Cattle Producers Uneasy with Trade Issues

The beef industry, like many others in agriculture, knows the importance of trade with other countries. One of the biggest is the North American Free Trade Agreement, as NAFTA is important to the beef industry. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) senior vice president of government affairs, Colin Woodall, knows there is some uneasiness right now as to what will happen …

U.S. Cotton Industry Contributions to Cotton USA Play Critical Role in Developing Export Markets

Ten U.S. cotton organizations have pledged industry contributions in 2018 to support the demand-building activities of Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council (NCC) export promotion arm, headquartered in Washington, D.C. “Our growers believe that contributing to CCI is an investment in the future of our industry and ultimately is essential to our success,” Plains Cotton Growers Executive Vice …

NPPC Commends USDA for Maintaining Essential Livestock Market Programs

Two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs critical to the continuity of livestock market operations will continue during the current federal government shutdown. The Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) program, managed by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, is the sole source of market information on sales to packers of cattle, swine and lambs and on the subsequent sale of meat products. Inspection …

Honeybees Attraction to Pesticides

Cathy Isom has some stinging news about an alarming study that shows honeybees like what’s actually bad for them. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Honeybees Attraction to Pesticides Researchers at University of Illinois have discovered that honeybees, which have been dying off in mass numbers every year for the past couple decades, seem to prefer flowers that …

Key Agency Behind in Modernizing Nation’s Food Safety System

Despite recent improvements, a key agency responsible for the nation’s food safety is still way behind in modernizing the nation’s food safety system. That’s from the Food and Drug Administration’s own inspector general and lawmakers who have oversight of the agency .Congress gave the Food and Drug Administration the power years ago to force recalls of food blamed for illness outbreaks.  But …

Cornyn Drawing Up RFS Overhaul Legislation

Texas Republican John Cornyn is drawing up legislation to overhaul the Renewable Fuels Standard. It’s his attempt to end the disagreement between corn-state lawmakers and oil-patch legislators. Cornyn’s office has been hosting talks for several months on altering the nation’s biofuels program and come up with a variety of policy ideas, although they haven’t narrowed down any of the choices …

Arkansas Lawmakers OK Dicamba Ban

Arkansas lawmakers approved, without discussion, a partial-ban on a herbicide that drifts on to other crops where it wasn’t applied and causes damage. An Associated Press report says the prohibition faces a court challenge by the maker of the weed killer. The Legislative Council approved the Arkansas Plant Board plan to ban dicamba use from April 15 through October 31. …

Mexican Ambassador says NAFTA Negotiations Are Making Progress

The Mexican Ambassador to Washington tells Bloomberg that the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have general agreement on 40 percent of the topics being renegotiated in the NAFTA talks. Geronimo Gutierrez says Mexico may also be willing to accept an increase in the minimum regional content for automobiles traded under the deal. Gutierrez says Mexico is focusing on increasing employment, something …

Former Ag Secretary says Trump Understands Importance of NAFTA

Trade negotiators are gearing up for the next round of talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in Canada. Some industry stakeholders are frustrated because they feel not enough progress has been made so far. Mike Johanns, a former Ag Secretary, says, “So far, the negotiations really haven’t gone anywhere.” There are stakeholders in agriculture who wonder if …