Perdue Says Trade War May Affect the New Farm Bill

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says a potential trade dispute with China could have negative consequences on the new Farm Bill Congress is currently working on. Politico says Congress may need to factor in possible trade disruptions while working on the new legislation. China announced that dozens of U.S. farm products, including soybeans and beef, could potentially face a 25 percent …

Putnam Backs Trump on Revamping NAFTA

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that backed President Donald Trump’s push for a “more equitable North American Free Trade Agreement” with Canada and Mexico. “As you are aware, producers of perishable and seasonal agricultural products in Florida and other regions have been decimated by unfair trading practices resulting in a …

Putnam Urges NAFTA Changes to Better Protect Florida Agriculture

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam sent a letter to Ambassador Robert Lighthizer underscoring the importance of ensuring that Florida agriculture is better protected from unfair and illegal trade practices as NAFTA negotiations continue. “Current remedies available to address unfair trade practices are simply insufficient to protect Florida’s specialty crop producers. It is critical that the NAFTA negotiations result …

Groups Respond to Proposed Chinese Tariff Announcement

From American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) The following statement on the Chinese tariff announcement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Farmers and ranchers are, by necessity, patient and optimistic. We know markets ebb and flow. But China’s threatened retaliation against last night’s U.S. tariff proposal is testing both the patience and optimism of families who …

New Trap Better at Snaring Stable Flies

A new stable fly trap, now on the market, catches more flies than the standard trap, according to a recent Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study. The Knight Stick trap is highly attractive to stable flies, fits in tight places and is very portable, said entomologist Jerry Hogsette, with the Mosquito and Fly Research Unit at the ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in …

Loss Of Foreign Workers Would Hurt Agriculture

Given a tight labor market, particularly in rural areas, the loss of foreign-born workers would lead to a drop in agricultural jobs, according to a study commissioned by the National Pork Producers Council. Economists with Iowa State University (ISU), using a study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, determined that a reduction in the foreign-born workforce – …

Tasty Tomatoes and Other Produce

UF/IFAS Expert Urges Scientists to Breed for Flavor For 20 years, Harry Klee, a professor of horticultural sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has been using genetics to improve flavors and smells in tomatoes and other produce that induce the consumer to buy more of them. As Florida farmers continue to harvest this year’s tomatoes, Klee …

ITC Vote Levels Playing Field in Biodiesel Trade Dispute

The International Trade Commission agrees with the National Biodiesel Board that the biofuels industry has suffered because of unfairly dumped imports of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia. In a vote Tuesday, the Commission voted 4-0 in support of the position by the National Biodiesel Board. The vote on injury is the last remaining procedural hurdle before final antidumping orders can …