Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Thursday announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture has reached a final agreement with Chinese officials to allow the United States to begin exporting rice to China for the first time. Secretary Perdue says the agreement has been in the works for more than a decade and says the agreement represents “an exceptional opportunity” with potential for …
Mexican Ambassador Addresses Corn Farmers
Mexican Ambassador to the U.S., Gerónimo Gutiérrez spoke to more than 200 corn farmers from the National Corn Growers Association this week in Washington, D.C. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has benefited both the American and Mexican agriculture industries, and Mexico is optimistic about the prospects of modernizing the trade agreement, Mexican Ambassador Gerónimo Gutiérrez told more than …
McKinney, Clovis, Officially Nominated for USDA Posts
President Donald Trump has nominated Ted McKinney for Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs and Dr. Sam Clovis for Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics. Both have long been rumored to take top seats at the Department of Agriculture for months. McKinney currently serves as the director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and Clovis was …
First Round of NAFTA Talks Scheduled
As expected, U.S. trade officials confirmed this week that North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations would begin August 16th, the first day allowed by U.S. law. The office of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced this week that the talks would kick off in Washington, D.C. on August 16th, and the initial rounds of negotiations are scheduled to wrap up …
NACD Supports Farm Bill Coalition Recommendations
The Forests in the Farm Bill Coalition (FIFB) released its 2018 Farm Bill recommendations. The National Association of Conservation Districts has been an active participant in the creation of the recommendations, serving on two of the coalition’s working groups to ensure that NACD’s policies and principles were included. “The public expects clean air and water, healthy soils, and abundant wildlife habitat …
NMPF Proposal to Improve H-2A for Dairy Advances Thanks to Rep. Newhouse
In a meeting with Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern expressed appreciation on behalf of the nation’s dairy farmers for the congressman’s work to advance NMPF’s proposal to expand the H-2A farm worker visa program to include year-round employees on dairy farms. During consideration Wednesday of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s annual …
NCC Encouraged by Cottonseed Policy Inclusion
The FY18 Agriculture Appropriations bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee includes a number of key provisions from the industry’s cottonseed proposal to help provide economic relief to cotton producers until a new farm bill is in place. A summary of the bill’s cottonseed provisions is in a Committee news release. National Cotton Council Chairman Ronnie Lee, a Georgia …
Ragweed Management Webcast Available
Improve Ragweed Management Practices with New ‘Focus on Cotton’ Webcast Excessive reliance on glyphosate to control ragweed has allowed resistant varieties to flourish in cotton production systems. A new Focus on Cotton webcast titled “Herbicide-resistant Common Ragweed Management in Cotton” helps cotton growers, consultants, and other industry experts diversify management practices and herbicide applications to better control ragweed populations. This 27-minute …
Culver’s Restaurant Starting the Second Year of #FarmingFridays
The Culver’s restaurant chain successfully debuted the #FarmingFridays social media content series last year. Culver’s has once again invited agricultural influencers to share pictures and videos that show their passion for and knowledge of agriculture. The social media effort is part of the Culver’s Thank You Farmers Initiative, which recognizes the hard work and commitment of the farmers that feed …
H-2A Visa Program May Be Expanded
The House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment to the fiscal 2018 Homeland Security Spending Bill that would help dairy producers and other farmers that need year round labor. The amendment would expand the types of businesses that can apply for the H-2A visa program for temporary or seasonal workers. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says it would also nullify the requirement …