama’s Beginning Farmer Program
The Beginning Farmer Program has come to Alabama. The Alabama Beginning Farmer Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Grant, aims to provide a knowledge infrastructure for new and developing farmers. Ayanava Majumdar, Auburn University Extension entomologist, is working on the program, which he calls a “very important project.” The Alabama project started …
AFBF Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge Highlights Importance of Rural Innovation
The Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge helps boost rural innovation and business, a critical part of the rural economy. Four finalist teams in the competition will compete for a total of $30,000 in prize money at the 2018 AFBF Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show in January, in addition to already being awarded $15,000. Anne Hazlett, who leads USDA’s Rural Development efforts, …
USDA Helps Military Veterans Learn Skills for Farming and Ranching Careers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced a new grant opportunity to help military veterans pursue farming and ranching careers. Funding is made through NIFA’s Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program (AgVets). “Nearly four million veterans reside in rural America, and NIFA is determined to support veterans who want to …
Exploring a World without Food Animals
What would happen if U.S. farmers stopped producing animals for food and Americans went vegan? Some have called for a move in that direction to address increasing concerns about U.S. health, eating habits, and climate change. Researchers at USDA‘s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Virginia Tech recently explored those questions and found surprising results. Mary Beth Hall, an ARS animal scientist at the U.S. …