A Politico report says the real winners of a trade war with China could be some of America’s top global trade competitors. As the two countries push toward a trade deal, long-term trends could be stacked against American producers when it comes to Beijing’s consumption. China will likely keep pouring resources into other countries in an attempt to diversify its …
Japan, Russia, and Turkey Talk Potential Trade Retaliation
The World Trade Organization says Japan, Russia, and Turkey have all warned the United States about possible trade retaliation for U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. An Agriculture Dot Com article says those tariffs would up the total U.S. tariff bill around the world to $3.5 billion annually. The three countries recently notified the World Trade Organization of their …
U.S. Government to Spend $50 Million in Seed Quality
The U.S. is trailing China in federal ag research and seed-breeding investments. China has outspent the U.S. in those categories for the past ten years. To help combat the low spending, House Democrats Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Darren Soto of Florida introduced the Seeds for the Future Act earlier this year. A Farm Journal report quotes a release from …
Crop Protection Companies Readying for Robot Sprayers
A solar-powered robot that looks like a table on wheels was recently moving through a field of sugar beets in Switzerland. The robot scans rows of crops with its camera, identifies weeds, and zaps them with blue liquid from its mechanical tentacles. A Reuters report says the Swiss robot is undergoing its final testing before the blue liquid is replaced …
USDA Announces Streamlined Purchase Program to Supply Nutrition Assistance Programs with American Farm Products
$177.4 million in Commodity Purchases Announced U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach announced up to $177.4 million in purchases for nutrition assistance programs using a new streamlined process. The American-grown products that will be purchased will be provided to families in need through USDA’s nutrition assistance programs. “USDA is taking a more proactive …
USDA Invests $256 Million in Water Infrastructure in Rural Communities
Investments Will Support 81 Projects in 35 States Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $256 million in 81 projects (PDF, 233 KB) to improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural areas in 35 states. “No matter what zip code you live in, infrastructure is a foundation for quality of …
Hurricane Season Begins
Program Funding Helps in Aftermath Forecasters are predicting another busy hurricane season this year, while Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Irma and Harvey. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funded $93 million for 133 projects in 27 Florida counties damaged by Hurricane Irma and $570,000 for one project in one county from Hurricane Harvey. Projects will remove debris and stabilize stream-banks to …
Tentative Next Steps for House Farm Bill
The House Farm Bill will get another vote on June 22 after a separate vote on a conservative immigration bill. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise announced the schedule on Monday. The conservative immigration bill is sponsored by House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Homeland Security Chair Michael McCaul of Texas. Roll Call reports the bill contains border wall …
What’s Next for China-U.S. Trade?
Politico says the preliminary trade agreement between China and the U.S. announced over the weekend raises more questions than it answers. No one knows how soon it comes together and things start to happen. While China agreed to buy significantly more American agricultural products, there aren’t any hard numbers attached to that promise yet. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will …
Farmers for Free Trade Suggestions on Improving China/U.S. Trade Relations
Farmers for Free Trade call the framework of a trade agreement between the U.S. and China as a good first step toward ending tensions that have hurt American agriculture. The group applauds the Trump Administration’s focus on supporting U.S. agricultural exports. However, they do note that there’s still a lot of work to do in order to put a solid …