The biggest move by China against the U.S. in the tit-for-tat trade war could be a movement towards abandoning U.S. soybeans. China, facing a potential shortage following its 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans, is already purchasing from other suppliers and proposing to cut the amount of protein used in livestock feeds. CNN reports that one of China’s top feed …
President Trump to Speak at the 91st National FFA Convention & Expo
The president will be attending the National FFA Convention & Expo on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, during the ninth general session at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and will address the FFA members. Over time, it is has become a tradition of the National FFA Organization to invite the sitting president to make remarks during its annual national convention and expo. Former …
UF/IFAS Employees Help Hard-Hit North Florida REC
Scientists at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center — particularly its Marianna facility — may take a while to fully recover their research after it was damaged by Hurricane Michael, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences administrators say. In Marianna, five center pivots – irrigation systems — were turned over and damaged, said Glen Aiken, …
USDA Announces Update to National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the first update since 2013 of the National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) (PDF, 340 KB). The update culminates a yearlong review by the Federal Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coordinating Committee (FIPMCC), a joint effort that is coordinated by the Office of Pest Management Policy in the Office of USDA’s Chief Economist with representatives of …
Dairy Industry Applauds Work to Deepen Philippine Trade Relations
The U.S. Trade Representative announced progress in talks with the Philippines under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). U.S. dairy producers and processors appreciate the Administration’s work to preserve and deepen market access ties with a country that purchased $243 million in U.S. dairy products last year. In a joint statement released about the recent achievements in resolving …
Roby: Hurricane Michael Recovery Continues
An open letter from Martha Roby, U.S. Representative, Alabama’s 2nd District Friends, As Hurricane Michael recovery efforts continue, we are gradually learning the full scale of damages portions of our district are facing. The setback for the agriculture industry is severe, to say the least. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, I traveled to the Wiregrass to see firsthand …
Children to Benefit from UF/IFAS Master Gardener Legacy Fund
The Florida Master Gardener program, part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), recently created a Legacy Fund to help support educational projects directly in counties. The Legacy Fund was created by an anonymous donor in 2017, and the first applications were received in the summer of 2018. “The Master Gardener Legacy Fund will support …
Trump, China, To Talk Trade at G20
President Donald Trump is tentatively scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Group of 20 nations, or G20 summit next month. The two are expected to discuss the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told Bloomberg News that U.S. goals are on the table and that the two leaders …
Canada, Mexico, Want Steel and Aluminum Tariffs Lifted
Canada and Mexico want the U.S. to remove steel and aluminum tariffs now that a NAFTA 2.0 framework is in place. Canada has asked the U.S. to lift the tariffs “as soon as possible.” Mexico’s top negotiator for the North American Free Trade Agreement, now the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, says Mexico should not sign the agreement until the tariffs have been …
NMPF Asks USDA to Bolster Dairy Aid Package
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) needs to better reflect the dairy-farm incomes lost to tariff retaliation when it calculates its next round of trade mitigation payments, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said. In a letter sent Tuesday to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, NMPF Chairman and dairy farmer Randy Mooney cited four studies illustrating that milk producers have experienced …