American Farm Bureau Federation Vice President Scott VanderWal and Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening warned Congress that many farms will lose money and even go out of business entirely if the growing trade war continues. Each called for a resumption of talks and removal of tariffs that are undoing decades of progress in trade. Kevin Paap, president of the …
Judge Refuses to Leave Conservation Funding Case
A Leon County circuit judge this week refused a request by legislative leaders for his disqualification from a case about whether the state has properly carried out a 2014 constitutional amendment backed by environmental groups. Judge Charles Dodson issued a one-paragraph order Monday denying a motion for his disqualification. Dodson last month ruled that lawmakers had failed to properly comply …
EPA 2019 RFS Proposal Missing Opportunity to Set Things Right
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) implored the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the 2019 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) rulemaking process to fix the extensive damage done to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by former Administrator Scott Pruitt. In testimony delivered at a public hearing in Ypsilanti, Mich., RFA Vice President of Government Affairs Samantha Slater said EPA’s 2019 RVO rule is an opportunity to correct the extensive damage done to demand for ethanol and America’s …
Perdue: Farmers Can’t Pay Bills on Patriotism
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Tuesday called farmers “some of the best patriots in America,” while speaking at an event, but said farmers “can’t pay the bills with patriotism.” Perdue made the comments at Axios 360, an event held by news website Axios, in Washington, D.C. Tuesday morning. Perdue says farmers and ranchers are “bearing the brunt” of the ongoing trade …
U.S. Says Retaliatory Tariffs Unjustified in WTO Complaint
The U.S. struck back at retaliating nations this week, filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO). The U.S. complaint says the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the Trump administration were justified, but claim retaliation in response to the tariffs from trading partners was not justified. The complaint includes China, the European Union, Turkey, Canada and Mexico. In …
Mexico and Canada Want NAFTA Conclusion This Year
Mexico and Canada want to wrap up the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement this year, according to the Hagstrom Report. While in Washington, D.C. this week, The Mexican ambassador to the United States says the incoming Mexican president wants NAFTA to “be completed before he takes office on December 1.” An official from Canada said the nation …
FDA To Crackdown on Non-dairy Products Labeling
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told a Washington, D.C. event Tuesday the FDA will crack down on the use of the term “milk” for non-dairy products. As reported by Politico, Gottlieb told the Politico Pro Summit the agency will soon issue a guidance document outlining changes to its so-called standards of identity policies for marketing milk, a perceived …
NMPF Encouraged by FDA Commissioner’s Desire to Enforce Dairy Labeling Regulations
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told an audience at a Politico Pro Summit on Tuesday in Washington that his agency will soon begin enforcing regulations that define milk as an animal product, not a plant-based food – an indication that the National Milk Producers Federation’s (NMPF) requests for action by the agency are being heard. After acknowledging that …
UF Researchers Zero in on Potential Threat of New Mosquito Virus
A virus responsible for an illness outbreak in Venezuela is spreading to other parts of the Americas, says a University of Florida scientist who is closely monitoring the Mayaro virus. Most recently, the virus was found in a child in Haiti in 2016. Even though the virus hasn’t infected anyone in Florida or the U.S., Barry Alto, an associate professor …
U.S.-China Dispute Harming Canadian Soybean Growers
Soybean farmers in Canada are feeling the impact of the U.S.-China trade war as soybean prices decline. CNBC reports that while Canadian soybean farmers could see an increased market share from importing nations, experts say the current soybean market plays a much more significant role. Since April, soybean futures have dropped nearly 20 percent in the United States, and Canadian …