usda

U.S. Exports to Mexico Stumble

Dan Exports/Imports, Industry News Release

As the Unites States plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico have declined over the first few months of 2017. The Wall Street Journal reports that Mexican imports of U.S. soybean meal dropped 15 percent, the first decline in four years. Meanwhile, chicken exports to Mexico were down 11 …

pitahaya

APHIS to Allow Importation of Fresh Pitahaya Fruit from Ecuador

Dan Exports/Imports, Fruits, Industry News Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending the fruits and vegetable regulations to allow the importation of fresh pitahaya fruit into the continental United States from Ecuador.  APHIS scientists have determined that fresh pitahaya fruit from Ecuador can be safely imported to the United States while continuing to provide protection against the …

trade mission

Trump’s Cuba Policy a Lost Opportunity for Agriculture

Dan Exports/Imports, Industry News Release, Trade

President Donald Trump’s Friday announcement on reinstating limits on travel to and business with Cuba may result in lost economic opportunities for corporations, small businesses, and farmers. The new policy will keep U.S. companies from doing direct financial transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says the opportunity for American agriculture to export more products …

trade mission

American Farm Bureau Cautions on Cuba

Dan Exports/Imports, Industry News Release, Trade

The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “We urge the administration to exercise caution in rolling out any new restrictions on doing business with Cuba that would limit our agricultural export opportunities. We should be doing more, not less, to encourage U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba. Our farmers and ranchers and the Cuban people …

pork

Nebraska Firm First to Ship U.S. Beef to China

Dan Beef, Exports/Imports, Industry News Release

Nebraska’s Greater Omaha Packing Company is sending U.S. beef to China, the first shipment of its kind in 14 years. After the U.S. and China finalized protocols to allow the U.S. to export beef to China, the Nebraska-based company announced it would send beef by air freight to a customer in Shanghai. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Nebraska Department of …

conaway

Conaway, Peterson Praise U.S. Sugar Deal

Dan Exports/Imports, Industry News Release, Sugar

House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (MN-7) made the below remarks following an announcement that an agreement was reached between the U.S. sugar industry and the Department of Commerce to bring Mexican sugar into compliance with U.S. trade laws: “I am very pleased that the Department of Commerce was able to negotiate an …

sugar

USDA Role in Enforcing New U.S.-Mexico Sugar Deal

Dan Exports/Imports, Sugar

Last week, it was announced that a new agreement between the United States and Mexico regarding the importation of Mexican sugar had been reached. The U.S. Department of Commerce had been reviewing the 2014 agreement with the government of Mexico and the Mexican sugar refiners that suspended anti-dumping and countervailing duties on the import of Mexican sugar into the U.S. In …

trade

Mexico Shopping for Non-U.S. Pork

Dan Exports/Imports, Industry News Release, Pork

Concerns over the U.S.-led effort to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement has prompted Mexico to consider other options for pork imports. National Hog Farmer magazine reports U.S. pork industry leaders shared that message at last week’s World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa. For instance, if the U.S. would abandon NAFTA, Mexico would be poised to place a …