Brazil is considering removing a 20-percent tariff on ethanol imports from the United States. An agriculture official from Brazil said Wednesday the decision could depend on the U.S. lifting a ban on fresh beef exports from Brazil, according to Reuters. Brazil imposed the ethanol tax last year on U.S. imports that exceed a 600-million-liter annual quota to protect local producers. …
Organics Encourage Support for Livestock Rule
The organic food sector is drumming up support for the recently ditched organic livestock rule. Leading the charge, Organic Valley cooperative of Wisconsin says the group is demanding that the Department of Agriculture stop interfering with the public process that created the rule. The coalition, which includes the National Farmers Union, published a paid open letter in the Washington Post …
Trump Falling Behind on USDA Nominees
President Donald Trump has nominated just seven of the 13 Agriculture Department positions that require Senate confirmation. The Senate has confirmed just four nominations, being Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Deputy Secretary Steve Censky and Undersecretaries Ted McKinney and Greg Ibach. The undersecretary nomination of Bill Northey remains on hold by Senator Ted Cruz, and one Trump nomination, Sam Clovis, withdrew …
Canada Official: U.S. Direction on NAFTA Like Following a Pinball
An agriculture official from Canada says trying to determine the U.S. direction for the North American Free Trade Agreement is like “following a pinball.” Ron Bonnett, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture president, was attending when President Donald Trump spoke at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention last week. Bonnett told an Ontario, Canada-based newspaper that he is still optimistic that …
Major Reservoir Project Could Take Years
After receiving legislative approval last spring, a massive reservoir intended to help shift water south from Lake Okeechobee remains years away from reality, the head of the South Florida Water Management District said Wednesday. A big factor in the timeline for design and construction of the reservoir is waiting for federal-government approval of its half of the roughly $1.6 billion …
Returning to the New Era Corn Price Mid-Point
The agricultural economists at the University of Illinois have been championing a new era for grain prices since the rise of ethanol as a major player in the U.S. corn market. Scott Irwin is an agricultural economist from the University of Illinois. He and his colleagues believe grain prices have achieved a new higher plateau era. An era that started …
Researchers Studying Feed-Carried Viruses
Could viruses be transferred around the globe by the import of feed stuffs from foreign countries? Dr. Scott Dee of the Pipestone Veterinary Clinic in Minnesota talks about a study carried out by Pipestone Veterinary Services, South Dakota State University and Kansas State University. Feed Prior to the last Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea outbreak in the U.S., it was seen in …
Alabama Fruit Growers Understand Managing Cold Weather
Alabama fruit producers are keeping their eyes on the thermometers, but professionals with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System say producers are used to dealing with cold weather. Dr. Edgar Vinson, an Alabama Extension fruit specialist who works closely with the state’s peach producers, said most are not worried about the frigid weather. “This season’s cold weather has kept peaches and …
Lack of Budget Deal Making Farm Bill Efforts Harder
The lack of a budget deal so far to keep the government open, is frustrating efforts to write a new farm bill–and its would-be authors. Farm bills are never easy to write, and some have taken a couple of years or more to enact. And, this is an election year—never an easy time to do any legislating. But, the ongoing …
Farmers Market Legal Toolkit Launched
Farmers markets now have an online tool that provides the markets with accessible resources to understand legal issues and legal risk. The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law school, along with the Farmers Market Coalition, and others, have launched the Farmers Market Legal Toolkit online, a free resource created with support from the Department of Agriculture. The …