A Bloomberg report says President Donald Trump is threatening to put a tariff on every single import from China. The world’s two largest economies exchanged blows in a trade war that isn’t expected to end anytime in the near future. After months of trade rhetoric back and forth, a 25 percent tariff took effect on $34 billion Chinese goods entering …
Sugar Policy Reformers Aren’t Done
Business and taxpayer groups trying to overhaul federal sugar policy say they’re down, but not out, after the Senate failed to consider their amendment during the farm bill debate. Politico says the Alliance for Fair Suger Policy includes the National Confectioners Association, the American Bakers Association, as well as retailer and consumer groups. The group blames the lack of action …
China Tariff On U.S. Pork Now Tops 60 Percent
U.S. pork producers now face punitive tariffs of 62 percent on exports to China, a market that represented 17 percent of total U.S. exports by value in 2017. China announced a new 25 percent tariff in response to U.S. action under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. That tariff is on top of the 25 percent punitive duty …
EU Wheat Harvest Hit Hard by Drought
The European Union’s wheat harvest may wind up about six million tons less than it was a year ago. Crops in the northern part of the EU suffered through a hot and dry spring. Reuters says there is some late-season signs of crop damage in France, one of the top wheat producers in the EU. Those potential losses in the …
Perdue Hopeful NAFTA Agreement with Mexico Coming Soon
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue is out on another “Back to Our Roots” tour, this time to the Pacific Northwest, as well as Alaska. Perdue says he’s hopeful that a new North American Free Trade Agreement can be reached with Mexico very soon. “We believe we’ve got many of the agreements in principle ready to go there,” he says. Perdue told …
Organic Foods Set to Continue Growing
Around the globe, organic farming is practiced in 162 countries. North America leads the charge in sales and has the highest projected growth rate. In a new report by Zion Market Research, the global organic food and beverage market was estimated to be worth around $125 billion last year, and is expected to nearly triple in size by 2024, climbing …
Battle Breaks Out Over GMO Labeling
The USDA comment period on its proposed GMO labeling rule brought in more than 11,000 comments from farm groups, consumers, and multinational companies like Hershey’s. Politico says food manufacturers are at odds with farmers over which ingredients should actually be subject to disclosure. The companies are arguing that foods made with even some genetically modified corn, soybeans, and sugar beets …
CoBank: Trade War Takes a Toll on Ag Economy
Despite the strongest global economic growth the world has seen since 2011, the uncertainty surrounding trade disputes is causing escalating concern for U.S. agriculture. CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division says seventy percent of U.S. ag exports are heading to countries that are currently in negotiations or outright trade disputes. CoBank’s Rural Economic Review says the shift from trade war rhetoric to …
EPA Administrator Pruitt Resigns
The polarizing tenure of Scott Pruitt as head of the Environmental Protection Agency has come to an end. President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday afternoon that he’s “accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,” noting that Pruitt has done a “good job within the Agency.” The Senate has already confirmed Deputy Administrator Andrew …
Why Your Garden Needs Nasturtium
Nasturtium is a plant that vines out and is so attractive that many people plant them as additions to ornamental gardens. There are several varieties of nasturtium for just about whatever shape plant is needed: Some cascade, others climb, and still, others are bushy. They work well for borders, as pot plants, or for vertical gardening up walls or fences. …