The 11 remaining Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries officially left the U.S. behind Thursday, signing an amended agreement that does not include the United States. The 11 nations signed what is now called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership the same day the U.S. moved to a more trade protectionist status, rolling out tariffs for steel and aluminum imports. …
Canada Staying Calm and Constructive Amidst Trade Talks
As President Donald Trump has ratcheted up the conversation on trade, Canada is sticking to it’s “keep-calm” strategy. While the European Union immediately offered a list of targeted U.S. products in response to Trump’s tariff plan for steel and aluminum, Reuters says Canada is trying to stay constructive, and use negotiations for a better outcome. For now, the tariff plan …
Trump Unveils Steel and Aluminum Tariff Plan
President Donald Trump Thursday unveiled his plan to impose 25 percent tariffs on steel imports and ten percent on aluminum. The plan includes provisional exceptions for Canada and Mexico. However, the tariffs could trigger a trade war between the U.S. and the European Union and China, among others. Despite a large pushback by U.S. industry and trading partners, Trump is …
Grower Listening Session, Field Visit Set for National Peanut Board Quarterly Meeting
The National Peanut Board has scheduled its quarterly Board and committee meetings for April 3-4, 2018, in Charleston, S. C. at the Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel, 68 Wentworth Street, Charleston, S. C. 29401 (843-534-0300). The National Peanut Board and the South Carolina Peanut Board will hold a joint Grower Listening Session addressing common production issues, best practices and continuous …
More Definitive Food Profiles
Methods for analyzing food samples developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist in Maryland capture what could be considered the most definitive nutrient profiles possible for many of the foods we eat. Craig Byrdwell, an analytical chemist in the ARS Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory in Beltsville, has found a way to use seven different detectors—four mass spectrometers and one gas and …
Citrus Forecast Steady as Growers Await Aid
Florida struggling citrus crop, fighting disease and battered by Hurricane Irma, held steady over the past month in a newly released forecast. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated Thursday that Florida will grow enough oranges in the current season to fill 45 million 90-pound boxes, a mark unchanged from a February forecast. However, that would still be a major drop …
Bayer in Exclusive Talks With BASF to Sell Vegetable Seed Business
Bayer confirmed this week that the company is in exclusive talks with BASF regarding the sale of Bayer’s entire vegetable-seeds business, a move it expects to help it win approval for its acquisition of Monsanto. The move, according to Bayer, is part of its effort to address concerns made by the European Commission regarding the Bayer-Monsanto deal. The European antitrust …
South Korea Forming Response team to U.S. Trade Protectionism
South Korea is creating a task force to respond to U.S. trade protection measures. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has ordered the South Korean embassy in Washington set up the special response team. South Korea has requested to be excluded from proposed higher import tariffs on steel exports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, emphasizing the negative effects the …
Coalition Formed to Fight Steel, Aluminum Tariffs
Industry and agriculture groups have formed a coalition to address the proposed steel and aluminum tariffs by President Donald Trump. The National Foreign Trade Council announced formation of the Alliance for Competitive Steel and Aluminum Trade this week. The coalition includes industrial and agriculture groups, such as the National Pork Producers Council, The American Soybean Association and U.S. Wheat Associates. …
Trump Considering Trade Protection Measures Against China
The Trump administration is mulling trade protections against Chinese investments in the United States and a broad range of tariffs. The consideration is seen as a punishment by the administration to Beijing for its alleged theft of intellectual property. An announcement by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office investigation into China’s intellectual property practices is expected in the coming weeks, setting …